Page 58 of Alien Mine

A range of expressions flashed across Fate’s face, and finally morphed into a flat stare. “Whatever you gotta do, Dyuvad.”

“You want me to take them off Earth?”

Fate shrugged. “She’s been through enough, shouldered too many hard times all on her own. It’s past time she had somebody looking out for her.”

Dyuvad narrowed his eyes on Rachel’s brother. Was the other man pulling Dyuvad’s leg or was he serious? “She’ll want to take the goats.”

A cheery grin tugged at the hard line of Fate’s mouth. “Son, ain’t no way she’ll leave ‘em behind. I’ll get the feed. You get Kelly started packing, then we’ll round them goats up and herd ‘em onto your ship.”

Certainty fell over Dyuvad as easily as love had. He’d thought long and hard about claiming Rachel in the way of the Pruxnæ and presenting her at the Choosing, of becoming Kelly and Tiny’s father and rearing them as his own, of never, ever letting any of them go again.

And now, nothing was stopping him from doing so.

He glanced back at Rachel, sleeping soundly in the darkened room under a white cotton sheet, one hand thrown above her head, the other resting motionless on her stomach. Here was the woman he’d been searching for all his life, brought to him by aNet ‘path with a nose for trouble. She was his for the taking now, and take her he would. And if she objected?

He grinned, then bent and pressed a gentle kiss to her sleep softened mouth. If she objected, he would ease her worries the way Pruxnæ men had been coaxing their brides for centuries, with a firm hand, a tender heart, and enough patience to fill every void in the galaxy.

And if that didn’t do it, he’d just have to tie her to his bed and make love to her until she forgot all the reasons why she shouldn’t be exactly where he wanted her to be, by his side, forever.

Dyuvad crept out of the bedroom, leaving Rachel to her slumber, and began making the preparations needed to carry his family halfway across the galaxy to their new home.

Rachel’s eyes fluttered open. A large gray surface gradually came into focus in front of her. She sniffed, blinked, and tried again, but the world remained flat and gray.

A hand stroked from her hip to her stomach and burrowed under her t-shirt. “Myengen dun arig, beauty.”

She half-rolled toward Dyuvad, and finally figured out exactly where she was. “What am I doing on your spaceship?”

He nuzzled the side of her neck and mumbled, “Loving me.”

“Funny. Seriously, Dyuvad. What are—” She tried to lower her hand, glanced up, and realized her hands were chained at the wrists to the wall above her. A funny flip tickled her stomach under Dyuvad’s caressing fingers. “What’s going on here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m a Pruxnæ in search of a candidate for the Choosing.” He shifted above her as he eased her onto her back, and braced himself there, half of his much larger body pinning her to the bed. Shadows hid his midnight eyes from her, but not the serious expression he wore. “The job I came to Earth for is over. It was time for me to leave.”

“So you, what? Kidnapped me?”

“It’s a fine and honorable way to woo a bride.” He loweredhis head and buried his face in her throat. “I couldn’t leave without you.”

She softened under him, as charmed by his confession as she was pleased. “You could’ve stayed on Earth with me.”

“And risked someone else coming after you and the girls?”

He had a point, she’d give him that, but still. Her life was on Earth. Wasn’t it?

Tiny, bare feet slapped against the floor outside, and two girlish voices sounded off from the doorway in an overlapping chorus ofMama!andLookit!andWhat is Dyuvad doing on top of you?

Kelly finally won out with a breathless, “Mama, you havegotto see the stars from here, youjust gotta.”

Dyuvad eased away from her and sat up on the side of the bed. “Soon, sweet. First, I have to talk your mama into staying, remember?”

Rachel huffed out a laugh, and gave herself over to the inevitable. She had everything she needed in this room, the precious lives she’d birthed, the man she’d come to love. They could sort out the rest later, once she convinced Dyuvad that she was there willingly and didn’t have to be chained to his bed in order for him to have her heart. It was his for the taking, and had been for a while.

If she’d known that sooner, maybe they could’ve left Earth before all the trouble started and thereby avoided all of Miguel Ramirez’ harassment, and betrayal at the hands of a man she’d once loved.

“I’ll be there soon,” Rachel assured the girls and listened to them scamper away. When their footsteps were no longer audible, she nudged Dyuvad’s side with one knee. “You can unchain me now. I’m not gonna run.”

A slow smile spread across his handsome face. “You can’t run. There’s nowhere for you to go, unless you can knock me out and take over the ship.”

Now why would she want to do that when she’d finally figured out this was where she belonged? Still, it never did to let aman know he’d won a woman’s heart completely. She narrowed her eyes in mock fierceness and said, “Maybe I will.”

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