Page 50 of Alien Mine

“As is the custom of my people, the Pruxnæ.” He slid his hands to her stomach and resumed washing, then waited for her to relax again before continuing his explanation. “If I had been successful in finding a woman, I would’ve carried her to Abyw. My mother would’ve taught her to fight, and when the time was right, my bride would’ve fought for me at the Choosing. My mother would love you.”

She stilled, like a yinga bracing for an attack. “She would?”

“She would,” he confirmed, and slid one hand lower into the soft curls protecting her mons. “She would teach you to fight, and on the day of the Choosing, she would present you there with a pride befitting a Q’Mhel.”

“I—” Rachel’s head fell back into his shoulder and her hands dropped to her side, and the possessive pride he’d felt earlier flooded into him, expanding until it filled him and shoved everything aside.

“You will fight for me, beauty,” he said, and slid his fingers along her clit, ensuring her compliance in the pleasure he willingly gave, and gave until her passion broke on soft sighs and the water grew too cold to bear.

Chapter Fourteen

Jude Earl called the next morning while Rachel was still cooking breakfast and Dyuvad was off tending the goats. She settled the phone between her shoulder and ear, and tried hard to ignore the dread tightening her spine. “You’re up early, Jude. Everything ok?”

“They moved Juan to the Rabun County Detention Center yesterday.” A harsh sigh filtered over the phone line. “Sorry to dump it on you like that. I just found out myself.”

Rachel shoved the pan of sausage links off the eye and flipped the eye off. “I thought the police were supposed to let us know before it happened.”

Or during or right after, at least. She stumbled to a chair, yanked it away from the kitchen table, and sank into it, one hand covering her eyes, the other clutching the phone. The detention center was in Tiger a little more than half an hour away. As far as she was concerned, half an hour wasn’t nearly enough distance between her girls and their father, the murderer.

The thought turned over in her mind again and again, the only reaction she could define while she sorted out the implications. At last, she forced herself to breathe deeply, then said, “And there’s nothing we can do to get him moved back?”

“He’s a model prisoner, Rach,” Jude said gently. “As long as he stays out of trouble…”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.”

“Are you ready to move forward with terminating his parental rights?”

Boy, was she. “Have you got your fee sheet ready for me to sign?”

“It’s ready whenever you are.”

“Then I reckon I’m ready, too. I’ll be by as soon as I can with money and such.” She sighed, jammed her fingers into her hair, knotted them into a fist around the fine strands. “Thanks for telling me.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

“I know.”

She said her goodbyes and hung up, then sat there like a lump on a log, staring into space. Juan was coming home. Well, not home exactly, but close enough. He was coming back to Rabun County where all the trouble had started. This time, though, she wasn’t going to get dragged into it, her or the girls. But what could she do? What action would possibly get Juan to leave her alone for good, and Miguel Ramirez with him?

Rachel slapped a flat palm against the table top and stood. There was one thing. Visiting hours were pretty regular at the detention center. Next one that opened up, she’d be there to set Juan straight on a thing or two. She marched to the counter, dragged out a battered phone book, and flipped through the pages until she found the number. Her fingers were fumbling through dialing it when Dyuvad opened the screen door and stepped into the kitchen.

His gaze zeroed in on her hands and he arched one eyebrow. “Trouble?”

How did he always know? Rachel waved the phone in his direction. “Juan’s being moved to the local prison. I’m seeing about visiting times so I can tell him I’m having his parental rights terminated.”

Dyuvad nodded. “Fate will go with you.”

She opened her mouth on an automatic protest. The memory of sitting alone inside her van while it rocked back and forth shot through her mind, and she closed her mouth. “I’ll askhim.”

“Good.” He sauntered to her, dropped a hard kiss on her mouth, then touched his lips to her ear. “Tonight, beauty.”

Heat shot through her, faster than fire fueled by gasoline. “Tonight?” she gasped out in a breathy whisper.

“Tonight,” Dyuvad said firmly, and walked away.

Rachel’s knees gave out and she sagged against the counter.Tonight. Lord above, she couldn’t wait until dark fell and the girls went to bed so she could find out exactly what Dyuvad had planned for her.

But until then, she had work to do.

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