Kade: Alien Adoption Agency #2 Read online

  Kade looked into Aurora’s eyes.

  There was naked longing in her azure gaze.

  She needed him, and he was her mate, even if she didn’t know it yet.

  “Aurora,” he heard himself murmur.

  She gazed back at him hungrily, her eyes slightly out of focus as if her need had hypnotized her.

  Then he was up out of his chair, lifting her in one arm and grabbing the cradle with the sleeping baby in the other.

  She buried her face in his chest.

  He took the stairs two at a time, placing the baby’s cradle in the nursery and opening the door opposite to reveal the cottage’s main bedroom.

  They had hardly spent any time up here this morning, just enough to be sure the raccoon-monkeys hadn’t done any damage.

  In the haze of his lust, he took in only the basics, a big enough bed to claim her, but not so big that they could sleep without touching, a soft rug on the plank floor, a window revealing glittering stars against the velvet sky.

  He placed her on her feet, loving the way she let her hands slide down his chest, slowly, like she didn’t want to let go.

  He closed his eyes, fighting the sensations. “Aurora, is this what you want?”

  “Yes,” the word was a sigh, an invitation.

  The dragon coiled inside him, ready to strike.

  “There is much I must share with you,” he told her through a clenched jaw.

  He heard the silent whimper of her exhale. As if she couldn’t bear to pause for a conversation.

  The scent of her was intoxicating. The dragon tasted it, peeling back the layers for him.

  “But not tonight,” he told her.

  He pulled her close, claiming her mouth with his.

  She kissed him back as if she were trying to conquer him, pressing herself so close that he could feel the crush of her breasts against his chest.

  His whole body was throbbing now, need coursing through him.

  Not until she understands, the last of his conscience whispered.

  He bit back a groan as the dragon roared with fury in his chest.

  “Come, darling,” he murmured, pulling back slightly from Aurora.

  She followed him to the bed, crawling in on all fours, driving him mad with the movements of her curves, and then flipped over to face him, her eyes pulling him in.

  He crawled after her, pinning her down with his hips.

  This is what it would feel like. This is how easy it would be, the dragon whispered.

  But the man had already decided he would not take his satisfaction with her tonight.

  He leaned down and brushed her collarbone with his lips as he released the fastenings of her shift.

  9

  Aurora

  Aurora closed her eyes as the sensations overtook her.

  A few times, she had endured the awkward fumbling of a Terran boy back on her home planet, inclined by an ache that was never really assuaged.

  There was only so much privacy in the alleyways of Terra-4, and there wasn’t much time to luxuriate.

  But this bed was so soft that she felt it would absorb her.

  And there was no one nearby, no soldiers to catch them and break them up, laughing. There was no harsh weather to contend with. They were both clean and content, with full bellies.

  And Kade was kissing his way down her body as he slid his finger down each fastening of her gown, revealing her sensitive skin to the cool night air, and then warming it with his mouth.

  Oh gods, his wicked mouth. He nuzzled her right breast and then her left, his rough jaw abrading the tender flesh.

  She cried out when he drew her nipple into his mouth at last, his hand mimicking his mouth’s movements on the other nipple.

  He groaned and the sound was deeper than it should have been.

  The deep note seemed to reverberate in her core and she sank her nails into his shoulders, desperate for more.

  He fed on her breasts for a long time.

  Aurora was trembling, burning.

  He was pressing her down against the bed before she even realized she was arching up against him.

  He abandoned her breasts, licking and nipping his way down to her hips.

  With a flick of his wrist, her panties were gone. She smiled at the idea that those sharp scales around his forearms could be used for something other than armor.

  Then he was parting her sex with a rough hand and all thought left her mind.

  Oceans of need washed over her and she couldn’t tell where she ended and his mouth began.

  Kade was groaning against her, fluttering his tongue against her softly, and then lapping at her with firm strokes.

  Aurora heard herself cry out, and then she was riding a waterfall of blinding pleasure into a sea of ecstasy.

  Kade continued to work her, extending her rapture until she could take no more and whimpered and struggled to free herself.

  Instantly, he pulled away and leaned his head against her belly, stroking her thighs as if to comfort her.

  “Kade,” she sighed.

  He crawled up beside her and pulled her against his chest.

  She could feel the hard, hot length of him through his clothes, and need began to pulse inside her again.

  “Beautiful woman,” he murmured into her hair.

  She slid her hand down the ridges of his abs toward his cock.

  But he grabbed her wrist before she could touch him.

  “Sleep now, Aurora,” he murmured. “Tomorrow everything will be settled between us.”

  It was an oddly old-fashioned thing to say.

  And there was no way she could sleep now.

  But his arms were so warm around her, and she was feeling so relaxed, that she decided to close her eyes, just for a moment, before she asked him what he meant.

  10

  Aurora

  Aurora awoke to the sound of Lyra chattering to herself in the next room.

  Sunlight streamed through the windows and she felt warm and pleasant, though she was still a little sleepy.

  Kade…

  She rolled over to see what the big dragon looked like when he was sleeping.

  But she was alone.

  Aurora sat up, feeling an odd sense of panic.

  She rubbed her eyes and reminded herself that he might be eating breakfast, or already in with the baby.

  She smiled at the thought. Was there any sight more satisfying than the big golden warrior holding his tiny daughter?

  Hopping up, she felt light on her feet with joy. She freshened up and then headed to the nursery.

  The small room was basically filled by a wooden rocking chair and Lyra’s cradle.

  The rocking chair was empty.

  Lyra kicked her legs and exclaimed when she saw Aurora.

  “Hi, baby,” Aurora heard herself say in a happy voice.

  It was the most natural thing in the world to scoop the little bundle up in her arms.

  Lyra smiled and then banged her head against Aurora’s chest.

  “I know what that means,” Aurora said proudly. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”

  Maybe Kade was down there getting himself something to eat.

  She thought about the platter of johnnycakes they had abandoned last night and felt a pang of guilt. Back home, wasting food like that would be unthinkable.

  But when she and Lyra arrived in the living room there was no sign of Kade.

  The table had been cleared off and the kitchen was empty too, the clean dishes drying on the counter.

  He was gone.

  Tomorrow everything will be settled between us.

  Suddenly his words from last night took on new meaning.

  Maybe he hadn’t meant they would talk about their relationship.

  Maybe he had meant that everything would be over.

  She knew he was leaving, but she never thought he would go without so much as a goodbye, especially after last night.

  Tears prickled her eyes and she frowned
.

  Aurora Day was the fiercest Terran in three systems. She wasn’t going to cry over a silly man. Men were replaceable.

  Lyra grabbed a hank of her hair and thumped her little head against Aurora’s chest again.

  “You’re right, Lyra,” Aurora told the babe. “We’re not going to lose our heads over this. We have each other.”

  But she still felt numb as she warmed Lyra’s milk cell.

  There was a packet on the counter wrapped in waxed paper that turned out to be leftover johnnycakes.

  She grabbed some for herself and headed out to the living room, curling up with baby Lyra on the sofa to have their breakfast.

  The light from the windows and the song of whatever strange birds inhabited her small garden were incessantly cheerful, in spite of Aurora’s bleak feelings.

  “He was only taking care of you until I came,” she told Lyra through a bite of johnnycakes. “He’s a warrior, he has other places to be.”

  Suddenly the door was opening.

  Aurora leapt up instinctively, curling her body around Lyra and grabbing for the first weapon she could find, which happened to be the fireplace poker.

  “Aurora?” Kade’s voice was deep and troubled.

  She sighed in relief and put the poker down.

  “Sorry,” she said awkwardly.

  “I’m glad to see Lyra has such a fiercely protective mother,” he said, with a smile in his voice. “Who did you think I was?”

  “I thought you left,” she said, hating the whining note in her voice.

  “Left?” he echoed.

  “Last night you said that today everything would be settled between us,” she said weakly. “And when I woke up you were gone.”

  “I promised Franc and Ethel I would clean their gutters,” he reminded her.

  “Right,” she said, feeling stupid.

  “Can you please put that down?” he asked, indicating the poker. “It’s making me a little nervous.”

  “Sorry,” she said, putting the poker away. “I’m not myself this morning. It feels like I barely slept at all.”

  “You did only sleep for a few hours,” he told her. “Did the agency not explain about the night-day cycle here?”

  She shook her head.

  They might have. But she’d been in too much of a hurry to get off-planet to take it all in.

  “It’s about twice as fast as what you’re used to,” he explained. “And we didn’t exactly go right to sleep last night.”

  She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Since when was Aurora Day ever embarrassed?

  “Oh,” she said.

  He strode closer to her, slowly.

  Lyra wiggled her fingers at him from Aurora’s arms.

  He smiled and Aurora lost herself in his brilliant green gaze. She and the baby were both gaga over him.

  Kade wrapped his arms around them both and she let herself rest her face against his chest.

  Home.

  “But you will have to go eventually,” she said softly. There was no point avoiding the truth.

  “I’m sorry if you weren’t looking for a… relationship,” he told her softly. “But I’m not going anywhere.”

  “It’s not that,” she said.

  “What is it?”

  “You’re a warrior of the Invicta,” she said. “You have to serve. Do you even have a choice about going back?”

  “I made a vow to protect Lyra,” he said.

  “And you did,” she told him. “You got her to me, and you got us set up.”

  He cocked his head at her quizzically, clearly puzzled by her words.

  “Aurora, I made a vow to watch over Lyra until her twentieth birthday,” he explained. “At which point, my service to the Invicta will be discharged, unless I choose to renew it.”

  Aurora blinked at him stupidly.

  “You mean, you aren’t leaving today? You aren’t leaving at all?”

  He shook his head, his eyes watchful, searching.

  “So we were supposed to sleep together?” she asked, looking around the tiny house.

  “Not at all,” he said, sounding scandalized.

  “Where are you supposed to sleep?” she asked.

  “The chair in Lyra’s room,” he said, as if it were obvious. “And outside when she gets older.”

  “Outside?”

  “I have a tent,” he said, nodding. “Soldiers aren’t used to a decadent lifestyle.”

  “The Invicta are different from the Ceruleans,” she said.

  “I’m getting that idea,” he said.

  She began to pace the floor.

  “Aurora, I know that this is a lot for you to take in at once,” Kade said carefully. “But there’s one more thing I think I should tell you right away.”

  Damn his sexy voice for making her body come to attention, even when her mind only wanted to unravel everything she had just learned.

  “Can you sit down for a moment?” he asked.

  She spun back to him.

  His expression was arresting.

  She found herself sitting back down on the sofa, Lyra snuggled in her arms.

  “Do you know much about the dragons of Ignis-7?” he asked her gently, kneeling before her.

  She shook her head.

  “Then you should know that when we mate, it’s for life,” he said simply.

  She felt a shockwave of emotion, fear and then gratitude in quick succession.

  “That’s why we didn’t make love last night,” he told her. “It would have been a claiming. And as much as I long for you, my love, I will not claim you until you understand what it means.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “It means that you accept me as your mate,” he told her. “And our mating is forever.”

  Aurora swallowed. “So, like a marriage contract?”

  He shook his head. “A marriage contract can be annulled or dissolved. It’s barely worth the paper it’s printed on. A dragon mating is truly forever. At least it would be forever for me.”

  “And for me?”

  “Do you feel the bond between us?” he asked. “Close your eyes. It’s a slender thread, but strong, like a spider’s web.”

  She didn’t have to close her eyes to feel it, but she did anyway, if only to give herself the tiniest bit of space to think.

  “You may be able to walk away,” he said softly, his voice caressing her. “But you will always crave my presence. And the closer our bond, the stronger it becomes.”

  “Can I say no?” she asked, opening her eyes.

  “Do you want to say no?” He was trying to hide the hurt from his voice, but she could see it in his eyes.

  “No,” she told him honestly. “I just want to have a choice.”

  She had escaped from Terra-4 to preserve her freedom. It meant the world to her.

  “You have a choice, Aurora,” he said, looking away. “I will send word to the Invicta, and they will send another guard for Lyra.”

  “No,” she said quickly. “Don’t do that. Just… give me a little time to get used to the idea?”

  He smiled at her and it was like a sunrise was happening in her soul.

  “Of course,” he said. “Take as much time as you need.”

  She smiled back, and though she wanted to cup his rough jaw in her hand and kiss him, she resisted the impulse. It would be cruel to toy with him.

  “Speaking of taking time,” he said. “We’d better get to the shops.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Did you have breakfast?”

  “Yes, I ate some of your wonderful cakes,” he told her, beaming. “You?”

  “Me too,” she said.

  “Let’s go then,” he said, straightening and offering her his hand.

  Lyra laughed as Aurora took it and rose.

  It all felt so good, so natural, so much like home.

  If only she didn’t have to hide her hair and identity from the whole moon of Clotho, she might actually feel comfortable.

&nb
sp; 11

  Kade

  Kade pulled the wing-steeds to a stop when they reached the outskirts of the little town.

  Though he would have loved to show off his ladies and his pretty coach, he could sense Aurora’s discomfort.

  And he could hardly blame her. She didn’t want to stand out, or garner any unwanted attention.

  “The steeds will be more comfortable out of the press of the crowds,” he offered.

  She nodded and they got out of the coach.

  He tied the wing-steeds to a post and turned back to Aurora.

  “Would you like me to carry her?” he asked.

  Lyra looked awfully happy in her new mother’s arms.

  “We’re fine,” Aurora said, smiling fondly at the whelp. “I like carrying her.”

  Though he missed carrying the babe, he knew that the visual distraction of an adorable child drew attention away from his mate’s lively eyes. She would be part of the backdrop of the little town, another modest mother, and anyone who noticed her would have eyes only for Lyra.

  They walked down the stony street toward the center of town, Kade trying his best to keep his eyes on the road instead of on his beautiful mate.

  “What do you think is going on up there?” Aurora asked.

  He glanced up.

  “That’s just the merchants, setting up their tents.”

  “That was what I thought,” she said. “But I think they’re actually taking them down.”

  That couldn’t be right.

  But when he looked again, he saw that indeed there were tents coming down on both sides of the street.

  “That doesn’t look good,” he said.

  They picked up the pace and soon reached the dry goods store at the near end of the strip.

  “How may I help you, beautiful lady?” the owner said in a honeyed voice as he sailed up to Aurora.

  “We need supplies,” she said plainly and began giving him a list.

  He nodded and pulled a pad from his pocket, carefully noting down each item.

  “Yes, madam, that will be two hundred and two credits,” he said, marking it down with a flourish.