Page 49 of Alien's Love Child

He'll be back. The Davin I knew could never resist a technical challenge, and I've just questioned his ship's maintenance. Plus, I've seen how his eyes keep drifting to Leo when he thinks I'm not looking.

It's just a matter of time.

CHAPTER 18

TYREN

Sleep evades me again. The hum of the ship's engines should be soothing, but my mind races with fragments that don't make sense. Memories scatter like broken glass, cutting deep when I try to grasp them.

I press my palms against my eyes. The darkness behind my eyelids fills with flashes – Jesse's laugh, the curve of her neck, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug. But that's impossible. I've never seen her drink tea.

"You're getting soft, Tyren," I mutter to myself, rolling onto my side. The narrow bunk creaks under my weight.

The boss's words echo in my head: "She'll try to get in your head. That's what she does. Crafty little minx has talked her way out of more situations than I can count."

But these visions feel real. Too real. The way she looked at me today when I adjusted our course – like she knew exactly what I was going to do before I did it. Like we'd flown together before.

My hand traces the small burn scars on my arm; a physical marker that reminds me why I do what I do. The medics said the explosion should have killed me. Sometimes I wonder if it did, and this is some sort of purgatory where nothing makes sense.

The mate bond pulses between us, even through the walls separating our quarters. It's supposed to be impossible – Kaleidians don't bond with humans. That's ridiculous. Yet here I am, feeling her presence like a second heartbeat.

"Get it together," I growl, punching my pillow. "You're Tyren. You work for the boss. That's all that matters."

But if that's true, why do I remember the taste of chamomile on her lips? Why do I know exactly how she laces her boots? Why does every fiber of my being scream that I'm on the wrong side of this mission?

I sit up, running my fingers through my hair. The mate bond thrums stronger, and I wonder if she's awake too, thinking about me. About us. About whatever truth lies buried under these fractured memories.

"I need to stretch my legs," I say to no one, an excuse to get out of bed and pace the quiet hallways.

Something small and solid crashes into my legs, nearly knocking me off balance. A mop of silver hair tilts back, revealing wide eyes that mirror his mother's.

"Sorry!" Leo scrambles back, his tiny hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "I was playing spaceship."

My chest tightens. The kid's fear radiates off him in waves, yet there's something else – curiosity maybe? The mate bond pulses, reminding me of Jesse. This is her son. Our-

No. Not our anything. I've never seen this woman before, the resemblance is a coincidence. She simply must have a type.

"Up!" Leo raises his arms, fear forgotten. "I wanna see out the window!"

My hands move before I can stop them, lifting him easily. His small weight settles against my chest, and something shifts inside me – a crack in the wall of certainty I've built around myself.

"Is it true you can see the stars better from up here?" Leo presses his nose against the viewport, leaving smudges. "Mom says they look different on every planet."

"They do." The words come out softer than I intend. "See that blue one? That's Kalei's sun."

"You're from there! Is it pretty? Do they have ice cream? Mom says some planets don't have ice cream and that's sad."

A laugh escapes me before I can catch it. "We have something better. Frozen crystal fruit that changes flavor while you eat it."

"Really?" His eyes go wide. "Can we get some? Please?"

The earnestness in his voice hits like a punch to the gut. I should put him down. Return to my quarters. Instead, I find myself pointing out constellations, explaining how ships navigate between them.

"Did you know," Leo whispers conspiratorially, "that Mom can fly through an asteroid field with her eyes closed?"

"No, she can't" I say without thinking. "Rena can though."

Leo gasps. "You know Auntie Rena?!"

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