Zane: Alien Adoption Agency #4 Read online

  Pleasure pulsed in her limbs, an unfamiliar sensation. She gulped in a breath of delicious, humid air as she took in other details about the baby’s guard.

  He was tall, taller than any Terran she’d ever known, and positively rippling with muscles. That golden skin looked rich and lustrous under the cloud cover, and she found herself wondering what he would look like in true sunlight.

  But he was holding the baby out now, and she had to cut off those thoughts. She lifted her arms again, feeling tentative this time.

  No matter how much she had imagined this moment, she wasn’t really ready for it in real life. The responsibility was staggering.

  Sarah Flynn had never so much as held a baby before. She had never been all that interested in motherhood, and had no younger siblings.

  But as soon as her fingers wrapped around that chubby little body, she instinctively pulled him close.

  The baby accommodated himself to her arms, filling in all her empty spaces and warming her, though she hadn’t realized she was cold.

  He was large, but his weight did not bother her, especially in the reduced gravity. His big blue eyes were serious, in spite of his round, dimpled cheeks, and Sarah felt her soul settle in around him.

  “Reginald Bowen Flynn, we are a family now,” she told him.

  “Who is Reginald Bowen Flynn?” the guard asked, pulling her out of her own little world.

  “It’s the baby, of course,” she shot back at him, angry that he had ruined the moment.

  “Isn’t that kind of… a long name for a small whelp?” he asked dubiously.

  “It was my daddy’s name,” she retorted. “And he’ll grow into it. For now, I’ll call him Bowen.”

  “Bowen,” the guard said thoughtfully. “That’s nice.”

  Sarah chose not to reprimand him for his impertinence. What he thought was nice didn’t matter. He might be a big hunk of a man used to getting what he wanted by being strong or batting those sexy blue eyes. But the Flynn family wasn’t interested in being told what to do, never had been, never would be. And who was a hired guard to judge her actions anyway?

  “I think this is our conveyance,” he said politely, gesturing to a hover carriage pulled by a large, many-tentacled creature.

  “You’ll accompany us to our home?” she asked him.

  “Of course,” he said. “May I carry your bag?”

  She nodded. It would be good to have a little help getting settled in.

  She tried not to admire the movement of his muscles as he bent to lift her bag and carry it effortlessly to the hover carriage. It was only when they reached the carriage that she remembered to turn back for her friends.

  But they were both equally busy attending to their first meetings with their new children. She didn’t want to intrude, so she offered them a friendly wave and turned back to the carriage, hoping that one day she would see them again.

  Lachesis was vast, but there was always hope. They were three very determined women. She had no doubt they could meet again if they chose to do so.

  Bowen let his head rest against her shoulder, and she nuzzled his feathery hair for a moment.

  “Are you ready?” the guard asked.

  “Of course,” she said, rousing herself.

  He offered her his hand to help her up. Much as she wanted to refuse it, she had to remember her bad leg and the fact that she was carrying the baby.

  When her hand touched his, a sizzle of electricity seemed to sing through her veins, and she let out a little gasp.

  He pulled her up quickly, and let go as soon as she had settled into the seat beside him.

  But the chorus in her body wouldn’t stop its melody, and she snuck a glance at the big golden warrior.

  Who had he said he was again? A dragon shifter? That seemed like overkill to accompany a baby for adoption on what was supposed to be a peaceful frontier moon. The only dragon warriors she knew of were the Invicta, and she didn’t think it was even possible to hire one of them.

  “How long did you say you were with this baby?” she asked.

  “I didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t tell you much at all. I’ve been with the babe a few weeks now. My name is Zane, of the Invicta.”

  So he was Invicta. Incredible. And maybe very lucky for her plans. If he was already here, he might be willing to take on a small side job for her.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said.

  “You as well, Sarah Flynn,” he said politely.

  She liked that he remembered and repeated her whole name. When she glanced over at him, he winked.

  A waterfall of giddiness cascaded over her, and she had to work hard to tamp it down.

  Justice, she reminded herself. Justice and motherhood.

  But the carriage shifted as they rounded a small turn, sending her body closer to his, and she had to fight herself not to think about it.

  4

  Sarah

  Sarah watched the tentacled creature pull the carriage for a long enough time that little Bowen fell asleep on her shoulder. As the sun set over the nearby trees, flickers of colored light illuminated the carriage creature’s translucent skin, causing it to sparkle like a holiday light display as it moved them along with its clever tentacles.

  “It’s a Lachesian octopus,” Zane explained. “They’re unique to this moon. She’s lighting up like that to attract prey.”

  “Should we stop and feed her?” Sarah asked.

  “We’re nearly there,” Zane said. “No point.”

  Sarah looked around, but there was no civilization in sight. It occurred to her that there would hardly be suburbs on a frontier moon.

  The idea was a lonely one. She had always been a city dweller, the rings of suburbs around New Seattle acting as a buffer between the metal and glass of the city and the barren planes of Terra-7.

  The countryside here looked anything but barren. It was studded with massive trees, with strange mosses floating between them like clouds, all of it so green and blue it looked like a painting.

  “Here we are,” Zane said, pulling the Lachesian octopus up in front of a strange building in the middle of the trees.

  “What is this?” Sarah asked.

  “Home,” Zane said. “Come on, let’s check it out.”

  She allowed him to help her down, unable to fully brace herself against another shiver of pleasure at his touch.

  But she held her sleeping son tight, and set her eyes on the task at hand.

  This home business was unsettling enough to require her full attention.

  From the ground, she could see the same long grasses surrounded the house. It was partially obscured under the canopy of two massive trees, which seemed to be embracing each other over its roof.

  Its walls appeared to be made of roughhewn logs, with some sort of concrete crammed between them. This was old-Earth level simplicity, vulnerable to winds, insects, and any man with a strong axe.

  At least it was large.

  “How many families live here?” she asked Zane, trying to calculate how many apartments it held.

  If they had at least one family at each corner, they could possibly defend against prowlers, but not armed ones, not from ground level like that.

  And even the thatched wooden roof could be an easy entry point for miscreants with those branches hanging over it. Unless the attic rooms were rented out cheaply to sturdy, working men in exchange for protection. Which she very much doubted with that shallow roofline.

  “It’s yours,” Zane said, sounding confused. “Just yours.”

  “What do you mean just mine?” she snapped. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. The last thing she wanted was to be put in charge of tenants.

  “Come on, I’ll show you,” he said.

  She allowed him to lead her to the door, where she watched suspiciously as he opened it.

  The door swung in to reveal a massive space. Beautiful pumpkin-colored wood floors gleamed in the soft sunset that made its way through the trees to
stream through the skylights. There was a big stone fireplace, and an assortment of wooden chairs and tables.

  Beyond the eating area, she could see a kitchen large to serve a restaurant on Terra-7, with some sort of concrete workspace over the low wood cabinets.

  “This is for one family?” she asked in wonder.

  “Land is cheaper on the frontier,” he said. “I take it you’re from a city?”

  “Land is at a premium where I’m from,” she said, nodding. “There would be at least four families in a space like this.”

  “Shall I show you around?” he offered gruffly.

  She nodded and he led the way, pointing to the fireplace as he introduced the living room, the big table in the dining room, and the various appliances in the kitchen.

  “Look good so far?” he asked.

  “Seems funny to do your living separately from where you cook and eat, but I won’t complain,” she told him.

  She didn’t realize she had smiled until he smiled back at her, his blue eyes twinkling. She turned on her heel, pretending to study the shiny new icebox, too embarrassed to let him see the blood rush to her cheeks.

  “Do you want to see the bedrooms?” he offered.

  “Yes, please,” she replied a little too quickly, and then felt the heat in her cheeks all over again at the thought of being alone in a bedroom with the handsome stranger. “Bowen needs his rest,” she added.

  “He’s a good sleeper,” Zane agreed. “Come on.”

  She followed him down a wide hallway until he opened the first door on the left.

  “This is Bowen’s room,” he said.

  She peered into the space. It had the same wood floors as the other rooms, but this one had a plush rug on top. It was outfitted with a huge crib, a chair with a rounded sleigh track at its bottom instead of feet, and another door.

  “What’s through there?” she asked.

  “That’s a closet,” he explained, opening the door to show her what looked like hundreds of baby clothing items.

  “My God,” she murmured. “He’ll grow too fast to wear them all.”

  “Either way, we’ll be ready,” Zane said, shrugging.

  “We?” she echoed.

  “Come on, let’s look at your room,” he said.

  She wanted to ask what kind of mother would ever leave her son in a room with a window alone, but she was getting the feeling the lifestyle here was different from back home.

  At the end of the hall there was another door, which Zane opened to reveal a spacious bedroom with a plush carpet, massive canopied bed and four windows looking out into the trees.

  Sarah stared at it in wonder. It looked like a royal bedroom on a hologram film, not like a place where a real person would sleep.

  “Do you like it?” Zane asked quietly.

  “I-I can’t believe it,” she admitted.

  “There’s a bathroom down the hall,” he added. “Let me show you where that is.”

  She had the sense that he didn’t want to embarrass her. Maybe luxurious room sizes were the norm on Ignis-7. But Sarah’s family had been solidly middle class, and she had never seen anything like this.

  “Here’s the bathroom,” he said, pointing at a palatial collection of glass tiles and honed concrete with real floating tea lights. “If you want, I can take him so you can freshen up.”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “But don’t you have to be going?”

  It was nice of him to get her safely to her new house, but she was anxious to be alone and get down to business.

  “I’m Bowen’s Invicta guard,” Zane said sharply. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  That made sense. The Agency would want to know she was really settled in before leaving her to her own devices. It put a kink in her plans, but she could work around a small delay.

  “How long will you be sticking around?” she asked.

  “Twenty standard years,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  Sarah blinked at him, completely shocked, unable to form a reply.

  “They didn’t tell you?” he asked, less sharply.

  She shook her head.

  “I’m here to protect the baby,” he said. “You’ll be glad to have me around.”

  She looked down the hallway. There was a bedroom, a nursery and a bathroom. In spite of the massive size of the house it seemed unlikely he was really supposed to stay.

  “I’ll stay in the rocking chair in his room,” Zane said, as if reading her mind. “When he gets older, and there’s less danger from little things, I can sleep outside.”

  “Outside?” she echoed stupidly.

  “Of course,” he said. “I’m a soldier. It’s one of my specialties. Also, I’m a dragon, so I don’t get cold. I’ll keep an eye on you both, to help you and keep you safe.”

  “You’ll help me?” she asked, hitting on an idea of how he could be useful. Well, an idea of how he could be useful that didn’t make her blush like a schoolgirl, at least.

  “Of course,” he said. “Protecting Bowen means making sure you’re safe and sound, too. Was there something in particular you were concerned about?”

  “So many things,” she said, the weight of her relief telling her how worried she had been at tackling a whole new planet without help. “This house is lovely, but it’s hardly secure at ground level like this, and with so many points of access.”

  She looked around, her mind reeling at the potential security risks. There would be time for all that later. Right now, she had more important business.

  “But first things first,” she announced. “I need to track down the man who killed my father.”

  “Wow,” Zane said, a slightly puzzled look on his face. “I can keep you both safe in this house, no worries there. But the thing about your father sounds… complicated.”

  “It’s not complicated at all,” Sarah replied. “My father was an innocent victim at a bank robbery gone wrong. The local police wouldn’t chase the villain down, so I did. He’s hiding out someplace right here on Lachesis, feeling like he got away with it all, and planning his next score, no doubt. We’re going to find him, and take him down, so he can’t hurt anyone else.”

  Zane was silent.

  “I’m not asking you out of the goodness of your heart,” she added. “I’ll pay you good money.”

  5

  Zane

  Zane stared down at the little Terran, unable to believe what he had just heard.

  It was bad enough that this sweet-looking woman had just told him she wanted to kill someone.

  But now she wanted to pay him to help her do it…

  And all the while, the mate bond thrummed between them, driving him nearly insane with its insistence.

  “No, Sarah,” he said at last. “Absolutely not. What you’re talking about is murder.”

  “What he did to my father was murder,” she said in an affronted way. “I want to make sure he doesn’t do it to someone else’s family member.”

  “Then we’ll bring him to the law,” Zane told her.

  “It doesn’t work that way. I told you, I already tried.” she said, looking exasperated. “They didn’t even care back on Terra-7, where the crime was committed. Why would they do anything here?”

  “You won’t know for sure that they won’t help unless you ask them,” he suggested, hating to admit that she was probably right. “We’ll just keep making noise until they listen.”

  “Aren’t you a solider?” she demanded. “Haven’t you killed people?”

  “Of course,” he told her, trying not to let the memory sear him all over again. “But it was never for money. It was only to protect my homeland.”

  “So fighting for your family is okay, but not for mine?” she asked.

  “There’s a difference between facing a man on a battlefield and hunting him down like a dog,” Zane said.

  “Jericho Caldwell is a dog,” Sarah said, her voice low and intense. “He killed my father in cold blood, and I’m going to bring him t
o justice. With or without your help.”

  “You’re not talking about justice, Sarah,” Zane told her, running a hand through his hair. “You’re talking about revenge.”

  “I don’t see a difference,” she said, her voice going up a note in frustration.

  Zane winced, but it was too late, Bowen had awoken on her shoulder. He let out a mewling cry.

  Bowen didn’t like arguments or loud sounds. He was a sensitive soul, and he craved peace and routine, neither of which he was getting right now.

  Sarah looked down at the baby in surprise, as if she had forgotten he existed. It hit Zane that she wasn’t here for Bowen. Bowen was just her ticket to Lachesis, her key to hot-headed revenge.

  She probably didn’t care about the whelp at all.

  Fury rose in his chest at the thought.

  “I’ll take him,” he offered, putting out his arms and willing himself to stay calm, though he could feel the dragon’s wings rustling in his shoulder blades.

  She looked back and forth between him and the baby for a moment, then handed the little one over. Zane held the baby protectively to his chest and watched Sarah smooth back her already smooth hair.

  As soon as she was finished with her hair, she marched for the door, her cane made an annoying, self-satisfied tap with every step.

  He was furious to feel a tug on his soul, as if the mate bond compelled him to follow her into certain trouble.

  She is not my mate, he told himself as he followed. I’m just keeping her out of danger until I can talk some sense into her.

  But the dragon in his chest shivered with delight. He was not bothered by his mate’s bloodthirsty tendencies. Far from it.

  The dragon liked that she was ferocious in the name of her family. The words of righteous fury she spoke were a language he knew all too well, and he growled and crooned along to the rhythm of her angry strides like they were music.

  Where she led, he would always follow.