Page 82 of Alien's Love Child

His whiskers twitch. One amber eye cracks open, then the other. "Captain..." His voice comes out raspy. "Taluk, he?—"

"Shh, we know. He's gone now." I grab a clean dish towel from the drawer, pressing it gently against his head wound. "That little snake won't hurt anyone else."

"Should've seen..." Paraxan's ears flatten against his skull. "Was making his favorite stew when..."

"None of that now." The towel's already soaking through. "You couldn't have known."

Leo inches closer, his bottom lip trembling. "Is Par-Par gonna be okay?"

"Of course, sweetie." I try to sound more confident than I feel. "Why don't you go play in your room while we help him?"

"No!" Leo wraps his arms around my waist, burying his face in my side. "I don't wanna be alone."

From the living room, I hear Davin cursing at the knots binding Rena. She's giving him detailed instructions on how to untie them, peppered with colorful suggestions about what we should do to Taluk when we catch him.

Paraxan struggles to sit up, his claws scraping against the tile. "Captain, if he gets away, he'll-"

"It's okay," I tell him softly. "It's okay. We're letting him go."

"And why exactly are we letting him go? With the kind of information that could get an entire planet killed?"

Davin storms into the kitchen, his boots leaving dark smears on the tile. "You told me you destroyed that data." His silver hair bristles, skin flushing a deeper blue. "Now I find out you've been carrying it around this whole time?"

I press the towel harder against Paraxan's wound, too focused on helping my friend. Leo's tiny fingers dig deeper into my side.

"Answer me, Jesse." Davin's voice drops low, dangerous. "What game are you playing?"

Rena appears in the doorway behind him, rubbing her raw wrists. "Oh, calm down, big guy. You're scaring your kid."

"I'm scaring—" He cuts himself off, running a hand through his hair. "That data could get us all killed. Could get Leo killed. And you just handed it over to that treacherous?—"

"Daddy's really mad," Leo whispers against my hip.

Paraxan's whiskers twitch as he lets out a wheezing laugh. "You've got a lot to learn about your mate, bounty hunter." He winces as he shifts position. "The captain always has a backup plan. Always."

"He's right." Rena leans against the doorframe, arms crossed. "And if you're going to be part of this family, you better get used to it."

I secure the bandage around Paraxan's head with medical tape, my fingers steady despite the tension in the room. "There. That should hold until we can get you proper medical attention."

"So, Jesse." Davin's voice carries that military edge I remember from our first meeting. "What's the backup plan for keeping Taluk from selling a bioweapon to the highest bidder. Because if there isn't one, I have a criminal to chase down."

A laugh bubbles up from my chest, unexpected and slightly hysterical. Leo's grip on my side loosens as he peers up at me, confusion written across his little face.

"Take a deep breath, soldier." I wipe my hands on my pants and stand, scooping Leo up with me. "That data stick? It's got nothing but an old grocery list on it. The real data was destroyed months ago, just like we agreed."

Davin blinks. The muscles in his jaw work as he processes this. "You're telling me?—"

"That Taluk's about to try selling a shopping list to the highest bidder?" Rena snorts. "Oh, I'd pay good money to see that meeting."

"But he seemed so sure..." Davin's expression shifts from anger to bewilderment.

"Because I sold it." I bounce Leo on my hip, earning a tiny giggle. "Come on, you've seen me work. Half of smuggling is confidence. Make them believe what you're selling is worth something, and they'll never question it."

Paraxan's whiskers twitch with amusement. "You even had me fooled. And now he's burned his bridges with both the crew and his potential buyers."

"Exactly." I step closer to Davin, close enough to see the tension bleeding from his shoulders. "I meant what I said about wanting a quiet life. No more weapons, no more data that could get people killed. Just us, our family, and maybe the occasional legitimate cargo run."

Rena doubles over, clutching her sides as laughter echoes through our kitchen. Her split lip starts bleeding again, but she doesn't seem to care. "Oh stars, Jesse. You beautiful, devious woman."

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