by Tasha Black
It shot out the back door without a look back.
“No,” Aurora shouted from the other room.
Kade ran for his mate and child, forgetting the beans on the floor.
He slipped and flew through the air, landing hard on his hip at the threshold to the living room.
The raccoon-monkeys had discovered the crate of eggs.
Some were smashing them against the wall and eating the contents.
Others were flinging them at Aurora, like gooey weapons.
Aurora’s beautiful face went stony.
“That’s it,” she growled and began stomping toward them.
The nearest monkey made a startled yipping sound and darted toward the open window.
Aurora began stomping slowly from the front door toward the back window, monkeys scrambling in her wake.
The strategy was effective, soon the little creatures were pouring out the back window in a furry waterfall.
When she reached the far wall, she turned back to him with a triumphant grin.
At just that moment, a raccoon-monkey emerged from the fireplace, covered in soot.
It let out an unholy shriek and flew at Kade.
Before it could reach him, something hit the wild animal with a splat and it fell to the ground, where it grumbled to itself before slinking out the front door.
Kade looked up to see that Aurora was now armed with eggs.
“Great shot,” he told her.
She looked down at the eggs in her hand and back at Kade.
The cottage was small and covered in flour and broken eggs, like a baking class gone very wrong.
They were exhausted, and darkness was coming.
Suddenly, Lyra began to laugh.
Aurora’s lovely face broke into a smile at the happy sound, filling Kade’s heart.
“You know, if we just pour the milk on the ground and set the house on fire, we’d have cake,” Aurora pointed out, and then laughed at her own joke until there were tears in her eyes.
Kade felt his own laughter bubbling up inside. In spite of the cleanup they had ahead of them, and the troubling lack of supplies, he was happy, really happy.
“I’m sorry the house is so small and so… messed up,” he told her. “I’m glad we can still laugh about it.”
“Seriously?” Aurora said.
“Of course,” he told her. “If we can laugh, we can adapt.”
“This is the nicest place I’ve ever lived,” she told him, serious now. “Even with the mess. I can’t believe my good luck, truly.”
He blinked at her, trying to take it in. “So when you were outside, just staring at the house…”
“On Terra-4 my people mostly live in tents and semi-structures,” she explained. “The creche is concrete block, and some of the apartment multiplexes are too. But they’re nothing like this house. It’s beautiful, not just practical. It even has a garden.”
Lyra squeaked and banged her head against Aurora’s shoulder.
“Oh, no,” Aurora said. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“She’s hungry,” Kade said with a gentle smile. “At least we still have milk.”
Aurora smiled at him, blue eyes twinkling, and he knew he was lost.
Whether she accepted him as her mate or not, he would follow her forever.
But how could he burden her with that knowledge, when the whole world was new and strange to her?
5
Aurora
Aurora surveyed the cottage with satisfaction.
Kade might think the place was small, but it hadn’t seemed so small while they were cleaning the dry food stores and eggs out of every nook and cranny.
But here they were, standing in a clean cottage, sleeping baby in the sling on Kade’s big chest, and the loose vent the racoon-monkeys had used to gain entrance safely secured against a repeat visit.
If only her stomach weren’t grumbling.
“The shops are closed, but we need food,” Kade said, as if reading her mind. “I think it’s time to meet the neighbors.”
“No way,” she said automatically. “We can go a night without a meal.”
“Why would we do that?” he asked.
She glanced over at him.
He seemed genuinely confused.
“Our neighbors didn’t fill their stores to account for us,” she reminded him.
“We can repay them in the morning when we go back to the store,” he pointed out.
“We have our pride,” she said.
“The raccoon-monkeys were hardly our fault,” Kade chuckled. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, come on.”
He was already heading out the door. She could either follow him or be left behind.
She stood, paralyzed.
He stopped and turned to her, his expression softening.
“Aurora, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t want begging to be our first introduction to the neighbors,” she said softly. “Lyra and I deserve to make our own reputations. Ones that don’t begin by shaming ourselves.”
Realization seemed to dawn in his eyes.
He moved to her, took her hands in his.
Emotions rolled over her, leaving her weak in the wake of his touch.
“Aurora,” he said softly. “I’m only beginning to understand how different life was on Terra-4 from anything I am used to. I believe you that things are different there. Will you let me tell you about Clotho?”
“Sure, but you’re not from here either,” she pointed out.
“That’s true,” he said. “But my military career has sent me all over the galaxy. All frontier communities have one thing in common. Do you know what it is?”
Aurora shook her head.
“They’re lonely,” he said.
She thought about that.
“They’ve come here to better their lives in some way,” Kade went on. “But they’ve also isolated themselves from everyone they’ve ever known.”
“Maybe that’s what they wanted,” Aurora pointed out.
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But those people would have gone out into the forest, onto the lake, and beyond. The people who settled in the village did it for a reason. They wanted company. And new faces are rare in a place like this.”
That made sense.
“Could we just go and introduce ourselves?” Aurora asked.
“Sure,” Kade said. “And if you feel comfortable once we introduce ourselves, maybe you would feel better if we offered to buy supplies from them?”
She nodded in relief. “Yes, that sounds good.”
“Come on then,” he said.
He let go of one of her hands but not the other. Something about that tugged at her heart.
She allowed herself to be led out the front door and into the little garden. In darkness, the village street was even more picturesque than before, with lights glowing warm in the windows.
“Let’s try this one,” Kade said, pointing to the cottage next to theirs.
Aurora held her breath as they walked through the strangers’ garden to the front door.
But Kade knocked with great confidence, his expression relaxed. She had a hard time imagining any situation that might intimidate the big warrior.
After a few seconds, a woman came to the door. She was older than Aurora, tall and thin. She peered at them for a moment through a pair of thick glasses.
“Oh, my word,” she said suddenly, her eyebrows up so high they disappeared into the frames of the glasses. “Franc, get out here. New neighbors are here.”
Her voice was high and nearly quivering with excitement.
Aurora suppressed the desire to smile.
“Well, Ethel, let ‘em in,” a man’s voice boomed cheerfully.
“Come in, come in,” she scolded them lightly, as if they had resisted an earlier command to enter.
“Thank you for having us,” Kade said politely.
“Hello,” Aurora managed.
The woman thumped her on
the back with a strength Aurora could not have anticipated. Had Kade not been holding her hand, she might have stumbled.
“Welcome, welcome, welcome,” the man who must be Franc said cheerfully.
He was as short and stout as his wife was tall and thin, and he beamed up at them, tugging at his silver beard.
“Thank you,” Aurora said, following Kade and their hostess to a small living room.
Ethel indicated that they should sit on the sofa, a fluffy thing with an abundance of velvet throw pillows.
As they complied, Franc took a spot in the worn easy chair across from them.
“I’ll just get us something to eat,” Ethel called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen.
“She’s checking the newsfeed,” Franc confided as soon as she had disappeared. “She’s been addicted to the thing ever since we came here. Makes her feel connected.”
“This moon has excellent resources,” Kade replied. “Soon enough, Clotho will have its own local newsfeed.”
“Hear, hear, boy,” Franc said, lifting a glass of brown murky liquid. “Want a touch of poison?”
“Why not?” Kade said.
“And for the little lady?” Franc asked.
Aurora shook her head.
“Pity,” Franc said, hopping up to fill a glass for Kade at the little table by the fire. “But, you know, I’ll just fix you a small one. Can’t be a citizen of Clotho without trying the brogg. It’ll grow on you, my dear.”
When his back was turned, Kade squeezed her hand.
She looked up at him, and he shook his head, almost imperceptibly.
So the local brew wasn’t as good as advertised.
Again, she resisted the urge to giggle.
“Here we are,” Ethel sang out, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of steaming mugs and a plate of something that smelled delicious. “Hot tea and my famous doughnuts.”
“Let me help you with that,” Kade offered.
“No, no, sit,” she said. “You’ve got the little one.”
She placed the tray on the table, and Aurora nearly wept at the sight.
The tea was pale with milk and a small bowl of sugar and a spoon sat next to the cups. The doughnuts were enormous, glistening with a sugary glaze.
A treat like this would have been reserved for a special occasion back home.
“Thank you,” Kade said. “This looks incredible.”
Franc didn’t waste any time, grabbing the biggest doughnut from the tray and taking a large bite.
Kade served himself next, closing his eyes in ecstasy as he took the first bite.
“Incredible,” he said with his mouth full.
Ethel smiled as if he had just awarded her an intergalactic peace award. “Go on, dear, give it a try,” she said, turning to Aurora.
Aurora lifted one of the dreamy looking confections. It was heavier than she expected. Ethel watched as she took her first bite.
“Oh, wow,” Aurora moaned around the sweet, doughy mouthful.
Ethel beamed.
“So when did you two arrive?” Franc asked.
“Early this afternoon,” Kade said.
“Why didn’t you come around right away?” Ethel scolded. “We won’t even have time to tell the other neighbors. Unless you’ve already been to see the Dufresnes?”
“No, this was our first visit,” Kade said.
Ethel smiled in delight, obviously taking pleasure in being able to tell everyone else they had been visited first.
“We had a little hold up when we first arrived,” Kade added. “Or we would have stopped by sooner.”
“What happened?” Franc leaned forward, looking concerned.
“Nothing too exciting,” Kade said. “We just had to get rid of some squatters.”
“Cave people?” Ethel asked, looking scandalized.
“No, raccoon-monkeys,” Kade chuckled.
“Ha,” Franc laughed, slapping his knee.
“Dear Lord,” Ethel said. “How many of them?”
“It’s hard to say,” Aurora put in. “There were so many, and they moved so fast.”
“Did you have dry food stores sent ahead?” Franc asked knowingly.
“Yes,” Kade said.
“Yep, seen it a lot out here,” Franc said. “It’s almost like the dry grocer is in cahoots with the wild life.”
“Franc,” Ethel scolded.
“He’ll be open again tomorrow around noontime, so you can restock then,” Franc said. “Meantime we’ll bundle you up a few things to take with you.”
“That’s not necessary,” Aurora said quickly.
“It’s our pleasure, dear,” Ethel said, drawing herself up proudly. “We’re neighbors. We look out for each other.”
“Thank you,” Aurora said sincerely.
“Besides,” Ethel pointed out. “Franc’s been having a hard time cleaning out our gutters.”
“Not as young as I used to be,” Franc said, patting his belly contentedly.
“Maybe your husband can help us with that,” Ethel added.
“Oh, he’s not—” Aurora began.
“I would be glad to help,” Kade said firmly. “I’ll stop by in the morning.”
“Wonderful,” Ethel said, clasping her hands together.
“Let me just get those stores together for you,” Franc said, hoisting himself out of his chair with a grunt.
“And, let me see that adorable baby,” Ethel said, moving closer to Kade and peering at the sleeping little face in the sling. “Isn’t he an angel?”
“Her name is Lyra,” Kade said proudly.
“A lovely name for a lovely girl,” Ethel decided. “And the spitting image of her father, too. Poor mama,” she said, turning to Aurora. “Maybe the next one will look like you.”
Aurora opened her mouth to explain the situation, but suddenly Ethel leaned closer.
“You seem so familiar,” she said, eyes widening behind her glasses. “Where have I seen you before?”
Panic struck Aurora speechless.
“She gets that a lot,” Kade said quickly. “It’s her eyes, they remind people of Ryatt Hanchin, the hologram star.”
“No, that’s not it…” Ethel broke off in thought.
“Here you go,” Franc boomed out as he returned, carrying a large sack in one hand and a small bottle in the other.
“She looks familiar, Franc,” Ethel said.
“Everyone looks familiar to you,” he teased gently. “You’ve got a million too many faces swimming around in your head from staring at that news feed.”
“That’s not it,” Ethel said, narrowing her eyes at Aurora, as if that would help her figure it out.
Aurora felt her heart trying to smash out of her chest.
As if she sensed the distress, Lyra began to whimper.
“Oh, dear, the little angel,” Ethel said at once, Aurora forgotten for the moment.
“I think that’s our cue to head home,” Kade said. “I’ll see you both in the morning. And thank you for the supplies. We’ll replace them when we get to the store tomorrow.”
“Nonsense, son,” Franc said, handing the sack and bottle to Aurora. “Consider this a housewarming gift. It’s just a few days of supplies and a little bottle of something sweet for you and the missus.”
“Thank you so much,” Aurora told him, resisting the instinct to embrace the older man.
“Don’t mention it, dear,” he said kindly. “We’re glad you’re here. Good neighbors are hard to come by.”
They all bustled to the door together, saying their goodbyes.
At last, she followed Kade out through their little garden. Aurora’s breath slowed, and her heart rate evened out as the realization that everything was okay set it. She’d made it through without having to explain herself to anyone.
Now she only had to do that every day for the rest of her life on this remote moon.
“So,” Kade said, drawing the word out long and slow. “Is there anything you�
�d like to tell me about your life before you arrived on Clotho?”
Damn.
So much for not having to explain herself.
6
Kade
Kade closed his mouth and willed himself to keep it closed.
Something was going on with this woman of his, and if he wanted to find out what it was without losing her, he was going to have to be patient.
The dragon raged in his chest, snarling fiery judgement.
And while the dragon’s ancient wisdom often steered him right, Kade was very sure that in this case, his own instincts were the right ones.
“Let’s go home,” Aurora whispered tersely. “I’ll tell you there.”
He was shocked at how the word home sounded in his heart. They had dwelled in that small cottage for only a few hours. And they had spent most of that time scrubbing eggs off the floor and furnishings.
Yet it was home to her and Lyra, and to him as well.
It was their home, together.
She was already striding in the front door, a resolute expression on her lovely face.
Lyra had settled again in the sling, so he guessed they would have a few minutes to talk before she woke for a snack.
He wasn’t surprised she was asleep again already. The babe had only whimpered in the first place because he had nudged her.
Ethel had asked Aurora something she didn’t want to answer, and the dragon had sensed Aurora’s discomfort.
So Kade had done the only thing he could think of, and nudged the child to wakefulness as if he were ringing a doorbell.
“Sorry, Lyra,” he whispered into her downy hair.
“Okay,” Aurora said when he had closed the door behind them. “Sit down.”
She had pointed at the sofa, so he sat, feeling disappointed that she wasn’t going to sit next to him and tell him intimately about her past.
She had already begun pacing the floor of the small living room, a scowl on her face.
“I’ve told you a little about life on Terra-4,” she began. “But I can already see that everything about it would have been a surprise to you. We have none of the luxuries of the inner Terran planets, none of the resources of places like Ignis-7.”
He nearly flinched at the mention of his own home planet.
