by Crystal Dawn
“I’ve got the list completed,” she said handing it to him.
He looked at it and raised his brow. “It’s longer than I expected but we’ll see what Ranger decides.” He leaned in and kissed her gently. “I wish I had more time but I have to meet Ranger in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
“And I’ll hurry so you don’t have to wait long.”
Bree watched Romo go out the door and had no idea what to do with herself. Deciding to watch TV, she searched until she found a show she could watch and settled in to wait until her mate returned. Feeling odd, she tried to figure out exactly what was wrong with her. Her skin felt hot to the touch and it itched in several places. While she didn’t have a headache exactly, there was a dull throb behind her eyes. Was she catching the flu? The aches and pains her body was throwing at her suggested she might be.
The show was almost over and she heard the sounds of someone at the door. Romo walked in and her heart came alive. He was the one for her and even if she left her world behind, she could never regret spending the rest of her life with him.
“How did it go?” she asked unable to tell if he was happy or not.
“Ranger approved your list. He seemed to be in a good mood and he was accommodating. We get to visit your family but we have to go tomorrow and we have to be cautious about the information we share with them.”
Bree let out a little scream/screech and ran jumping into his arms. “That’s wonderful news. Let me call Mom and make sure she’ll be home for us.”
“Alright,” Romo agreed.
She pulled out her phone and pushed her mom’s number and waited while the phone rang. It had only been a tad longer than a week since she’s seen her mom but she’d already missed her. Leaving her behind would be the single hardest thing she’d ever done in her life. Glancing over at Romo who was watching her with love in his eyes, she realized the only thing harder would be to let him leave without her. The life she’d had before she had met him had been simple but it had also been empty. Sure, she’d had her family when she managed the time to see them, but she’d not had this sense of belonging being with her mate gave her.
She couldn’t describe the way he made her feel but she knew she could never do without him now that she’d met him. “Hello?” a voice on the phone said.
“Mom, this is Bree.”
“Sweetheart, I expected a call days ago,” she said in that mom voice that made you feel knee high to a grasshopper. It was the same voice she’d used as long as Bree could remember whenever she was disappointed.
“I’m bringing someone home with me. I want you to meet him but we can only come tomorrow.”
“That sounds interesting. I can’t wait to meet him. You must be serious if you’re bringing him to meet me.”
“Very serious, Mom. We’ll take you out for breakfast so don’t cook anything, okay?”
“You know I’ll cook, dear. Why don’t I fix lunch and you can grab breakfast before you come? I can’t wait to see this guy.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.”
“Bye.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“That went well,” Romo said.
“I’m sure my mother is excited about meeting you but she will be disappointed that we’ll be moving away. She’s been waiting for grandkids anxiously since neither I nor my sisters are married. I hope she’s not knitting baby booties now.”
Romo leaned into her and she could hear him drawing in a deep breath. He whispered something she could have sworn was maybe she should.
“What?” Bree asked.
“You’re so beautiful I thank the goddess every day that we found each other,” Romo said. Bree blushed and Romo’s lips found hers and he gave her a burning hot kiss. She couldn’t think about anything after that except his soft lips, his hot hands and his smoking body.
“Mm, you feel so good and you make me so hot I feel like I might combust.”
“We can burn together, Sweetheart, we have all night,” Romo said just before Bree’s stomach growled. “Sounds like you have a hungry beast inside.”
Bree blushed, her cheeks burning like fire. “I guess it’s supper time.”
“I’m such a bad mate. You haven’t even had lunch yet and it’s time for supper. Would you like to go out to eat or order in? Your wish is my command.”
Romo was so romantic, he was a delight. “Why don’t we go out? Maybe we could even gamble a little. Do you have restaurants and casinos on Draconis?”
“No casinos, although there are some on nearby planets. We do guesthouses that have bars that serve food or even Inns in larger towns that have rooms, food, bars, and sometimes entertainment.”
“I guess most of you eat at home?”
“Soldiers and their families can eat at the castle at regular meal times as can guests or those who work at the castle. There are also females that serve food out of their homes, which you can eat there or they’ll pack up for you to take with you. Some even have youngsters that deliver for a small charge. There’s a bakery and they have sandwiches and other easy to eat food and drinks.”
“It reminds me of a simpler time in our past before industrialization. When you worked for someone like on a farm, meals were often included as part of your wages.”
“I didn’t know you had an interest in history.”
“At one time I thought about becoming a teacher. I went to college and got a degree with a history major, business minor. Mom insisted all her kids get at least two years of college. Education is important and she’s always told us so.”
“Why don’t we get dressed and we’ll talk over supper.”
They both hurried to dress. Bree had to admit she was famished and could not wait to eat. Romo escorted her to the steakhouse they had eaten at before. She was craving steak so she ordered a porterhouse and Romo ordered the same after raising his brow at her. They both went with medium rare and the thought of the blood actually made her hungrier. Maybe it was a side effect of all the sex she and Romo had had?
It was hard to blame him for being surprised at her order, a porterhouse was the size of a toilet lid. Not the most appetizing comparison, but Bree had an uncle who loved Porterhouse and that was the way he described it. He was from Texas, maybe that was where he’d learned to speak in such a colorful way. However you described it, it didn’t matter because her appetite was kicked into high gear and when her food came, she had no trouble eating her share. Her poor mate just sat there his mouth hanging open as he watched her eat. It didn’t take long for the steak to become a memory and the rest of the food disappeared too.
“Did you want the last roll?” Bree asked pointing to the basket with just one last roll in it.
“No, you seem to be hungrier than I am so go ahead. Do you need anything else? Maybe dessert?” Bree’s mouth watered at the thought of dessert. Maybe he could see it because Romo chuckled. He motioned the waitress and she brought a tray loaded with different desserts.
“We have triple chocolate cake, lemon cake, cheesecake, tiramasu, bread pudding, ice cream, chocolate mousse, and our new chef made black forest torte. I can bring you any of these,” the waitress repeated as if she had it memorized. She probably did.
“Black forest torte for me,” Bree said.
“I’ll take the same,” Romo agreed. The waitress hurried away to get them their torte.
“I hope its authentic German torte,” Bree declared.
“Is that a good thing?” Romo asked.
“It’s heavenly and even most of the lesser attempts are still good. It’s so hard to find the real thing though because it is complicated to make.”
“I suspect my mate has a real sweet tooth. You are also showing more of an appetite than before we mated. I wonder…”
“What do you wonder?”
They were interrupted by the waitress bringing dessert. It was exactly what Bree hoped it would be. She moaned in
delight as she took the first bite and she watched as Romo took his. Yes, he liked it too. The plates were empty in no time. Romo took the conversation back where it had been.
“How are you feeling? Have you noticed anything unusual?”
“Well, since you asked, I do seem to be coming down with a cold or the flu.”
“What are your symptoms? Do you have a fever?”
“Yes, and I feel itchy and achy. I don’t usually get sick like this but my big appetite makes me optimistic that I’m feeling better already.”
“It may not be a cause for concern at all. I suspect it is part of our mating. If we have time, maybe we can go for a short hike tomorrow and check out some things.”
Bree thought he was being mysterious but what did she expect? He was after all an alien from another planet. So she smiled at him and didn’t say anything. Since they were done eating, she felt much better anyway. Romo escorted her back to the room where they both showered and she felt cooler afterward. Whatever was wrong with her seemed to be passing and that was a relief. She hated to be sick more than most people and this was kind of her honeymoon. It would suck extra hard to be ill right now.
Romo was lying on the bed naked not having put on a thing after his shower. He’d wanted to shower together but they needed to get ready for bed and get to sleep. They’d be up early in the morning to head out to her mother’s house and it would be a two hour drive or so. Her mom lived just out of town on a small acreage. They had a handful of animals and her mom had a small garden that she worked in daily. She even had a small wooded area that they got the logs for the fireplace from and there were also nature trails they could walk.
It was hard to go to sleep with a naked male wrapped around her, but Bree managed to do it anyway. Tomorrow was too important to mess up by being dead dog tired. They finally fell asleep but Bree felt tired in the morning anyway. Next time she would just give in and she’d get to sleep faster after they made love.
Her mate led her down to the front desk where he grabbed two paper sacks. An SUV waited just out the front door for them. Bree liked the way Romo had set everything up perfectly for them. Once he was in the driver’s seat, he handed her one of the bags. There was a breakfast sandwich, a carton of OJ, and an apple. She unwrapped the sandwich and handed it to Romo then she poked a straw into the carton and set it where he could reach it.
“Thank you,” he said.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for planning everything so well.”
He was munching on his sandwich so he just nodded at her. She grabbed the other bag and pulled out her sandwich so she could eat too. After taking a bite, she stuck her straw in her carton and took a sip. It didn’t take them long to finish eating and they still had most of the journey ahead of them.
“Tell me a little about your mother, Bree.”
“My mom is one of the strongest people I know. My dad was a soldier and he died overseas during the war. She raised four little girls all by herself with just a bit of help from my grandparents. Education was a big thing to her and she always encouraged us to learn. I don’t think I could ever admire anyone more than my I do my mom.”
“She sounds impressive. I hope she likes me.”
Bree turned to look at Romo amazed that he would have any doubts. “I am sure she’ll love you as much as I do. She may not like the fact that we’re going to live with your people, but she’ll instantly recognize that you’re perfect for me.”
Romo smiled at her brilliantly. “I can only hope that I always make you happy and never let you down. When I saw you the first time, I felt an ache in my chest that told me I’d never be happy without you. That you feel the same has made me the happiest male I know.”
Bree blinked, she had something in her eyes that was making them water. Romo said the most beautiful things and he made her feel so lucky to have found him. “I felt drawn to you right away too, but I felt like you were trying to stop me from finding Davy.”
“What if I admitted to trying to distract you a little?”
“A little? You were trying to completely sidetrack me.”
“Okay, but you understand now why we tried to do it.”
“Yes, but you’re going to run into trouble with the families of mates. No one likes it when their daughters and sisters disappear. It will eventually cause trouble when female family members start to disappear from the same place.”
“You’re right, but Ranger is working on some possible solutions. He’ll make things work.”
“I’m sure you’re right. Looks like we’re almost there.”
“You’re mom lives in the country?”
“It’s really the edge of town. She has some land and she enjoys not being crowded.”
“I hope you like that too because our house is in an area even less populated than this.”
“Privacy is something I enjoy. Living in town has always been hard on me. Turn here, Romo.”
He turned in and drove down a long driveway and pulled in next to a car. The house looked like a two story older farmhouse. The front porch was large and welcoming with a porch swing on one side and a table with four chairs on the other. They hadn’t even gotten out yet when the door opened and a woman came out. She looked a bit older than Bree, making him assume it was her mom. Bree jumped out, ran up the steps, threw her arms around the woman, and they hugged each other.
Bree’s embrace loosened and she turned toward him. “Romo, this is my mom. Mom, this is my husband Romo.”
“You’re married?” her mom gasped. It might not have been the best way to start things.
“It’s lovely to meet my Bree’s mom. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you,” Romo informed.
“I can’t wait to find out more about you,” Mom said with her eyebrow raised.
“Ask whatever you need to,” he offered and Bree made a face only he could see.
“Let’s go inside Mom and I’ll try to explain everything to you.” Bree put her arm around her mom and directed her back toward the door. She looked back and saw Romo trailing behind them.
The feeling of coming home always hit Bree hard when she entered her mom’s house. There was a smell like cinnamon and spice that always hit her at the door. It reminded her of some of the cookies her mom had made them as far back as Bree could remember. Cookies she would bake for her own kids someday. That day wouldn’t be far off since she and Romo hadn’t used any birth control. She felt ready to give her mate their first baby even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to be a stay at home mom.
Her mom lead the way into the kitchen, it was the heart of the home. There was coffee and tea on the table and some of those cookies she’d been thinking about. Some people entertained in the living room but when it was family or close friends, her mom always brought them in here. There was a lot to discuss so Bree poured Romo and her some coffee and topped off her mom’s cup.
“Tell me everything,” Bree’s mom said once they were both settled in their chairs.
Chapter 7
Family
“What did you wish to know?” Romo asked.
“How did you two meet?” Mom asked.
“I was staying at the Dragon’s Treasure Casino. Have you heard of it?” he asked.
Her eyes narrowed and she exclaimed, “Oh yes. I have a niece that disappeared from there.”
“Davy?” he asked.
“Yes, she went in but never came back out,” she explained.
“Your niece is fine. I’ve seen her myself before I left home and Bree spoke to her on skype,” he offered. Mom swung her head toward Bree.
“Is this true?” she asked.
Bree nodded and then admitted, “Yes, Mom. Not only is she fine, but they are expecting a baby already. She looked happy and told me she would not be alive if Jarel hadn’t whisked her away. Those men after her are still looking and they’ve threatened me too.”
“Oh my God, Bree. How are we going to keep you safe?” Mom asked.
“Rom
o will keep me safe Mom,” Bree observed. “He’s amazing.”
“Hmm, I see. Tell me Romo, what is it you do at home?” Mom asked turning all her attention on him.
“In my country, we still have nobility. We’re not a large country but we have a strong economy. I’m a captain of the royal guard. Our job is to keep the king secure wherever he may go. The job is challenging and exciting. Davy’s mate, er husband, is also charged with protecting royalty. He is a sergeant and guards the palace doors. I believe Davy works in the palace too, although I’m not sure what she does or if she works part or full time,” Romo explained.
“It’s nice to know Davy is alright, but why do I have the feeling I’m about to lose my daughter like I lost my niece?” Mom asked.
Romo and Bree exchanged looks. They hadn’t intended to lead with her leaving. Only once her mom was assured of everyone’s safety and happiness had they planned to tell her more. Mom had taken control away from them and pushed things forward.
“She will be safer there and I will do everything in my power to make her happy. Once we are settled in, we hope to visit you from time to time. Davy may be able to visit as well once the criminals have been dealt with and it is safe,” Romo assured.
Mom sighed. “I’m sure you know more about this than I do. Tell me, will I be able to visit my daughter? She’ll need me if you two decide to have children.”
Romo looked poleaxed. “I wish I could say for sure. The paperwork that’s needed has been put in but these requests are rarely approved. Our country is small and old fashioned. Outsiders have caused trouble in the past and while I’m sure you wouldn’t, it’s not my decision to make.”
Mom said, “I can respect that. Tell me what your country is like.”
