Page 17 of Rathgar

Only time will tell.

After a long soak and plenty of time to think things over, I crawl out of the bath and wrap myself in one of the fluffy robes. The soft, plush fabric never fails to make me feel like a princess. After wrapping my hair in another towel, I step out of the bathroom and back into the main living area.

I half expect Rathgar to be there, waiting for me, but he’s…not.

“Hello?” I call out. No answer.

I peek around corners and into every room. He’s not there.

No matter. It’s not like he has to stay here 24/7. He’s Soren’s second-in-command, after all. He probably just had some business to attend to.

It’s actually kind of nice to have a day to myself, now that I think about it. Rathgar was an incredible and attentive lover, knowing my body almost better than I knew it myself, but we still had a ways to go in the socializing department.

Though he’s softened up from his grumpy attitude pre-contract, he still has a surly disposition on the best of days. He grumbles about this and that, always finding something to worry about.

I shake my head. It’s probably for the best that we aren’t going to be together forever. He and I are just too different. So what if the sex is great? I’ve already been burned by a relationship like that before. That’s why no one — especially not him — is going to break my heart ever again.

Sinking down onto the couch in the living room, I pull out my phone and scroll to Lara’s number. It’s different here on Aesir, of course. We had to get all new tech to match the networks here, but overall, the experience is mostly the same. Thank goodness for that.

Within a few rings, Lara picks up and I smile when I hear her familiar voice.

“Hey, Janie. You doing okay?”

“Yeah,” I say, throwing my legs over the arm of the couch and laying backward. “I’m fine. Just had some downtime and thought I’d give you a call.” I pause, then: “I miss you.”

“I miss you too, sis. How are you holding up? The heat passed yet?”

I smile. “Do you really think I’d be talking to you if it hadn’t?”

Lara chuckles. “True. I remember my first heat.”

“You should have warned me!” I laugh along with her. Already, stress seems to flow away. No matter what happens with Rathgar, I still have her. That’s what matters.

“How’s Iris?” I ask when we’re done gossiping. She’s next on my mind, of course. There’s more than a little twinge of guilt. Ever since she was born, Iris was the number one priority in my life. I promised myself that I would be the best mother I could and that I would never abandon her the way her father had.

This is the longest we’ve been apart since she was born, and I’m missing her something fierce. Now that the heat’s gone and some semblance of rationality has returned, I can’t wait to see my baby’s face again. I need to hear her laugh. To hold her in my arms.

Even if I never have another child and this whole contract thing falls though, I still have her. She’s my world, and no man — alien or otherwise — will come between us.

“Iris is fine. She’s been a handful, but when isn’t she?” Lara laughs. There’s a sound of movement and then I hear a man’s voice on the line.

“Hey, Janie. Good to hear from you. Lara’s gone to fetch Iris so you can talk with her. How’s everything at the cottages? Anything you need?”

“No,” I answer honestly. “You guys really have everything here, huh?”

He lets out a low chuckle. “We pride ourselves on providing only the best for our females.” A pause. “Rathgar isn’t giving you a hard time, is he? I heard you two were matched together.”

There’s that lump in my throat again. That nagging, tugging feeling in my chest. It can’t be that I actually have feelings for him. We’d just spent a lot of time together lately. And we’d had a lot of sex. It was normal for me to feel a little bit lonely now that he wasn’t here.

“He’s…” I start, but then Soren cuts me off.

“Here’s Lara. Take care out there, all right?”

“Right…” I mutter, trailing off.

“Mommy?” Iris’s soft little voice almost makes me forget about my conflicted heart. Almost.

That night, I lay in bed staring up at the stars through the skylight. It’s the same as every other night since I came here, except for one thing.

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