Rexx: Alien Adoption Agency #6

by Tasha Black

  He was an inspiration to anyone with a good idea and the drive to make it a reality.

  And the Peregrine was worth it. The Shaw family’s assets numbered in the billions of credits now.

  So, Abigail had earned her right to adopt by virtue of her money, not her own accomplishments.

  But in her bloodline ran the same dedication that had made her grandfather such a success. Rexx could respect that.

  “You’re going on a train,” Abigail enthused to Rio, who replied to her in abject gibberish that she pretended to understand, nodding sagely in agreement. “Yes, Rio. Well said.”

  The only thing Rexx couldn’t understand was her temperament. Obviously, a wealthy heiress could be a teacher if she chose, but Shaw had been known for his cool head and ruthless business acumen. This woman was as soft as warm gingerbread.

  “Everything okay?” she asked him, looking up from the babe, who promptly tried to grab her coppery hair.

  “Fine,” he said. “Just thinking about where to take you for a new dress.”

  “Oh, anywhere is fine,” she said. “I’ll manage.”

  He frowned. She had arrived in such an elaborate get-up. Surely a Shaw would be discerning in their dress.

  But she had clearly forgotten about it. She was gazing down at Rio like he was worth more than any fortune in the system.

  Rexx was in complete agreement with her there.

  The dragon flung itself against the bars of his control, desperate to claim what was his.

  Not yet, Rexx told him. Patience.

  He had been a good soldier this long, in spite of so many challenges.

  Surely, he could find a way to resist the mate bond long enough to figure out whether claiming the girl was forbidden.

  3

  Abigail

  Abigail managed to make it to town without tripping over her own feet. Which wasn’t exactly easy, since she couldn’t take her eyes off baby Rio long enough to watch where she was going.

  Beside her, Rexx kept pace with them in silence. It was odd, but she felt some kind of connection with him, like she could almost sense his emotions. She couldn't help but feel that the big blue warrior seemed to be torn about something.

  In spite of the beautiful, lush scenery on the walk down the hill, and then the picturesque little village appearing before them, he hadn’t said a word since they had started their journey toward town.

  “Everything okay?” she asked him.

  “Of course,” he assured her. “We’ll just pick up our tickets and then I’ll take you to a dress shop.”

  “Sounds good,” she said.

  The streets in town were cobblestone, which actually made them harder to walk on than the hard-packed dirt of the path. She had to stop worrying about Rexx and talking to Rio to concentrate on her footing.

  The train station was at the apex of the main street. It looked a lot like the one on Terra-8, like something out of a history book about Old Earth.

  A service bot with a conductor’s cap stood at the window.

  “Good morning, madam, and your honor,” it said, tipping the cap to reveal a smooth, dome-shaped head.

  “Tickets under Alien Adoption Agency,” Rexx said tersely.

  “Good morning,” Abigail replied at the same time.

  The bot made a whirring sound and then two tokens slid out of a slot in its ribcage.

  “Two adult tickets,” it said politely. “Bring luck on Lachesis.”

  “We’re going to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat,” Rexx said. “Can you put us on the alert list?”

  “Of course, your honor,” the bot said. “If you aren’t here within five minutes of departure, I will summon you personally.”

  “Thank you,” Abigail said.

  “Most times the stop here goes an extra eight minutes,” the bot said. “So there’s no need to rush unless I summon you.”

  “Why does it go late?” Abigail asked.

  “Conductor’s preference,” the bot said unhelpfully.

  Rexx nodded and they headed back down the main street of the little town.

  “The milliner’s is there,” he said, pointing to a dress shop. “I’ll get us some lunch and meet you in the park.”

  She looked over at the little park in the town center. There were scattered picnic tables, and even a small pavilion with a terra cotta roof.

  “That sounds good,” she said.

  “Why don’t I take the whelp,” he suggested. “So you can shop more easily.”

  For one shattering moment, instinct told her to wrap her arms more tightly around the baby and run.

  Then she remembered that this man was obviously part of the adoption process, and he’d done a good job caring for Rio so far. She was going to have to put the baby down sooner or later. She might as well learn now.

  “Thank you,” she said, wistfully handing Rio over.

  “We won’t be far away,” he said, his deep voice comforting.

  She felt a little tingle go down her spine as she looked up into his dark eyes.

  His jaw tensed and she felt a wave of need flow between them.

  Then he turned from her and marched away before she could identify what had made her think he wanted her in the first place.

  This dry spell isn’t doing you any good, she told herself.

  The trouble was, from the moment she’d applied for this adoption, she’d had no interest in dating at all. Her whole life was focused on the baby.

  It was probably messing with her hormones, that was all.

  She headed into the little shop, cursing the big blue warrior for being so annoyingly handsome, and determined to pull herself together before she had to face him again.

  “How may I serve you, madam?” the proprietor asked. She wore a gown that looked like an actual waterfall. It matched her silvery, transparent eyes and hair.

  “I’m looking for a new dress,” Abigail explained. “Something simple, with pockets.”

  The lady frowned as if maybe every outfit in the store was an embodiment of a natural phenomenon, rather than an everyday piece of clothing.

  “In the back,” she said at last.

  Abigail followed her past a dress that appeared to be made of clouds and another of shimmering copper coins.

  At last, they reached a humble rack at the back of the shop.

  “Everything here is half-price,” the lady said, her nose wrinkling with distaste. “We have a few simple pieces here.”

  Abigail began sliding the dresses along the rack as the woman floated away, clearly not wanting to give full service for half-price gowns.

  Most of the dresses were far-fetched, but there were a few simpler items in odd sizes.

  She had nearly given up when her hand touched a soft woven fabric. She slid out the hanger arm to find a long flowing dress in a dusky green color, with tiny mother-of-pearl slides down the front, and big side pockets.

  “Madam,” she called to the shopkeeper. “May I try this on?”

  The woman gestured to a curtained alcove without bothering to speak.

  Abigail hurriedly ducked into the alcove to find a tidy little dressing room, complete with a powder room. She peeled off her terrible gown and washed up with the pleasantly perfumed soap.

  When she was reasonably sure she was completely free of travel sweat and baby spit-up, she slipped on the new dress.

  It fit beautifully, flowing out at the hips like it had been made for her. And she was pleased to find that there were two more hidden pockets in the bodice.

  She looked in the mirror. It looked nice - modest, but the green worked well with her hair and coloring. And the price tag showed it was actually within her humble budget.

  She wadded up the horrible purple gown and carried it out with her.

  “Oh wow, that’s kind of nice,” the woman in the waterfall dress allowed.

  “I really like it,” Abigail told her.

  “Well, it’s half off,” the woman said. “And I’ve
got two more in back if you want - one brown and one blue.”

  Abigail did a quick mental calculation. She would need rugged clothing, and this was affordable.

  “Yes, please,” she said.

  While the woman sailed to the back for the dresses, Abigail perused the rest of the merchandise.

  Most of it was high-fashion and impractical. But there was a lovely, long scarf that looked sturdy enough to wrap the baby with. Abigail picked it up, looked at the tag, and nearly fainted.

  “Gods of the realm,” the woman said as she sailed back in. “I’ve run this shop for eight cycles, and no one has ever picked up that scarf.”

  “It’s a little out of my budget,” Abigail said, putting it down quickly.

  “What the hell?” the woman said. “Throw it in. It’s on the house.”

  “Really?” Abigail asked.

  “Sure,” the woman told her. “I should take you on my stock runs. Anything you like, I won’t buy.”

  It was a little mean, but as the recipient of three half-price clearance dresses and a free scarf, Abigail wasn’t about to complain.

  “Thanks for the scarf,” Abigail said as the woman rang her up.

  “Don’t mention it,” she replied. “Come back anytime. But I think you managed to buy all my mom-fashions, so don’t expect another bonanza.”

  “I’m a mom, so it works out great,” Abigail said.

  “Good for you,” the lady told her indifferently, handing over a bulging shopping bag.

  Abigail looked down at the purple gown in her hand.

  “Can I burn that for you?” the lady offered.

  “Yes, please,” Abigail said.

  “You’re all right,” the woman laughed. “Really, you can come back whenever you want. But next time try Xylan’s on 5th. They have simpler things there.”

  “Thanks so much for the tip,” Abigail told her.

  She headed out into the fresh air of the little town, feeling much more like herself. She glanced over at the little park and saw that Rexx was waiting for her with Rio at a picnic table. It looked like he had quite a feast set out.

  Her stomach growled loudly in response. She hadn’t eaten before the flight, so a nice meal sounded incredible. And the sight of the big blue guy and the small blue baby tugged at her heart in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

  Abigail smiled and waved to them as she headed over to the park.

  4

  Rexx

  Rexx watched as Abigail crossed the street to join him.

  She was wearing a new dress. The color suited her, but it was a much more sensible look than he would have expected, especially given the purple get-up she had been wearing when she arrived.

  Maybe the spit-up incident had reminded her that motherhood wasn’t going to be glamorous. He certainly wouldn’t want to care for the whelp in a fancy gown.

  She was also carrying a massive shopping bag, bursting with colorful garments. That seemed more in character for someone of her social class, at least.

  He looked at the meal on the table before him. He had tried to guess at what she might like, then given up and purchased some of just about everything. The family at the shop where he had procured the meal looked like they could use the credits anyway, so he had paid happily for the feast.

  But he couldn’t make a habit of this. A soldier’s salary wasn’t enough to keep up with an heiress.

  “Wow,” she said in a pleased way, looking down at the meal. “I was hungry, but this is incredible.”

  “Please sit,” he said. “Help yourself.”

  “No, no, let me hold Rio,” she said happily, holding her arms out for the baby. “You eat first.”

  He obliged her and was rewarded with the sight of the gigantic smile she lavished on the baby.

  “I missed you,” she told Rio, kissing the top of his head.

  Rio chuckled and grabbed a handful of her new dress.

  “You like that too, right?” she said in a friendly way. “It’s really soft.”

  Rexx shook his head and grabbed a wrap of tender sliced meat. She was good with the baby, almost too good.

  “So how long have you been caring for Rio?” she asked him, grabbing a slice of rumba-melon and squeezing a tiny bit of it between her thumb and forefinger to feed to Rio.

  The little fellow smacked his chops and waved his arms for more.

  “I, uh, since he emerged from his pod,” Rexx said, distracted by her easy way with the baby. “Each Imberian whelp is assigned an Invicta guard to protect him or her until maturity.”

  “Until when?” She looked up at him, surprised.

  “That’s twenty standard years,” he explained. “But I’m free to leave my service afterward. So if he needs me longer, I can stay on.”

  “I was impressed you were going to ride the train with us all the way home,” Abigail laughed. “But you’re sticking around for twenty years?”

  “There is no need for accommodation on your part,” he told her quickly. “There is a minimal space allocated for me until he is of an age where I can sleep outside.”

  “Outside?” she echoed, looking horrified.

  “I am a soldier, madam,” he told her. “I am capable of living in extreme conditions. A tent and lantern are luxuries.”

  “Incredible,” she said, shaking her head. “But if there’s space for you inside, then that’s where you should be. After all, you’re the only parent he’s ever known.”

  “I am not his parent,” Rexx told her swiftly, trying to ignore the blossoming emotion in his chest.

  “You feed him and take care of him?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he said. “And I keep him safe.”

  “And it’s clear that you talk to him and entertain him,” she observed. “He’s obviously used to getting loads of positive attention.”

  She wasn’t wrong.

  “Of course,” he said, measuring his words. “Anyone else would have done the same.”

  “No,” she told him seriously. “That’s where you’re wrong. I was a teacher, so I know. Some of my students didn’t have anyone to keep them well fed, cared for and safe. And you’ve given Rio so much more than that.”

  Pride threatened to burst in his chest, but Rexx pushed it down. He was a professional soldier on duty. He was not accustomed to these wild emotions. If he succumbed to them, he might succumb to her as well.

  He nodded, jaw clenched.

  “But he’s a very special boy,” she said warmly, gazing down at Rio, who was looking sleepier by the minute. “He deserves all we can give him.”

  We…

  It was as if she knew, as if she felt the bond tightening between them. But that should have been impossible. He was trying so hard not to attach himself to her.

  A battle raged on in his mind.

  But the woman was mercifully oblivious to it. She calmly ate her lunch and lulled the boy to sleep in her arms, as if she had been caring for him longer than Rexx had.

  “Madam, your honor,” a robotic voice called out.

  He looked up to see a hologram ghost of the bot from the train station sailing toward them, his hat blown sideways on his dome-shaped head for effect.

  “The train will depart in ten minutes,” the bot cried.

  “I thought you said it was always eight minutes late,” Rexx countered sternly.

  “The conductor says we need to leave on time today,” the bot said. “We need to make an extra stop.”

  “Very well,” Rexx said, shaking his head at their spoiled meal. He’d spent the whole time in an argument with himself instead of taking advantage of an opportunity to get to know the woman better. “We’ll be there before ten minutes are over.”

  “Excellent, your honor,” the bot said, then sailed away, presumably to alert other passengers. Though the idea was patently ludicrous. It could have easily sent multiple holograms of itself at once instead of personalizing. But he supposed it was just that kind of attention to detail that made the Iron
Peregrine such a luxury.

  “I guess that’s that,” Abigail said, standing. “Thank you for the wonderful meal. Should we try to pack some of it up to take with us?”

  “There’s a dining car on the train,” Rexx told her. “Let me clean this up while you get the baby ready to go. Unless you’d rather I changed him?”

  “Oh, no,” she laughed. “I know what I’m doing.”

  Clearly, she did. She was already kneeling on the grass spreading out the baby’s blanket beneath him.

  While she busied herself with Rio, Rexx packed up the meal and looked around the park.

  An elderly lady sat alone on a bench with a large sack beside her. Rexx imagined the park was probably her home, though she sat with her back straight and proud.

  He strode over with the neatly packed meal in its box.

  “Good day, madam,” he said to the lady.

  She looked up at him, wide-eyed and frightened.

  He stepped backward before speaking so as not to scare her further.

  “My friend and I just enjoyed a good meal,” he told her. “But my eyes were bigger than my stomach. May I ask you to help us prevent the remainder going to waste?”

  Her eyes latched onto the box, and he saw the moment she realized what was happening.

  “Thank you, your honor,” she said in a low voice.

  “Thank you, madam,” he said respectfully, placing the box beside her.

  He dashed off before it could get awkward, and arrived just in time to pick up Abigail’s suitcase and shopping bag for her.

  “That was lovely,” she said softly.

  He shrugged, embarrassed that she had seen him, though he wasn’t sure why, and began walking for the station.

  “We’d better hurry,” he told her. “We’ll want to find our compartment before the train leaves the station.”

  5

  Abigail