Page 12 of Warrior
“You think?” I chuckled and admitted. “I do like taking care of people.”
“I can tell,” Daicon snorted.
“I never had kids of my own, so I guess I needed an outlet for my motherly side,” I sighed as my fingers wove through scraps with the rustic needle and thread.
"Don't you have a mate on Earth?" Daicon's expression focused on the door, but I would have sworn I heard a hint of jealousy in his tone.
“I did, but Gavin died a little while ago.” Even now, the words cut through me like a dull, rusty knife.
“If you had a mate, why didn’t you have children?”
I blew out my breath slowly, determined not to let the flash of pain settle. “We wanted children, but there was something wrong with me… something the doctors couldn’t fix.”
"There is nothing wrong with you, Daisy." Daicon's voice was husky, but he didn't look at me.
I glanced down at my body. I was still ten pounds heavier than normal for my height, but I was young and strong again. It didn’t matter. The reason I couldn't have children wasn't because of disease or injury. It was a genetic defect in my womb. If desire aided conception, I’d be mother to dozens.
“Thank you,” I murmured, concentrating on the weave of thread through the fabric to push the painful memories away.
"Was your husband a good man?" Daicon asked, as if he believed the fault lay with Gavin and not me.
"He was a wonderful man." I quickly set the record straight. “Gavin was a minister.”
“Min-is-tur?”
How to explain religion to an alien. Didn’t I read an article about this once? “On earth, a minister is a holy man that helps people understand God’s will.”
“Ahhh!” Daicon grunted, using the heel of his palm to hammer away at the door. “We have those whose only duty is to serve the will of the Valana. I believe the Earth term is priest."
“A minister is a type of priest.” It was a good enough explanation. "Gavin was a good minister. He traveled all over the Earth helping people.”
“Sounds like a warrior. Was he killed in battle?"
"Sort of." I'd never thought of it like that, but in a way, it was true. “Gavin was on his way home late one night from helping a young man in crisis. Another driver hit his vehicle, and it killed him instantly.” Even on this moon, miles, and months past, I still felt the cold, clammy hand of death trailing down my spine, just like the night he died. I'd begged him not to go out. It was late when he got the call, but Gavin never said no to a soul in crisis. The young man in question was a former gang member and drug addict. I worried every time he met with the troubled soul that Gavin wouldn’t come back. This time he didn’t, but it wasn’t the young man’s fault. It was because a carload of teenagers didn’t listen to the age-old lesson—don’t drink and drive. Nobody made it out of the crash alive.
“Like a said, a warrior,” Daicon said, his voice low and respectful.
I felt better. Which was strange. Even with the Outlander book club girls, every time I spoke of Gavin's death or my infertility, a hollowness caved in my heart, threatening to swallow me whole.
This time, I felt lighter. Like the memories were stones, too heavy to carry on my own, now taken up by someone with enough muscle to bear the weight.
What was it about Daicon?
Oh, who am I kidding? I might have just met him, but I’m attracted to him. At least, I think it's attraction—I'd felt nothing quite like this before. I loved my husband. Gavin was my first and only lover, and sex with him was comforting and loving. Granted, it never hit the level of Jamie and Claire in the Outlander books or Agnes touting one of her many liaisons. I know the Outlander gals thought me prudish—I wasn’t. If anything, I felt embarrassed that my lovemaking with Gavin never hit the plateaus of pleasure the other women claimed to experience.
Being around Daicon was a little scary. He made me feel soft and sexy and, if I'm honest, a little wild. Sex with him wouldn’t start with one’s clothes piled neatly on a chair beside the bed. It would begin with wild abandon, ripping and tearing perfectly good garments because you couldn't wait to press your naked flesh together.
A lowthunkbrought me out of my libido.
Great. Now this sexy alien just shut and locked my door.
Sweet fancy Moses!
I don’t think I drew breath as he walked toward me, settling on the ground to inspect the workmanship of the makeshift sheet and pillow.
Daicon’s lopsided grin was positively adorable. “This is good. It’s a shame you did not have children. You would be an excellent mother.”
My cheeks heated, and this time it had little to do with the nearness of his muscular body. I never excelled at taking compliments. Lack of vanity an excellent virtue for a minister’s wife.
