Page 23 of Alien Mine

Fate grunted. “The old back entrance to the house. You ask her about that?”

No, and Dyuvad didn’t intend to. He needed a way to get into the house without having to go through two locked doors, his and the kitchen, separated by a stretch of open, unprotected porch. “She will agree,” he repeated, and grinned when Fate whooped out a laugh loud enough to bring Kelly running around the side of the house, curious to know what the two men were up to.

Yasmin arrived in early evening carrying a covered dish full of homemade potato salad. Rachel welcomed her warmly, in spite of the jumpiness she’d exhibited each time a vehicle had whizzed by on the nearby road. Her nervousness had driven Dyuvad into a dark mood by the time he and Fate finished their allotted work for the day and replaced their tools in Rachel’s shed. By Fryw, a woman should feel safe in her own home. This gang leader needed to be dealt with, and not just for Tiny’s sake, either. Rachel needed the peace of mind, and Dyuvad needed, for some reason he refused to examine deeply, to provide it for her.

Later, they cooked hamburgers on the grill, a delicious treat of ground bovi meat nestled between two slices of specially made bread. He discreetly tapped into his ship through his wrist com and relayed a basic recipe to his father via the Net. Ketchup and mustard, he had no way of explaining, but grilled meat and bread were easy enough to replicate on most worlds.

After the meal was eaten and cleaned up, Fate built a bonfire.The four adults gathered ‘round it and talked quietly while Rachel’s young dragged out pointed sticks and roasted marshmallows on the open fire. Tiny offered the sweet treat to Dyuvad, burnt to a crisp, and he had to admit, it tasted better than it looked.

And at last, the sun dropped below the horizon. Yasmin and Fate said their separate goodbyes and departed for the night, and Dyuvad was alone with his temporary womenfolk.

Tiny had long since climbed onto his lap and drifted into a sound sleep, exhausted by the long day, her cherubic face smeared with melted sugar and dirt in equal portions.

Kelly sidled up beside him, her brown eyes coy as only a child’s can be, and said softly, “You reckon we got time to study them stars now, Dyuvad?”

Rachel pushed herself out of the rickety folding chair she occupied and held her hands out for Tiny. “Studying stars sounds like a good way to close out the night. I’ll get a blanket while I’m inside putting Tiny to bed. That’ll make for cozy viewing.”

Dyuvad arched an eyebrow, earning a small blush, and turned to watch her go inside carrying a limp Tiny. Stars weren’t the only thing he wanted to study that night. She’d learn that as soon as Kelly went to bed, if he had his way.

Kelly clamored into his lap and settled her head on his shoulder, eyes trained on the stars filling the night sky. “That cloudy thing is the Milky Way, right?”

Dyuvad dutifully followed the sweep of her finger across the sky, tracing the edge of their galaxy. “Yes. Where is Orion?”

Her finger shifted. “There. The stars on the belt are Alnitak, Alinilam, and…”

“Mintaka,” he prompted gently. “But those aren’t the brightest stars from here.”

She shook her head. “Nope, them is Betelguese and Rigel. Shoulder and foot. Tell me the story again. Please, Mr. Dyuvad?”

What man could resist such a sweetly worded plea? He tucked her closer and related what he could remember of the tale of Orion the Hunter and how he’d been placed in the night sky,there forever after to guard it. When the tale was finished, they moved on to other constellations, hopping their way across scattered points of light.

Rachel joined them during their discussion of Ursa Major and Minor, and spread the blanket out beside them and the slowly dwindling bonfire. Kelly scrambled off his lap in favor of her mother’s, and Dyuvad climbed down after her, settling down with Kelly between him and Rachel.

And at last, the young girl’s enthusiasm waned and she yawned. Rachel sent her in with a soft, “I’ll be there soon, sweetheart.”

As soon as Kelly had stumbled into the house, Dyuvad rolled over and on top of Rachel, pinning her to the ground with only the blanket to protect her from the dew damp grass. She squawked out a laugh and hit him on the shoulder, and he grinned and rubbed his hips against hers, teasing them both.

She clucked her tongue at him, the expression in her green eyes hidden in shadow. “What are you up to, Dyuvad?”

“Who, me?”

“Yes, you. I oughta hit you again for taking liberties.”

“But then you wouldn’t get another kiss.”

She sighed out a gentle, “Oh,” and softened under him. Her fingers toyed with the lettering on his brand new t-shirt, hand-selected by her for his use. A woman’s duty. A wife’s.

He touched the tip of his nose to hers, breathed in her scent, children and laughter and starlight, and she smiled and curled her fingers into his shirt, welcoming him in her own reserved way.

“We have a tradition,” he said. “My people.”

“Oh?”

“One kiss for every star shining in the sky.”

Her eyes flew to his, round and luminescent, and her breath stuttered out. “That’ll take all night!”

“Where I come from, the stars are few and far between, obscured by heavy clouds.” He brushed his lips across hers, tasted her sweetness, and hummed his pleasure against her skin. “Men usually settle for one.”

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