“I don’t know about that,” she said with a laugh. The Trevelorians didn’t seem to be big on sweets. “But let’s see what we can find.”
Fortunately, the basket included some grazen fruit and Lily munched happily on those while Jade put together a simple meal. The sky outside continued to darken, the sun dropping below the horizon in muted shades of purple rather than the usual bright display, and it was fully dark by the time they had finished eating. Small round lanterns hung from the rafters and they came on automatically as darkness fell, casting a warm golden light over the interior.
An old but spotlessly clean tub occupied the space between the two nest beds, with a tiny but functional bathroom area behind it. She ran a small amount of water into the tub, stripped off Lily’s clothes, and placed her in the tub with a couple of rubber cups to play with. While Lily splashed merrily, Jade shook out her daughter’s dirty clothes and realized that in her mad rush to leave Wiang, she hadn’t thought about clothing for the two of them. There was one change of clothes in Lily’s stroller—she had learned that lesson already—but that was it, and all she had was the clothes she was wearing. She eyed the colorful bedding thoughtfully. Even though she didn’t have all of her supplies, she could probably manage something.
By the time Lily was ready to climb out of her bath, Jade had turned one of the pillowcases into a rudimentary nightgown and pulled it down over Lily’s head. Her daughter grinned happily.
“New jammies!”
“That’s right. And you look very pretty in them.”
Lily nodded complacently. “Pretty girl.”
“Yes, baby. You are a pretty girl. Now let’s curl up in bed and I’ll read—I’ll tell you a story.”
After a short-lived panic when Jade couldn’t find Bobo for a few seconds, she gathered Lily against her while she told her the story of the white fox, the wondrous animal who rewarded a hunter for saving her life by giving him the ability to cure a deadly plague. She could almost hear her grandmother’s voice telling her the same story when she was a child. By the time she finished, Lily was already half asleep.
“Good night, baby,” she whispered as she kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
“Lub Bobo.” Lily held up her toy for a kiss as well.
“Yes, I love Bobo.”
“Lub Mama.” Lily smiled sleepily up at her, then pouted. “Lub Dada.”
“I know, baby. I love him too.”
Wait—what? She had said the words automatically but the truth of them settled over her. Of course she loved Inzen. His kindness, his intelligence, the way he loved Lily, even his overprotective streak… It didn’t matter that he was an alien or that they hadn’t really known each other that long.
“I love him too,” she repeated, still stunned by the revelation. And with the realization came the certain knowledge that he would never, ever conspire with a male who had tried to buy her as a slave. He had never been anything other than protective and loving to both her and their daughter. What a fool she had been to suspect him, even for a minute.
Oh God, he must be panicking now. She already knew there was no phone in the primitive summer house—she had to go back to town. But then she remembered that darkness had already fallen. Could she find her way back in the dark? She walked over to the window and pulled aside the curtain. The wind had risen as night fell and enough moonlight made it through the heavy clouds for her to see the grassy fronds of the trees whipping wildly in the stiff breeze. Would it toss the light flyer around as easily? She shuddered and let the curtain drop. She would have to wait until daylight.
Now that she had decided to return, her own foolishness haunted her. If Gokan was indeed after her, isolating herself was the worst thing she could have done. What if he was already trailing her? What if he found her here with Lily? She would do anything he said, anything to protect her daughter.
However, that didn’t mean she had to give up without a fight. She searched through the kitchen drawers, pulled out the biggest knife she could find, and placed it on the table in easy reach. It didn’t look like much and she added a heavy frying pan to her small collection of weapons. Adrenaline pumped through her body, and she knew there was no chance of falling asleep. She began moving through the training exercises that Inzen practiced but she was too tense to do them properly. Despite that, focusing on her breathing eventually helped calm her racing nerves.
With a mental apology to B’gento, she took one of the extra sheets and began making another outfit for herself and one for Lily. She heartily missed her advanced sewing tools, but she did the best she could, even though she had a hard time concentrating. Every time one of the trees in the surrounding forest brushed against the hut, she jumped.
The wind dropped for a second and she thought she caught the hum of machinery, but it was too faint to be certain. Her heart began to pound sickeningly against her ribs as her mouth went dry. Had Gokan found her?
She strained her ears, but it was almost impossible to hear anything over the wind through the stalks. Was that a footstep?
With the knife in one hand and the frying pan in the other, she moved as silently as possible to take up position behind the door. Yes, she was sure that she heard a step creak, followed by one of the boards on the porch. She tightened her grip on her weapons, her hands damp with sweat, and waited.
The door flew open and she moved automatically, trying to slam the frying pan down on the intruder’s head and aiming for his ribs with her knife. Instead, the frying pan flew out of her hand as it collided with a rock-hard shoulder, and a ruthless hand seized the wrist holding the knife. She started to struggle, and then a familiar spicy scent washed over her.
“Inzen?”
His beloved face looked down at her, dark eyes wide with concern, and she burst into tears.
Chapter Twenty
Inzen started back across the marketplace, frowning when he realized that Jade and Lily were no longer where he had left them. He was sure he had told Jade to remain here in front of the property office. He scanned the nearby stalls, wondering if they had wandered off to pick up another treat, but there was no sign of them. His tail lashed anxiously.
Trevelor was a safe planet and the Trevelorian authorities kept a close watch on the marketplace, but it was his responsibility to protect his mate and child. He should never have left them. His desire to surprise Jade with the mating bracelet had led him to make a foolish decision. When another look around still did not reveal their whereabouts, he decided they must have gone home. Perhaps Lily had awoken from her nap and become restless. That must be it. Determined to get home quickly, he tore through the marketplace, dodging the increasing number of shoppers who had started to appear as the heat of the day began to fade.
“Jade! Lily!” As soon as he burst through the gate into the garden courtyard, he began calling for them. The thought crossed his mind that he might wake Lily from her nap but at this point, he didn’t care. He had to find them.
Only a cool breeze wafted through the empty cottage. Jade and Lily were not there. The drumming of his heart increased as he raced into the shop.
“Have you seen Jade and Lily?” he demanded.
Cassie looked up from where she was assisting a customer and frowned at him. “Not since this morning. Has something happened?”
“I do not know. They were waiting for me in the marketplace and when I returned, they were no longer there.”
“She probably just wandered off,” Cassie muttered. “Probably never even occurred to her that you’d be worried.”
“Jade is neither selfish nor foolish. This has to stop, Cassie. She is my mate and she is part of my life and that is never going to change. If you cannot accept that, then perhaps it would be best if we moved out.”
Cassie’s face paled and she put an apologetic hand on his arm. “Please don’t do that. You’re my family.”
“I am,” he agreed as he patted her hand. “But that family is larger now and I need you to understand that.”
&
nbsp; “I’ll try. Honestly.” Cassie frowned as she looked over his shoulder towards the cottage. “You didn’t see them anywhere else in the marketplace?”
“I did not but the crowds were beginning to increase. Perhaps I missed them.”
Cassie suddenly clutched the countertop. “You don’t think the Vedeckians came looking for her, do you?”
The nightmarish scenario flashed through his brain, and if he had not been a Cire warrior, his knees would have buckled. He forced himself to think logically and shook his head.
“The port is on the watch for their ships. They would have alerted Hrebec if one requested a landing. And I saw no sign of them.”
Cassie’s customer, an older Trevelorian female with a carefully coiffed crest of red and silver feathers, interrupted.
“These people you are looking for—are they human?”
“Yes,” he said eagerly. “Have you seen them?”
“I’ve been here in the shop with dear Cassie for the past hour. But my husband—he’s the Market Master, you know—said something to me this morning about human females and someone searching for them.” She ran a finger along her beak-like nose. “Now what was it he said? It was after he complained about the lack of grazen marmalade and I was explaining to him that it was difficult to import. Really, you know, you would think that the Confederated Planets would do a better job of restoring trade. It’s been twenty years since the Red Death disappeared and it’s still difficult to get certain items. Why, if it weren’t for Cassie, I don’t know how I would ever find anything appropriate to wear. Thank goodness she can outfit me—”
“Yes, she is very talented,” he hastily agreed. “But what did your husband say about human females and someone looking for them?”
The matron tapped her nose again and he had the sudden urge to wring her thin neck, but he clenched his fists and waited for her to continue.
“Oh, yes, that was it. He said that there was a Ruijin in town asking about one.” She shuddered. “Nasty, hairy creatures. If one can’t have feathers, then I much prefer the simplicity of scales.”
A Ruijin? Could she be talking about the courier?
“Why was he asking? Did your husband tell you?”
“I’m not exactly sure because I was trying to explain to our maid—a dear girl, but not the best at social etiquette—how to properly serve a cup of tea while he was talking… Oh yes, that was it. He heard the Ruijin had lost one and was determined to recover her.”
He stared at her in appalled horror.
“What is it, Inzen?” Cassie asked.
“I spoke to one in the marketplace today. He came from Driguera. That is where the Vedeckians tried to sell Jade.”
“Did you tell him about her?”
“No, thank Granthar. He thought I had a Cire mate. I do not see how he could have gotten to her before I did, but what if he had an accomplice?” This time, he clutched the countertop as the world spun around him. He could not stand to lose his mate and his daughter a second time.
“Inzen! Inzen, dammit. Listen to me.” Cassie tugged urgently on his arm. “The transmitter. The one you have in Bobo. Does Lily have him with her?”
He tried to gather his thoughts into some semblance of order. Had Lily been carrying the stuffed toy in the stroller? Yes, he was sure of it. He fumbled in his pocket for the tracking device, praising the gods that he still carried it. His hand shook as he flipped open the cover to study the display. The signal was faint but still within reach.
“I do not understand. She is moving into the country. If the Ruijin had taken her, would he not head for the port immediately? He must know that he would not be permitted to keep an unwilling female.”
“What if Jade saw him?” Cassie asked. “And now she’s on the run.”
“Why would she not have come to me for protection?” His chest ached and he rubbed it as he tried to understand what had driven his mate to run from him.
“You said you were talking to him. Did she see you?”
Could she have seen them? He supposed it was possible and then he groaned. “If she did see us, she would have seen him give me the gemstones he brought with him from Driguera.”
“And she might have thought he was trying to pay you off.” Cassie nodded grimly. “It would have been the first thing I suspected.”
“I have to go after her now. If she has run away, I need to find her before he does.”
“What if he already has them?” Cassie’s eyes were wide with horror.
“Then I will kill him and retrieve my family.” He started for the door, then turned back to the matron who had been listening intently. “Alert your husband. This male is dangerous and he must be stopped.”
“Oh, yes, of course. Now where would he be…”
Her speculations drifted away behind him as he raced out of the shop. When he reached the transport shed where they kept their vehicles, he remembered that Mekoi had taken his flyer for the day. All that remained was the small hovercycle he’d purchased for Cassie.
He hesitated for a moment, but the signal was getting weaker and further away. He didn’t have time to search for alternate transportation. Getting to his family was all that mattered. With a muttered oath, he swung aboard and set off.
Although he kept an anxious eye on the transmitter, the first part of the trip went smoothly enough. He had the small engine pushed to maximum power and he managed to stay in range. He breathed a sigh of relief when the signal stopped moving away. He prayed that it was because Jade had reached her mysterious destination and he would catch up with her at last.
Hold on, letari. I am coming for you.
A few minutes later, clouds began to roll in, the normally bright Trevelorian sky growing unusually dark. He paid no attention at first, but then he realized that the cycle was slowing. He tried to increase his speed, but the machine grew ever more sluggish as the skies darkened and he remembered that it was primarily solar powered. With the increasing cloud cover, he was forced to depend on the small supplemental battery that provided only enough power for the lowest setting.
By the time he reached the location indicated by the transmitter, darkness had fallen. He stopped at the top of a slight rise and saw lights gleaming from the windows of one of the small Trevelorian summer houses below. The sound of water indicated the presence of a nearby stream, but he was too focused on the house to care.
Fighting back the impulse to storm inside, he climbed cautiously down the hill, listening for any sign of trouble. Nothing disturbed the peaceful night. Even the insects were unusually quiet. He crept up on the porch, wincing when the wood creaked beneath his feet.
One of the curtains was ajar and he peeped inside. The room looked empty and his heart sank, but then he caught a glimpse of a small body tucked in one of the wall beds. Lily! But where was Jade?
Anxiety overcame his caution and he couldn’t wait any longer, throwing the door open and rushing inside. The minute he crossed the threshold, a heavy object came crashing down on his shoulder. He growled and whirled around, instinctively grabbing his assailant in a bone-crushing grasp and forcing him to his knees. But instead of looking down at the Ruijin’s ugly face, he found himself looming over Jade, her face pale and her eyes frightened.
“Inzen?” she whispered, and then she burst into tears.
Chapter Twenty-One
Was she so unhappy to see him? Inzen’s chest ached as he carefully released her wrist and stepped back.
“Do not cry, my letari. I am not here to hurt you, just to protect you. I am sorry if my presence distresses you.”
“Distresses me? I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life.”
“You are glad I am here?”
“Of course I am. I’m so sorry I ran away. Can you ever forgive—”
Her babbled apologies ended as he brought his mouth down over hers, relief weakening his knees. She clung to him just as desperately and he could taste her tears in the kiss as he devoured her mouth.
<
br /> “Thank Granthar you are all right,” he muttered when he finally forced himself to raise his head.
“We both are, despite my stupidity. When I saw Gokan give you those jewels, I just panicked. I should have had more faith in you.”
Gokan. His eyes closed in despair as he realized that his theory that the Ruijin was the one who had tried to purchase her was correct.
“I wish you had,” he agreed. “But I realize how it must have looked.”
“Why did he give them to you? What was he paying you for?”
“He wasn’t paying me at all. He simply served as a courier after I ordered them from a jeweler on Driguera.”
“I don’t understand. Why did you buy jewels?”
He sighed. “I wanted to make you a mating bracelet. It is an ancient Ciresian custom, not practiced for many generations, but it was a foolish idea, made more so by my wish to keep it secret. What matters is that your heart belongs to me, not that you wear any outward symbol of our union. I can only regret that my pride caused you any doubts. I hope you know that I would never let any harm come to you or to your daughter—”
“Our daughter,” she corrected, and happiness filled him. “I realized that tonight. She belongs to both of us. Just as I realized that you would never let anyone hurt us.”
Heart too full for words, he gathered her closer, his arms and tail enclosing her in his embrace as he let her sweet, spicy scent wash over him. She sighed happily and snuggled into him. Across the small room, he could see Lily tucked under a colorful sheet, her cheeks flushed with sleep.
He had his family back.
Gathering Jade up in his arms, he carried her to one of the chairs in front of the window and settled down with her on his lap. They sat in contented silence for a moment and then she looked up at him.
“How did you find us? Do you think Gokan could track us the same way?”
“The Ruijin? No, my letari. I found you because I have a transmitter in Bobo.”
Her eyes widened. “You bugged a stuffed animal?”
Daughter of the Alien Warrior Page 14
