TERRA
Taurex had told her they were safe. She had heard their voices. She knew, rationally, that they were waiting for her upstairs, but the terrified mother inside her refused to believe any of it completely until she could touch them herself.
“Mom!”
“Mommy!”
Two small bodies came flying toward her.
“Oh, thank God!”
Terra dropped to her knees just in time to catch both children as they slammed into her. She wrapped one arm around Cody and the other around Lisa, dragging them so tightly against her chest that she knew she was probably squeezing too hard, but neither child complained.
“Thank God. Thank God. My babies!” she whispered over and over.
The tears came immediately—hot and unstoppable—sliding down Terra’s cheeks as she buried her face, first in Lisa’s hair, and then against Cody’s shoulder.
She touched everything she could reach as though she had to reassure herself that they were real—the backs of their heads, their shoulders, their little arms and hands.
Cody was saying something about being okay while Lisa was crying into Terra’s blouse, but for a long time none of the words registered.
All Terra could think was that they were here.
They were alive. They were warm and solid in her arms, and no one had taken them away from her forever.
“I thought I lost you,” she whispered brokenly, kissing Lisa’s forehead and then Cody’s cheek. “Oh God, I thought I lost both of you.”
“We’re okay, Mom,” Cody told her, though his voice trembled.
“The Bull-man came,” Lisa added tearfully. “He saved us.”
“I know, baby.” Terra kissed her again. “I know.”
She didn’t know how long they remained kneeling there together, tangled in one another’s arms in the foyer.
It might have been thirty seconds or five minutes.
Time had stopped making sense somewhere between the text message Orlov sent her and Taurex’s phone call, and Terra no longer cared.
She only knew that gradually the frantic pounding of her heart began to ease and the world outside the little circle of her children started coming back into focus.
That was when she became aware of Taurex.
He was standing several feet away in the doorway that led into the main living area, giving them space.
His enormous body seemed to fill the opening, and his horns framed his head against the pale walls, but there was nothing threatening about him.
He was simply watching the three of them with a solemn expression in his golden eyes, and something about the way he stood there—silent, patient, asking for nothing—made Terra’s throat tighten all over again.
“Would you like something to steady your nerves?” he asked quietly. “Some hot tea, perhaps?”
Terra wiped at her wet cheeks with one hand while keeping her other arm firmly around Lisa.
“Yes, please. Tea would be great.”
“Come, then,” he rumbled. “I’ll make you some.”
He led them into the penthouse, and Terra kept one child on either side of her, almost afraid they might disappear if she let go.
Taurex didn’t comment. Instead, he went directly to the kitchen and began gathering food for Cody and Lisa with the calm efficiency of someone who understood that frightened children needed familiar things.
To Terra’s surprise, he pulled a package of Double Stuff Oreos from one of the cabinets and then poured two glasses of milk.
“You have Oreos?” she asked.
Taurex looked almost defensive.
“I enjoy them.”
Despite everything, Terra gave a shaky laugh. “You like the Double Stuff ones?”
“They contain more filling and are clearly superior to the ones with less cream,” he pointed out.
That little glimpse of the Taurex she knew—the serious alien businessman who could turn a cookie preference into a matter of logic—made something ache inside Terra’s chest. She watched as he arranged several Oreos on two plates and handed the children their milk, then led them into the living room and found an episode of SpongeBob on the enormous television.
Lisa immediately climbed onto the couch and tucked her feet beneath herself, while Cody took the other end and began eating his cookies with the ravenous concentration of a child whose body had finally realized the crisis was over.
Taurex turned the volume low enough that Terra could still hear if either child called for her, then returned to the kitchen.
By the time Terra joined him, a cup of steaming Earl Grey tea was waiting for her on the table. She sat down and wrapped both hands around the warm mug. Then she took a sip.
Mmmm…two spoons of sugar and a splash of half-and-half. It was exactly right.
Terra looked up at the big Monstrum.
“You remembered how I like my tea—two spoons of sugar and a splash of half-and-half.”
He shrugged.
“Of course—you always take it this way.”
“I know.” Terra looked down into the cup, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. “I just didn’t think you’d remember.”
“I remember many things about you, Terra,” he rumbled.
The words were simple, and he didn’t say them suggestively or as a reminder of their old relationship. Somehow that made them affect her more.
Terra took another sip, buying herself a moment to get her emotions under control, then placed the mug carefully on the table.
“How did you know?” she asked. “How did you know where they were? How did you know to come get them?”
Taurex’s golden eyes grew serious.
“The Goddess told me.”
Terra stared at him.
“The Goddess?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
Her eyebrows shot upward.
“You mean your actual Goddess? The one the Monstrum and Kindred all worship?”
He nodded again.
“The same.”
Terra waited for him to smile or indicate that he was exaggerating, but Taurex looked completely serious. She’d had a thought that maybe the Goddess or some kind of deity had been responsible for telling him her children were in trouble, but she hadn’t seriously considered it a valid idea.
“She talks to you?” she asked at last.
“The Goddess speaks to her people,” he said seriously. “Usually during periods of dire need or distress. It is not common for a warrior to receive Her direct attention, but it does occur.”
“And she just…showed up and told you my kids were in trouble?” Terra asked.
Taurex nodded again.
“I was returning from Valeria Prime when I felt Her presence. She told me the younglings of the mate She had chosen for me were in grave danger.”
Mate—that’s right—I’m supposed to be his fated mate, she remembered.
Terra felt herself tense automatically, but Taurex made no move toward her. He didn’t even seem to notice the reaction.
“What did you say to her?” she asked carefully.
“I asked where to find them, of course,” he said.
That answer was so immediate and matter of fact that Terra wasn’t sure what to say.
“You didn’t ask why she was sending you when I…when we…” She swallowed. “When things ended the way they did?”
Taurex’s gaze dropped briefly.
“I mentioned that you did not wish to be my mate.”
Terra winced at the flat sadness in his voice.
“And?” she asked softly.
“The Goddess asked whether your refusal meant I would allow your children to remain in danger.”
Terra stared at him. The Goddess apparently didn’t beat around the bush.
“What did you say?” she asked.
Taurex lifted his chin.
“That of course I would not.” He leaned back slightly in his chair and folded his large hands on the table. “She told me where to find them and warned me that the males holding them were armed. I changed course immediately and returned to Earth.”
Terra glanced toward the living room where Lisa’s laughter floated faintly above SpongeBob’s voice. The sound made her eyes sting again.
“Where were they?” she asked.
Taurex’s expression hardened.
“Here.”
Terra frowned.
“Here? What do you mean?”
“I mean here—in this building.” He gestured with one hand, indicating the Montana Building.
Terra couldn’t believe it.
“What? Orlov was right here? But where?”
His expression grew grim.
“One floor below my penthouse.”
The words were so unbelievable that for a moment Terra thought she must have misunderstood him.
“You’re saying Viktor Orlov lived one floor below you?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
“Oh my God!” She shook her head.
“He had a surveillance operation inside his domicile.” Taurex’s voice deepened, and a low growl crept beneath the words. “He had cameras watching your mother’s house—both the front and back yards. He was monitoring the children and your movements.”
Terra felt suddenly cold despite the hot tea mug in her hands. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised—she’d known that Orlov had been stalking her back when she worked at The Doll House. But somehow, she’d never thought that he had actual cameras trained on her house 24/7.
“That’s how he knew everything,” she whispered. “How he knew when I was outside with the kids…how he knew what I really looked like without my wig and makeup.”
Taurex nodded grimly.
“He was also watching my penthouse.”
Terra’s head snapped up. “
What?”
“There was a surveillance device somewhere inside this domicile. I have not yet located it, but I saw the feed myself. He was watching us work together.”
A shiver ran down Terra’s spine. The idea of Orlov sitting one floor below them, spying while she worked beside Taurex and ate lunch with him and laughed with him, made her feel physically ill.
“He watched us?”
“Yes. Mostly you, I believe.” The growl in Taurex’s voice became more pronounced. “He watched you, believing that eventually he would find a way to force you into his possession.”
Terra’s fingers tightened around her tea mug.
“And he almost did. He knew I would do anything to keep my kids safe—that bastard!”
“Don’t worry—he will not watch you or your family ever again,” Taurex finished.
There was something final in the way he said it that made her stomach clench. Terra looked at him for several seconds before lowering her voice and asking,
“Does…does that mean he’s dead?”
Taurex’s expression revealed nothing.