Page 21 of Alien Engineer's Mate

Eira watched until his tall form disappeared around a corner, struck by the contrast between his imposing presence and his gentle way with children.

"Mom?" Kyle tugged at her sleeve. "Can we really grow plants here? Real ones, like in your stories about Earth?"

"I think we can, sweetheart." She smiled down at him, her heart feeling lighter than it had in months. The thought of her children having fresh vegetables, of Grace being able to grow the flowers she was always drawing... "I think we could grow all sorts of things."

Leo's hand found hers and squeezed gently. When she looked up at him, she saw the first glimmer of hope in his eyes since she'd told them about leaving the colony.

Maybe, just maybe, she'd made the right choice after all.

7

The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing an expanse of space that made Eira's breath catch. She stepped inside their new quarters, her children crowding behind her, and stopped dead. The living area alone was bigger than their entire pod back on the colony.

"Holy shit," Leo breathed behind her. For once, she didn't correct his language.

Soft lighting illuminated cream-colored walls that somehow made the space feel even larger. The floor beneath her feet wasn't the usual metal grating or cheap synthetic tiles—it was some kind of warm, natural material that absorbed the sound of their footsteps. A massive entertainment screen dominated one wall, surrounded by comfortable-looking seating that could fit all of them with room to spare. Her mind flashed to Maax and Emily… a space like this would be perfect for playdates, though she quickly pushed that thought aside. She didn't even know how the matching process worked yet, let alone if she'd see them again.

"Is this all ours?" Kyle's voice wavered between excitement and disbelief as he ventured further into the room.

"According to the assignment on the door, yeah.” Her own voice sounded distant to her ears as she tried to process the sheer scale of the space. “And them…” Their two battered orange trunks sat against one wall, looking small and shabby against the pristine surroundings.

Grace rushed past her toward an archway on the left. "Mama! Come look!"

The kitchen stopped Eira in her tracks all over again. Clean lines of cabinets stretched along two walls, their surfaces gleaming under recessed lighting. A massive cooling unit hummed in the corner, and when she opened it, cold air washed over her face. It was already stocked. Her eyes widened. It wasactualfresh food, not the processed protein blocks they were used to.

She crossed the kitchen, and her hands shook as she opened the pantry. Shelves of supplies greeted her, with everything neatly labeled and organized. There was enough food here to feed them for weeks, maybe months. The thought made her throat tight. How long would they be here? Long enough to use all this food? From the paperwork she’d been given when she signed up, it had sounded like they wouldn’t spend more than a day or so here before she was matched, but this made it seem like they would be here more long-term.

Frowning, she nibbled her lower lip. She should have asked S'aad more about what happened next… about how they matched human women with their Latharian mates and about the process. But she'd been so focused on the medical care for Kyle that everything else had seemed secondary.

"Mom?" Leo appeared in the doorway, his expression a mix of awe and wariness that matched her own. "There are four bedrooms.Four. And two bathrooms."

“Two? What would we need two bathrooms for?” she chuckled as she followed him down a short hallway, checking each room.

The first two bedrooms were spacious, with high ceilings that made Leo's eyes light up. "I won't have to duck anymore," he murmured, running his hand along the top of the doorframe. And he was right. The station had been built for the taller stature of the Latharians, so as tall as Leo was, he wouldn’t hit his head ever again.

She smiled as she looked past him. The rooms had different color schemes, one in shades of blue, the other in forest greens, and held two single beds each. Both had desks, storage units, and their own entertainment screens.

Leo walked into the green room slowly, his fingers trailing over the smooth surface of the desk. He moved to the ‘window’—which had to be a screen because by her reckoning, they were somewhere in the interior of the station—staring at the view of stars, his shoulders tight.

“I could study in here," he murmured. "Actually have space to work. Maybe even..." he trailed off, then turned to her with hope in his eyes. "Maybe even take those engineering courses?"

The word 'engineering' brought Maax to mind again and the way he'd explained the system displays to Kyle with such patience, his massive frame somehow gentled for her small son. She pushed the thought away.

"We'll see what's available," she promised Leo with a smile. Even if the mate she was matched with wanted to move away, perhaps someone would agree to host Leo if he wanted to take a college course here, on the station.

"This one's mine!" Kyle announced from the blue room, bouncing on one of the beds. The springs actually worked, unlike their old bunks back home. "Can Emily come visit? Her papasaid maybe..." He flopped back on the bed, spreading his arms wide. "I can stretch out all the way!"

Her heart squeezed at Kyle's hopeful expression. Maax had been so kind to him, answering his questions about the station's systems. The way his eyes had crinkled when he smiled... She forced herself to focus on the present moment.

The third bedroom was smaller but perfect for Grace, with its own little reading nook by the window. Her daughter had already claimed it, arranging her few toys on the built-in shelves with reverent care.

"Look, Mama," she whispered, "there's room for all my drawings. And maybe..." she looked up hopefully, "maybe I can get some real books?"

Eira blinked back tears and smiled. Thanks to the relocation payments from the program, she had credit in her account. “We can see if there’s a market or a bookshop tomorrow? They might have books?”

“Yay! Books!” Kyle raced into Grace’s room and grabbed his sister's hand. “Come look at my room, Gracie!! It’s awesome!”

Eira left them to it and wandered through to the last bedroom—her bedroom—and just stood in the doorway. It took her breath away all over again. The bed was enormous, covered in what looked like actual fabric instead of the synthetic stuff they always used in the colony. A separate seating area faced a window that stretched from floor to ceiling, displaying a view of Earth that could have been real if she didn't know better.

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