Page 56 of Legacy for the Alien Warrior

Something was bothering him. Ever since they’d arrived on this planet, he’d been distracted, thoughtful. Not distant exactly—he still curled his tail around her waist when they stood together, still played with the children, still held her close at night—but his mind seemed elsewhere.

Was he regretting bringing them here? Was he planning to leave them with Elrin? The thought made her stomach clench.

She’d grown accustomed to his presence, to his quiet strength. The children adored him. Rory had even started mimicking the way Thraxar tilted his head when consideringa problem. And Talia—well, Talia followed him like a shadow whenever possible.

The sound of the airlock cycling open interrupted her thoughts. Heavy footsteps in the corridor, familiar and welcome despite her concerns.

“Kara?” His deep voice carried through the ship.

“In here,” she called, keeping her voice low enough not to wake the children.

He appeared in the doorway, filling it with his huge body. Something in his expression made her heart skip—a mixture of nervousness and excitement she couldn’t recall seeing before.

“I need to show you something,” he said. “Are the children awake?”

“They’re napping, but I can wake them if?—”

“No, let them rest. I will prepare the transport pod while you get them ready.” He hesitated, then added, “Pack whatever you might need for a night away from the ship.”

She gave him a curious look. “A night away? Where are we going?”

His mouth twitched in what might have been the beginning of a smile. “It is a surprise.”

Thirty minutes later, they were in the transport pod, the children bleary-eyed but excited at the prospect of an adventure. He piloted them away from the spaceport and toward the outskirts of the settlement.

“Where are we going?” Talia asked, pressing her face against the viewport.

“You will see,” he answered, his voice softer than she had ever heard it before.

They flew over fields and scattered dwellings until he slowed the pod and began their descent toward a modest structure set apart from its neighbors. It was a single-story dwelling with weathered walls and a sloped roof. What caught her attention,though, was the land surrounding it—a sprawling garden area, overgrown but clearly once well-tended.

He landed the pod in a clearing near the house and powered down the engines.

“What is this place?” she asked as they disembarked.

His tail swished nervously. “It is.. available. For us. If you want it.”

The words took a moment to register. When they did, her breath caught.

“You mean?—”

“I have taken a position as a mechanic at the spaceport,” he said, the words coming faster now. “The pay is adequate. The house needs work, but the structure is sound. And there is room for a garden. For the children to play.”

Rory had already darted ahead, tracing the perimeter of the garden with quick, excited steps. Talia followed more cautiously, her eyes wide as she took in the space.

“You want us to stay here? All of us?” she asked, hardly daring to believe.

“If you want to.” His black eyes studied her face. “Until Elrin completes his research about Talia, at least. And then… we can decide what comes next.”

The uncertainty in his voice made her heart ache. This powerful warrior, this man who had saved them all, was afraid of her answer.

“Show me,” she said, reaching for his hand.

The interior of the house was dusty and sparsely furnished—a table and chairs in what would be the dining area, some storage units built into the walls, a cooking station that looked decades old but was still serviceable. But what struck her most was the light—it poured through windows on all sides, bathing the rooms in a warm glow.

“The previous occupant left some furniture,” he explained as they moved through the house. “There are three sleeping chambers. This one would be ours,” he indicated the largest room, which contained a platform bed sized for someone of his proportions. “The children could each have their own space, or share if they prefer.”

She touched the wall, feeling the solid construction beneath her fingers. A real home. Even before they’d been abducted, their apartment had always felt more like a temporary residence than a home. The concept seemed almost too much to grasp.

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