6. Sarah
SARAH
“Why can’t we go with you, Mommy?” Lucy asked, her chin wobbling and her eyes wet with tears.
I fought back my own tears as my mother replied for me, “Now, you heard her say why already, Lucy. She needs to have a house for you all to live in, and it’s not been built yet.”
“It will be ready within two weeks,” Xeranos said, causing her to flinch before darting her eyes around to find who spoke.
“That’s Xeranos, Grandma,” Caleb giggled. “He’s like Siri, only realer.”
“If by realer, you mean I am a fully sentient AI and not merely a smart assistant type program, you are correct. My younger brother Bob is as well. You’ll meet him at New Haven.”
“Bob? Does that stand for something?” Mom asked.
“No, it’s just Bob,” Kharok replied. “He chose his name himself.”
I felt a flash of embarrassment as my mother not so subtly ignored him.
“Zehr Annos, are you the program making all of these matches?”
“I run the program, that is,” came the response.
“Hmm.”
I knew that ‘hmm’. It meant she didn’t think much of that and would stew over it later. Between that and her rude behavior towards Kharok, this was not going well. Still, if our home was going to be ready in two weeks, she had two weeks to get over it before she and
Dad brought the kids. Maybe once she saw how adorable Walnut Grove was, she’d be nicer about everything.
Then again, if she wasn’t, she’d be light years away, and I’d only have to deal with her via the occasional video call, because if she was going to be an ass, the only open invitation to visit would be given to Grammie.
“I’m sorry, Sarah, but the shuttle has another pickup after this and Merrilee’s mate is incoming, so you need to go now,” Krychek said, with a rueful smile.
“Can’t give your contracted humans a chance to slip away,” Mom said sarcastically.
Sorry, I mouthed to him as his face smoothed over into an impassive mask. An understanding flash in his eyes, accompanied by a tiny dip of his head, let me know he understood and sympathized.
“Two weeks is no time at all, Mama,” Emma said. “That gives me time to have a going away party with my friends. I can have a sleepover at your house, can’t I?” she asked, looking at my mother.
“Of course you can,” she cooed. “I’m sure all of your little friends would be inconsolable if they didn’t get to have a proper goodbye.
We’ll make it an all day thing, and Caleb and Lucy can invite all their friends too.
First I’ll take you to the skating rink, then we’ll go for pizza, then the movies, and come back so you can play video games before bed and what have you. ”
“We don’t own a game system,” I pointed out.
“I’m sure one of her friends can bring one of theirs,” came the haughty reply.
I held out Sweetie’s leash. “Oh, no. I am not looking after that dog and the children. Besides, you’re going to a wild frontier filled with alien creatures. A woman all alone should have protection, like a dog.”
Caleb giggled again. “Sweetie isn’t a guard dog, Grandma. She’s a cocker spaniel.”
“And Mommy will have our new Daddy to keep her safe. He’s a big dragon man like him,” Lucy added, pointing at Kharok. Looking at me, she bit her lower lip, her worried eyes tearing at my heartstrings. “Do you think he’ll love us? Our old Daddy doesn’t.”
“He certainly does!” my mother exclaimed. “He simply is a very busy man and your mother -”
“Has to get on her shuttle,” I finished for her, shooting her a warning look. “Come on, one more kiss and hug.”
My children each kissed my cheek and gave me a tight hug. Then Kharok showed them the way to the door, saying, “If you wait a few minutes, you’ll be able to watch the shuttle take off.”
I turned away, letting my tears fall now that they couldn’t see. Each step felt like I was walking in lead lined boots.
Merrilee touched my arm. “Two weeks will pass in a flash. Just think of how great it will be when they get there and find their rooms all ready and you knowing all the cool places to show them!”
“You’ll be busy getting everything set up and ready and getting to know your new mate,” Tyrone agreed.
I thought back to the profile I’d gotten on my datapad a few minutes before the kids, and then my mother, had arrived.
His picture showed his skin tone to a lovely light bronze, with scales a darker burnished shade.
His wings were folded in, so I’d been unable to see them, but I guessed that most likely his wings matched his skin and scales.
His eyes were a beautiful molten gold, made all the more striking by the shoulder length wavy hair that was such a dark brown, it was nearly black.
I’d felt attracted to him immediately, in the same way I would a handsome movie star.
If the Mylos mate match was as perfect for us as it had been for everyone else, I knew that attraction would quickly become something much deeper.
Not only for me, either. The profile noted that Dragonii recognized their star-given mate on a biological level upon meeting, something about a unique pheromone scent.
This would place a biological need for me that would kick his own feelings for me into high gear.
That was why we had to physically seal our mating within seven days, to avoid things getting out of hand.
Seeing as they had sharp teeth and retractable claws, and were incredibly strong, not to mention much larger than most human males, I could only imagine just why that wasn’t a bad idea.
Still, the thought of such a handsome male feeling possessive and protective of me sent a thrill through me.
Harold had certainly never been like that.
Well, before we’d gotten married, he’d acted possessive, but in a jealous sort of way that I now saw was unhealthy.
The kind of jealousy where he wanted to hog all of my time unless I was with my parents, and then he wanted to be there too, as much as possible.
Afterwards, his sense of possession was more like I was something he’d collected, and I now saw that he’d encouraged me to have the children so I’d be busy and not take much notice of what he might actually be doing.
Which, as it turned out, was his secretary.
We reached the top of the flight of stairs Krychek had led us up, and I gasped at the sight of the shuttle.
It was much larger than I’d imagined, somehow, which made sense.
There was no way something the size of an SUV would fit several Mylos and whatever cargo they needed to carry inside, and house an engine capable of breaking free of Earth, plus the thrusters to maneuver, and all that other spaceship stuff they needed to fly.
It was saucer shaped, of course, as all the Mylos shuttles were, and the interior size had to be the same as a premium charter jet, going by what I’d seen of such things in TV and movies, anyway.
The hatch was open, and a ramp was in place so we could get in easily.
“Hi, I’m Jimmy, your pilot!” another Mylos said, coming out to greet us. He quickly began taking our bags and stowing them as another Mylos came out right behind him.
“Thanks for the ride, Jimmy,” he said.
“No problem, Zorn. Enjoy your furlough!”
Zorn grinned. “I will! I’ve been looking forward to the start of this exhibit.”
He gave us a friendly nod before dashing downstairs.
“I heard that your mate is about fifteen minutes out,” Jimmy informed Merrilee. “So, if you two will go in and find a seat and get yourselves strapped in, we can go so he has a place to land.”
Tyrone needed no further encouragement, hurrying inside to do as he was told. I, on the other hand, stood there like a dummy for a split second before his words permeated my brain.
“Oh! Yes, of course!” I scurried up the ramp.
Inside, there were seats around the outer bulkheads, and they had harnesses that went over our shoulders and waist. The system was similar to the one Emma’s old car seat had used, complete with a chest clip, so I had a pretty good idea of how to put it on.
It turned out to be even fiddlier to put something like that on yourself than it was on a squirming toddler, but I managed it before Jimmy had the ramp up, the door closed, and himself buckled in.
“This is one of the older, slower shuttles, so it will not be a thirty minute ride. It’ll be closer to just under an hour. I can have the upper bulkhead show you the view outside, or put on some entertainment.”
“The view will be fine,” I said, and Tyrone murmured his agreement.
The upper side bulkheads and ceiling appeared to become transparent, showing us the sky above us at the same time a faint vibration started and a small jolt went through the floor.
“Landing clamps released. And we’re off! The cameras will keep the view steady so you won’t see everything rotating in order to avoid dizziness.”
All I could think of was how much my kids would have loved this. I’d done the right thing, hadn’t I? It would have to be. It was too late to turn back now, as another saucer appeared, heading towards where we’d just left.
They’ll be just fine. It’s only two weeks, and Caleb wasn’t even all that upset, and Emma's excited about having a party. Even Lucy had stopped crying by the time I got my good-bye hug from her. I need to put my big girl panties on and just get on with it.