Did I die in transport?
Did I arrive in hell and this is Satan?
“Hew-man?” it hisses at me with a forked tongue.
I scream and everything goes dark.
2
Aegir
Bergelmir lets out a snort of disapproval.
I glance at my brother. “Shut up,” I snarl. And then I look back down at the soft human I’ve caught in my arms. The female who got one look at me, screamed and fainted.
The room fills with raucous laughter and I turn to see the station crew acting out the human’s high-pitched scream, pretending to faint just like she did. They think her reaction to my appearance is hilarious. Even Bergelmir is twitching his lips at their antics.
For some reason this makes me angry. I don’t find it funny at all. How dare the transporter staff make fun of my human? I expand my chest, let out a Touchstone growl and a puff of black smoke escapes my nostrils.
That shuts them up quick.
The human in my arms sighs and mumbles and I promptly ignore everyone else. She’s shaped similar to my own species, which means I’m noticing her thick thighs and luscious curves. A sheen of something called “hair” covers the top of her head and falls over her rounded ears. She’s curiously lacking in horns, scales, tail or claws and is devoid of color, but this in no way detracts from her adorable, exotic appearance. Maybe I should carry her to one of the seats lining the wall, but for some reason I enjoy her soft weight in my arms. It feels…right.
Her bright eyes blink open. I can tell she remembers what happened because she squeaks with horror, stiffens in my arms and starts to push away. I let her go and help her stand upright.
I’m strangely disappointed at the loss of her touch.
“Riley Anderson?” I ask again.
“Yes,” she pants, “that’s me.”
Her eyes are so bright blue, I can’t stop staring.
“I…I’m sorry, for that,” she says, taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself. “I couldn’t help it.” Her eyes dart around the room, taking in the appearance of all the other males and the one other female in the vicinity. She looks scared.
“Why are you frightened?” I ask. “No one here will hurt you. You are safe.” Are all humans this timid?
“I just, um, didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t tell me before I…” She waves her hand at the transporter disk as if that explains everything, but I’m still completely confused. “And then I didn’t know you’d be…”—she waves a hand at me—“I didn’t know you’d look so, you know…”
No, I don’t know. “You’re my new nanny?” I ask, changing the subject. I assumed the agency would send an older, mature human. But instead the youthful being before me is pure, potent sex appeal, as if she’s been crafted perfectly to my specifications for the perfect mate.
Oh hell.
“Yes.” She blows out a breath. “Yes I am.”
I grunt and my gaze drifts down her ample chest. I quickly force my eyes back to her soft face. “Well, then you’ve arrived at the right place. I am Aegir Touchstone, welcome to the planet Tarvos.”
She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts and then forces a smile on her perfectly pouty lips. “Thank you, Mr. Touchstone, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I like the slight accent she has when speaking my language.
“And again, I’m so sorry for my initial reaction. I’m feeling much better already.”
“Call me Aegir,” I growl, focusing on how much I want my name on her lips, always.
“Aegir,” she repeats.
Warmth spreads in my chest.
And then my brother lets out an impatient grunt from behind me, interrupting my reverie. I frown and point. “This is my brother, Bergelmir,” I inform her. And then I grab the handle of her suitcase and place my other claw on the small of her back. “We’ve arrived to take you to my domicile so you can meet my offspring,” I say.
“Oh, okay,” she answers in a breathless voice that immediately causes my cock to thicken in my trousers.
I’ve never felt this flare of attraction for anyone before. In the last decade I’ve only pleasure mated two different females, and both times I was drunk. After I left the military I’ve lived alone and I’m beginning to think I wasn’t meant to find a bound. And yet this female is lighting up every mating instinct I’ve never had. How quickly things change.
I guide her out of the transporter room, knowing this female is going to wreak havoc upon my life. And yet I’m looking forward to the challenge.
My offspring’s sexy new nanny slides into the front seat of my shiny Series X sports vehicle. The contrast of her colorless skin against the unrelenting black interior is mesmerizing. This vehicle is the one splurge I allow myself, but I notice how it barely fits three fully grown beings and her one piece of luggage. My human is going to need a larger vehicle for herself and my offspring. I decide to purchase her one immediately.
Riley is quiet during the ride home. She spends her time slack-jawed, staring out the window at the passing scenes of the capital city of Tarvos. This is to be expected since she’s completely unused to my species.
Meanwhile, my brother is silent in the backseat, which is also normal.
I stop at the gate of my domicile community. The guard checks us in and then waves us through. I love the security here. The famed paparazzi of the four sectors can’t intrude on my privacy while I live in the midst of such a heavily secured neighborhood. The only other beings with exclusive rights to enter are my mother and my brother, and if they bring guests, the guards call ahead to confirm.
Soon I’ll add Riley Anderson to the list.
I drive around the edge of the center lake, until I finally reach my individual domicile and I park the vehicle inside the bay. I live in a two-story recently built structure with four bedrooms and a dedicated office. I enjoy living here. Luckily there is no need to move, because even with the addition of my offspring and the nanny, there’s still room for everyone.
We step out and I plug the vehicle into the charging outlet. Then I grab the female’s luggage and we walk to the door that connects the bay to the domicile. And I hear a high-pitched scream.
“What is that?” the human gasps.
“Mother!” Bergelmir yells. He shoves past me and smashes through the portal.
The human shrieks.
I glance at her to make sure she’s okay and then I rush in behind my brother, avoiding the splinters of the tattered doorway.
We arrive to total chaos.
The couch is in flames.
The Traq table is smashed.
And I don’t immediately see my mother and offspring.
“Mother?” Bergelmir shouts with desperation.
“Kari? Loge?” I bellow.
“I’m here. Sorry. Don’t worry, we’re all fine. The babies are fine. I was just startled, that’s all,” my mother says as she pushes herself up from the floor. She has scorch marks on her clothes.
My offspring are on the floor with her. They start crying the moment they hear my voice, and I reach down and pick up one baby and then the other. When I get them both in my arms they settle down and I notice that they each have smoke wafting from their nostrils. My offspring are twins and both only six weeks old and I can see they’ve now acquired their firestarter abilities and I’m inordinately proud. Touchstone Hyrrokin are renowned for their intemperate fire throwing. My offspring will be no different. “Good babies,” I praise.
Bergelmir puts out the fire on the couch and the cleaning bots arrive to clear out the broken furniture and fix the busted door and burn marks.
“Don’t worry,” I tell the human. “This happens all the time. We’re used to it.”
“Hyrrokin babies breathe fire?”
“We all breathe fire.”
“Holy gods,” she whispers.
I step closer to her. She meets me halfway and we’re so close that she reaches out to brush a finger along Kari’s silk
y cheek.
My human glances up and tags me with an accusing gaze. “I thought you had one baby.”
“No, I have twins. Let me introduce you to Kari. And this other hellion is my son, Loge.”
She chuckles and says to them, “It’s nice to meet you both.”
My chest yet again fills with warmth at her beautiful, genuine smile. Her blunt teeth are charming. “Would you like to hold a baby?” I ask.
“Yes,” she answers without hesitation.
I place Kari into her arms. My precious baby girl coos delightfully up at Riley and I can see the female is already under her spell.
“Aegir?”
“Hmm?” I answer absently.
“Aegir?” I glance up to see my mother staring fixedly between me and my new human.
“Oh sorry. Riley, this is Bestla Touchstone, my mother and the children’s grandmother. Mother, this is Riley Anderson, the new nanny.”
“I’m so happy to meet you,” my mother gushes. “Please call me Bestla, I insist.”
My mother and Riley begin an easy chat about the babies, about firestarting and about my apparent need to purchase new nonflammable furniture. I lift my head and meet my brother’s gaze. He’s smiling indulgently at the two conversing females. I feel the exact same.
“When am I going to meet their mother?” the human innocently asks.
My brother makes a noise in his throat. All three of us freeze and stare at each other. I exhale and admit the shameful truth to the new nanny. “Their mother has left them.”
“Left them? Is she on a business trip? Is there a way I can still communicate with her so I can introduce myself and update her on their progress? I’m sure she’ll want to know how they’re doing.”
I swallow against the uncomfortable lump in my throat and glance down at Loge gurgling in my arms and over at Kari, who is contentedly staring up at Riley. I never, ever planned on raising offspring alone. I’d always meant to find a bound first, then try for offspring, not the other way around. It still hurts, being reminded that my offspring do not have a mother who cares for them. “Their mother dropped them off on my front doorstep two weeks ago. She’s never coming back.”
Riley’s mouth falls open. I understand her shock. Even as I say it, it’s still hard for me to believe.
“It’s true,” my mother agrees, “their biological mother is never returning for them. But that’s okay.” A smile brightens her face. “She wasn’t a good Hyrrokin anyway. And now that you’re here, we’ve got this covered.”
A puzzled look descends on Riley’s features. She glances between me and my mother and then around at the house. “Wait, that means Aegir isn’t mated? He’s a single Hyrrokin? There isn’t a wife or mother in this house and you’re raising these two babies by yourself?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what’s happening. I just recently discovered I have offspring and I’m trying to raise these infants. This is why I need a nanny.”
“But…but I thought I was being hired by a couple to help them with their one baby.”
I stare right into her wide blue eyes. “No. It’s just me and I’ve got two babies. Can you handle this?” Is she going to give up on us and go home?
Riley bites her full lip. “It’s just going to be you, me and these two babies living together in this house alone? The four of us?”
She looks terrified at this revelation. I don’t blame her. I’m scared too.
“Yes,” I agree. “The four of us.”
“Okay,” she breathes, “okay.”
Two hours later my twins have settled down for a nap and the human is in her quarters, resting. Bergelmir returned to work and my mother is packing and readying to leave. I have to admit I’m terrified to be left alone with the human.
“Is this a good plan?” I grumble out loud.
“Oh please,” Bestla answers. “Of course it’s a good plan, you just have to give her a chance.”
“I thought the nanny was going to be older.” I assumed I was hiring a human similar to my own mother, a mature female who would tend to the babies and instruct me on their care. In fact, I’d imagined this new nanny becoming fast friends with my own mother. Instead there’s a sexy young, fuckable female in my home and I’ll be living with her day in and day out. And I can’t touch her because she’s my employee and also, I’m not legally free to pursue another mate.
“She’s young, but she’s been sent by the best employment agency in the four sectors. They think she’s excellent at what she does, so try to look past her youth and focus on her knowledge and skills.”
“Why couldn’t we hire a Hyrrokin nanny?”
“We’ve already been over this, Methone said—”
“Methone?” I let out a huge exhale. My mother is notorious for following every suggestion her best friend makes. “She doesn’t know everything.”
“Yes she does. Methone follows all the trends and she says the best nannies are humans. Humans make the best caregivers of children and the elderly because they’re well-known for their natural caring abilities.”
I shake my head. “You raised me, and I turned out fine.”
My mother smiles at me indulgently. “Yes, I did. But I can’t give Kari and Loge my undivided attention. I have a busy career and I’ve got your grandmother living with me too. Your father would’ve loved to help out if he was still here but…” Her voice cracks. “He’s not. If you had one baby, maybe we wouldn’t need this nanny, but because you’ve got these two darlings, it’s time to throw in the towel and admit we need help.”
I nod in agreement. I’ve only had Kari and Loge for two weeks and we’re all exhausted. Bergelmir, Mother and even Methone have worked their assess off helping me with this, but I worry the babies don’t seem perfectly happy. They’re always on the verge of crying over some sort of necessity that I can’t keep ahead of. And having a nanny will mean I can return to work, knowing my offspring are being tended to with care. My business doesn’t run itself, and trying to work on the edges of the day while they’re napping just doesn’t cut it.
What does the new nanny think of me? She’s a professional here to do a job. Pleasure mating her employer is most certainly not on her list of to-dos. But, after finding out that she wasn’t here to work for a mated couple with one baby, she seemed to take things in stride. She’s ready to give this a try, and if she is, then I am too.
“None of this is your fault,” my mother reminds me. “But it is what it is and you’re going to have to do the best you can.”
A growl rumbles in my chest.
“Doing what’s best for your offspring means hiring a live-in nanny. You can’t possibly take care of these two babies on your own. I know you want what’s best for Kari and Loge, and this human is what’s best. She already seems to be bonding with them.”
She’s right, but how can I live with this female I am attracted to when I am legally bound to another? I cannot touch this human and it’s going to kill me.
3
Riley
I toss a pile of scrubs onto the bed, grumpy and unsure if I’m okay with this placement or not. I said I was but…
This is nothing like I thought it would be.
I’m so very, very ashamed at my initial reaction to Aegir. How can he ever forgive me for acting so unprofessional? I screamed and fainted like my boss was something out of a horror vid. Pathetic. If the agency wasn’t so desperate, they should fire me on the spot. It’s kind of intimidating how much trust Aegir and his mother and brother automatically place in me. They think I’m some kind of professional with babies simply because I’m human.
Also, I thought I was being hired by a couple that was super busy and traveled a lot so they needed a nanny. For all I’d known maybe I was going to be the second nanny in the household and there were older children. But instead I’m the only nanny, there’s no mother in this house and I’m going to be working alone with Aegir and his two fire-breathing babies. No one else will be with us as a buffer. No chef
, no live-in housekeeper, no groundskeepers, no other family, no one but us. I’ve never lived in a situation like this, so isolated with my client. Is this good or bad? I don’t know.
I blow out a breath, remembering the sight of the couch in flames. The moment the two males knew their mother and the babies weren’t in distress, they ceased to view the fire as a problem. Bergelmir put the flames out with a gust of wind from his own mouth and it fluttered away. Apparently, the babies caused the fire? Aegir praised the infants and moved on with introductions like it was no big deal.
I still cannot believe. No one said anything about having to care for two babies.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
Fire-breathing babies. No big deal, right?
I think of the triple bonus that will allow me to sponsor Chloe. Plus, these babies need my help. Aegir genuinely needs my help. He met his infants two weeks ago when they were dropped off on his doorstep by their mother—who didn’t want them anymore.
Oh dammit, of course I’m staying.
I pick up my nondescript pink scrubs and comfy blue shoes and place them in the back of the closet. This was my work uniform for the past five years. I’ve bought several versions of this same outfit for each placement. But this time everything is different. I’ve cut my hair and my nails are done. And suddenly the clothes I always wore aren’t what I want to wear for this particular position. I pause, glance at the door and then continue to unpack. I sort through my suitcase, finding the few items I have that aren’t scrubs. I’d planned on buying a whole new wardrobe after I moved to Omega 9, but so far the only new clothing I have is the outfit I wore today.
I look for something comfortable to change into that shows off my curves. Maybe a bit of cleavage? I move over and stand in front of the full-length mirror and see what I look like in the T-shirt I’m trying on. I like how it hugs my chest and nips in at my waist. Yes, I’m heavy, but I’m also strong and healthy and I’ve got plenty of energy. My weight has never stopped me from receiving heated looks and offers for dating or pleasure mating. I’ve just never encouraged anyone or acted on any feelings before. I’ve been busy with my work, always knowing each placement was temporary.
His Human Nanny Page 2
