by Tasha Black
Kade
Alien Adoption Agency #2
Tasha Black
13th Story Press
Copyright © 2021 by 13th Story Press
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
13th Story Press
PO Box 506
Swarthmore, PA 19081
[email protected]
Cover designed by Sylvia Frost of The Book Brander
Contents
Tasha Black Starter Library
About Kade
Kade
1. Aurora
2. Kade
3. Aurora
4. Kade
5. Aurora
6. Kade
7. Aurora
8. Kade
9. Aurora
10. Aurora
11. Kade
12. Aurora
13. Kade
14. Aurora
15. Aurora
16. Kade
17. Aurora
18. Kade
19. Aurora
20. Aurora
21. Aurora
22. Kade
23. Aurora
24. Aurora
25. Aurora
26. Kade
27. Aurora
28. Aurora
Tyro - SAMPLE
1. Phoebe
2. Tyro
Tasha Black Starter Library
About the Author
One Percent Club
Tasha Black Starter Library
Packed with steamy shifters, mischievous magic, billionaire superheroes, and plenty of HEAT, the Tasha Black Starter Library is the perfect way to dive into Tasha's unique brand of Romance with Bite!
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About Kade
She’s the target of an intergalactic bounty hunt. But he’s going to capture her heart.
Aurora Day is running from a crime she didn’t commit – or at least, she didn’t mean to commit. But the intergalactic soldiers on the hunt for the woman known as the Fox don’t care about the details. Hiding out on the remote frontier moon of Clotho is her only hope for survival. But to gain access, she has to adopt an alien baby. Aurora is shocked when she learns that a dragon warrior of the Invicta is part of the package.
Kade knows two things about Aurora. The bright-eyed Terran is going to be the mother of the child he has pledged to guard and grown to love. And the mysterious woman is fated to be his mate. But Aurora has no interest in his love, and she doesn’t even seem to be that interested in adorable baby Lyra. She’s clearly hiding some secrets, and Kade is determined to unearth them before his dragon’s wild lust for her burns them both alive.
When Kade runs afoul of the local law enforcement, only Aurora can save him. The perfect life she’s dared to dream of is almost in her grasp, and now it’s all about to come crashing down around her. Will she stand her ground and fight for her new family? Or will the Fox keep running for freedom?
If you like strong women, hunky aliens, wild adventures, steamy sensual scenes, and happily-ever-afters, then you’ll love the world of Stargazer!
Alien Adoption Agency is a Stargazer Alien Series – read them all:
-Noxx
-Kade
-Tyro
Kade
1
Aurora
Aurora Day was a rebel and a sharpshooter.
She had piloted stolen puddle jumpers and fought wild tiger-bears. At this very moment, she was the subject of an intergalactic man hunt with a price on her head.
Aurora Day liked to think she was tough as nails and twice as sharp.
But right now, she was standing still in a fragrant meadow, overlooking the blue-green moon of Clotho, utterly paralyzed by the swell of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
Her chest ached, and her cheeks burned, and there was a prickling behind her eyelids, almost like she was going to cry.
But Aurora Day didn’t cry.
Even when the two women she known for only a handful of weeks had risked everything to save her from being captured just a few minutes ago.
Even when they could have turned her in for the million-credit reward, but decided to help her instead, for no other reason than they wanted to.
Without a second thought, they had torn apart their own clothing to make her a scarf that she could use to hide her signature, bright-red curls before anyone else could see them and recognize her.
And now, just as she was fully understanding the depth of her gratitude for these two amazing women, they were being separated.
She glanced up at the wooded ridge, where dark-haired Luna sat awkwardly astride some kind of tree-horned moose, clinging to a cradle, as a big blue alien led them into the trees toward her new destiny.
Aurora turned back to find her other new friend, Phoebe, jogging up to her.
“I don’t know if I can do this without you and Luna,” Phoebe said softly, wrapping her arm around Aurora.
Aurora hugged her back, wishing they could hold on just a little longer.
But the adoption process was over. All that was left was for them to meet their assigned babies and be escorted to their new homes. Now that it was right in front of them, it had taken on a reality that was more than a little intimidating. Especially given the fact that the babies were the last of the Imberian race, and after a lengthy legal battle, only a select group of women had been entrusted with the responsibility of their care and raising.
It was a lot.
As far as Aurora knew, Phoebe was some sort of farm-girl back home. Every new aspect of the intake process with the adoption agency had been a daunting adventure for her, and she had leaned hard on Aurora and Luna to help her navigate it.
What Phoebe probably didn’t realize was that helping her get comfortable with those new things had distracted Aurora from her own fears.
Now that their new lives were upon them, she wasn’t so sure she could do this without her friends either.
A burly green warrior with a chubby green baby in his arms approached them. He was clearly one of the Invicta warriors assigned to present the babies and escort them safely to their new homes. The Invicta were kind of the whole reason the babies were the last of their race, so Aurora figured it was the least they could do.
“What ho, ladies,” called the warrior with a big, friendly grin. “Atlas wants his mama to find her new home right away, so she can give him some supper.”
The baby chuckled and squeaked out some nonsense syllables of apparent agreement.
Phoebe’s eyes got as big as saucers.
Aurora resisted the impulse to laugh. How was Phoebe intimidated by that? The big green guy and Phoebe’s chunky new son were about the most wholesome, welcoming sight Aurora had ever seen.
Nothing at all like the fierce, golden warrior who was now standing just a few meters away with Aurora’s fussy new daughter.
Sure, he was stunningly gorgeous, but he also looked like he was going to attack her if she so much as tried to pass the time of day with her baby.
And the baby… it was so loud. What if it never stopped crying?
Aurora was starting to think maybe she wasn’t really cut out to be a mom, even to a cheerful baby like Phoebe’s.
What had she gotten herself into?
“Are you going to be okay?” Phoebe asked suddenly, as if reading her thoughts.
“Of course,” Aurora said, forcing a smile. “If you get too lonely out there, just send up a flare or something. We’ll get
settled in and then find each other again. I’m sure.”
But as her eyes took in the vastness of the verdant moon laid out below them, she wasn’t quite as sure as she had tried to sound.
2
Kade
Kade observed the woman out of the corner of his eye, careful not to give too much away.
Though his inner dragon raged just beneath the surface, begging to be released, he kept his feelings locked inside.
Perfect control was the only way he would survive the tsunami of emotion that roiled in his chest.
Kade of the Invicta knew two things.
The woman before him was about to become the mother of the baby he already loved as his own.
And she was also destined to be his mate.
He kept his eyes firmly on the horizon, cradling little Lyra protectively in his arms. Without the baby to ground him, he would have lost his mind with the wild joy of it.
But even if dragons had the luxury of experiencing unbridled love at first sight, warriors certainly didn’t. And Kade couldn’t expect this Terran girl to embrace their bond immediately. She might feel something, some pull or yearning. But she wouldn’t know what it meant, or understand how important it was.
For now, he would celebrate in dignified silence. All things would unfold as they should, he was sure of it.
He watched as Aurora embraced her friend, and was struck again at how familiar she seemed. He would have sworn he’d seen her somewhere before, but he knew that wasn’t possible. He’d never been to any of the Terran planets.
Kade noted her superior maternal instincts as she set her friend’s worries at ease with a few kind words. She would make an excellent mother for the sweet whelp in his arms, and any others they might create together.
All Kade had to do was not mess it up.
She glanced over at him, suddenly looking more serious.
He noticed that her hand kept unconsciously going to the scarf wrapped around her hair, as if she were concerned that it might be slightly out of place.
But she needn’t have worried. She would be loveliness embodied, no matter how she dressed.
The other girl disappeared down the path with his fellow solider, Tyro and baby Atlas.
Now Kade and baby Lyra stood alone in the meadow with their new family member.
She turned, and they finally locked eyes as the breeze picked up, carrying her scent to him.
Beneath the harsher smells of the chemical bath she had just been given, he could taste just a hint of peppermint, plus a deeper musk that sent a shiver of lust down his spine.
“Greetings, Aurora,” he told her. “I am Kade, and this is Lyra.”
He waited for the woman’s face to melt at the sight of the perfect child.
And he could hardly blame her. After all, little Lyra was plump and strong, with a good loud voice that she wasn’t afraid to use to stand up for herself. The tears that often clung to Lyra’s pale eyelashes lent her a tragic beauty that Kade felt belied her young age.
Of course he couldn’t be positive, because he hadn’t met all the babies in the universe. But Kade was pretty sure that Lyra was the very best one.
The woman eyed the babe without comment and then gave Kade a quick nod.
“Where are we headed?” she asked nonchalantly.
He blinked at her stupidly for a moment, unable to believe that was all she had to say.
Didn’t she want to hold the baby? Babies were excellent for holding.
“Uh, our home is in the village, so we’re waiting for the coach to arrive,” he told her. “It shouldn’t be long.”
As if on cue, he spotted the tops of the wing-steeds’ heads bobbing up and down along the hillside path.
“What in God’s name?” Aurora murmured as she noticed them.
“They are called wing-steeds,” he told her. “I believe they’re similar to your Terran ostriches. But they’re colorful, and ill-tempered.”
The woman’s eyebrows went up slightly.
The coach had come into sight now. It was a beautiful thing - glossy blue with gold trim, pulled by matching turquoise wing-steeds.
Kade knew he shouldn’t have raided his private reserves for a frivolous thing like an open-air coach. But when he had seen the hologram, all he could think of was how perfectly it matched Lyra’s azure eyes. When she got older, she would be proud to arrive in such style to all her activities.
As it pulled up before them, he realized belatedly that it also matched the eyes of the woman who did not yet know she was his mate.
“Your coach, sir,” a small hover droid announced, sailing off the front seat to drop the ownership cube in his waiting hand.
“Thank you,” he told the droid.
It floated back down the hillside quickly, as if anxious to get back to the dealership to deliver its next coach. Although from what he knew of the town, not many people could afford such a luxury. If he was being honest, he really couldn’t either.
One of the big birds turned to him and squawked curiously, turning its frilled head to the side.
Lyra squawked back bravely and then began to wail.
“The beast meant no disrespect, Lyra,” he told her calmly.
He did not expect her to stop crying. Lyra would express her feelings in a hearty voice until she felt the violation was cleansed from her mind. That was her way.
Meanwhile, the woman was staring at her in horror.
Kade understood. At first, he had been distressed by Lyra’s crying as well.
“She is expressing her displeasure,” Kade explained. “She will stop when she feels better. Would you like me to help you up?”
“Uh, no thanks,” the woman replied, fixing him with her bright blue eyes.
A wave of lust washed over him and it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms. He waited for her as she hopped gracefully into the coach, then he swung in after her and whistled to the wing-steeds.
They took off jogging with the usual speed of the showy land birds.
Aurora was clearly not prepared for the sudden acceleration. She fell backward against the seat and her scarf blew half off in the sudden breeze.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the sunlight glinted in her coppery hair.
Kade couldn’t help but gasp at her beauty.
Aurora’s eyes went wide with horror and she grasped for the scarf, desperately trying to cover her hair again.
Kade looked away, not wanting to impair her modesty.
He had heard tales of the many cultures of old Earth. His mate must be a Terran who preferred to cover her hair outside the home.
He made a note to himself to obtain proper fabrics so that she could construct beautiful and sturdy coverings if she liked.
A greedy voice inside him gloried in the idea that her fiery halo might be his alone to see.
“They look like peacocks,” she said thoughtfully.
He turned back to her.
Every trace of her hair had disappeared into the scarf again. She observed him with softer eyes than before.
“What are peacocks?” he asked.
“They have the same iridescent feathers and dark frills on their heads,” she told him. “They have long tail feathers that normally drag behind them. But when a male wants to impress a female, he lifts the feathers to make a sort of colorful screen.”
“When wing-steeds wish to mate, the male flaps his wings as if he is going to fly,” Kade explained.
“Maybe they’re not so different after all,” Aurora said.
“The further I travel the galaxy, the more I am convinced that the myriad of beings are more similar than most believe,” he said, nodding.
Aurora didn’t reply.
He glanced over at her.
She seemed transfixed by the sight of the tiny town that was revealing itself around the curve of the road.
He wondered suddenly if she was frightened.
It seemed strange to think this fierce young woman
could be so easily frightened. Surely, he was wrong, and she was just happy to see that they would not be alone on the frontier moon.
Aurora frowned and her hand went to her scarf, as if to be sure it was still in place.
3
Aurora
Aurora eyed the little town.
It might be small, but it was clearly bustling. Terrans, droids and other beings strolled the gravel streets, waving and shouting to each other.
There were a few other wing-steed drawn coaches, but none as flashy as this one.
Great. I’m trying to hide out, and I manage to arrive in a gossipy small town in the most conspicuous way possible.
Once Kade dropped them off, she would be sure never to ride in a coach again.
She glanced over at the baby, unable to believe she was going to be left alone with such a loud little being.
For her part, baby Lyra watched the town roll past, a queenly expression on her small face.
One thing Aurora could say about Lyra was that, for a baby, she projected confidence. She wondered how much of that had to do with the big golden warrior who was carrying her.
Who wouldn’t be confident in those strong, muscular arms?
Not that she’d been thinking about his arms, or how it might feel to be held by them, or the warmth of his big body, so close to hers.
