Chapter 12
As Cora stood on the roof of Draevan’s house, her new home, tears of happiness burned in her eyes.
Goodness. This place was magical. She gazed across the city, captivated by the beauty of Starzzia.
Draevan approached her, holding a sleeping Meela in his arms. She’d offered to carry the baby, but he’d insisted on holding his niece, claiming that she felt heavier when she was sleeping.
Cora watched as he gently rocked the baby, pleased by his willingness to share parenting duties even though his main motivation for signing up for the VAMOB program had been to acquire a mother for his niece.
She turned her attention back to the sprawling city and sucked in a deep breath of the freshest air she’d ever encountered. She saw no signs of pollution anywhere. Not a speck of trash on the streets below, a cloud of smog hovering in the sky, or even a polluted stream winding through the city.
And even better than the pristine condition of the city was the peacefulness.
She heard no explosions in the distance, saw no piles of smoldering rubble where buildings had once stood, and observed no signs of war or distress anywhere.
After a year of living in Skyline Towers all by herself, fearing that the well-protected building might one day be targeted by rebels who could circumvent the security measures, she felt a profound sense of relief unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
“Are you all right, Cora?” Draevan asked, a note of concern in his deep voice.
She glanced at him with a smile, and her heart contracted when she briefly peered down at Meela, who was still sleeping soundly in his arms. “I am all right,” she said, then paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.
“I know I probably look like I’m about to cry, but I’m not sad.
It’s just that this place is so wonderful, so clean and peaceful and beautiful, and I haven’t even properly explored it yet.
To know that this is my new home… well, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, but in a good way.
Overwhelmed, relieved, and grateful, if that makes sense. ”
“It makes perfect sense,” Draevan said, his eyes glimmering with warmth. “And I am pleased that you like it here. When I saw tears in your eyes, I feared that perhaps you were missing Earth.”
She sighed. “I think I can honestly say there’s not much, if anything, I will miss about Earth.
I signed up for VAMOB because I was desperate to leave.
The war…” Her voice trailed off. It wasn’t just the war that had prompted her to sign up for the mail-order-bride program.
The truth was, the frightening drone advertisement was the precipitating event that led her to fill out the application, along with the fear that M would somehow breach the security of Skyline Towers.
Draevan shifted Meela into one arm, cradling her as though she weighed nothing, then reached for Cora’s hand. He laced his fingers through hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. His eyes gleamed with understanding.
But what would he think if she told him about M?
And how would he react?
Would he restrict her freedoms and not allow her to roam the city during the day?
Sure, New Vaxx was supposed to be impenetrable, but what if it was possible to bypass the protective shield that circled the planet?
She doubted M had the resources to leave Earth, let alone fly all the way to New Vaxx.
The FBI’s profile of her stalker depicted him as a middle-class loner, not the sort of person who had the connections or funds necessary for an off-world trip.
Not wanting to risk Draevan ever restricting her freedoms, she resolved that she would keep quiet about her stalker.
“Did you see a lot of violence during the war?” Draevan asked.
“Not in person,” she replied. “Just on the news reels. I mean, sure, I saw missiles strike other buildings in Manhattan, but I never saw any gruesome violence in person.” She tried not to think about what might’ve happened to her if she hadn’t been able to purchase a penthouse in Skyline Towers.
“Well, I imagine it was still a traumatizing experience for you, living in a war zone like you were even though your building was supposedly protected.” He squeezed her hand again.
“If you ever need to talk about it, I am willing to listen. I am not quite sure I will know what to say, but I can listen. If you want to talk, I mean. You don’t have to.
I just… wanted you to know that I am here. ”
The huge alien warrior shifted awkwardly in place, though he didn’t release Cora’s hand. A moment later, a slight blush tinged his cheeks. The tips of his ears also suddenly looked a bit reddish.
Cora stared at him, touched by his offer to talk about her traumatic experiences even if he wasn’t confident in his ability to say the right thing.
She found herself squeezing his hand in return.
“That’s very sweet of you, Draevan. Thank you.
If I need to talk, I will come to you, and I won’t expect you to have some magic words that will make the dark memories go away, but maybe…
I suspect I would find comfort just being near you.
And… if you ever need to talk to anyone about your experiences during the war against the Irrcons, which I imagine were much more violent than anything I watched on the news reels on Earth, I want you to know that I am here for you. I am willing to listen.”
Her eyes burned again, and so did her throat. And she couldn’t help but wonder if this might be the very beginning of falling in love. She’d never fallen in love before, but God, this felt so raw, so real, so intimate.
Draevan studied her for a moment, then gave a careful nod. “Thank you, my sweet mate. Truly. Perhaps we can find comfort in one another as we embark on a new beginning… together.”
A lone tear finally cascaded down Cora’s cheek. She started reaching to wipe it away, but Draevan beat her to it. He immediately released her hand and wiped away the tear with his thumb.
“More happy tears?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes,” she said with a watery smile. “More happy tears.”
He rearranged Meela in both his arms, holding her more securely to his chest, then leaned down to place a tender kiss on Cora’s forehead. She nearly swooned at the affection he was showing her.
She thought about the romance novels she often read. She particularly enjoyed books featuring the instalove trope. Was it really possible that she could be getting her very own happily-ever-after so quickly?
“Come with me, sweet Cora, and I will give you a tour of my home. Our home. And later, you can look after Meela while I retrieve all your belongings from my ship.”
“All right.” She walked beside him toward a door that opened upon their approach and led to a set of stairs that descended into the large, white stone house.
They traveled to the first floor, where Draevan showed her the kitchen, two dining rooms (one casual and one formal), and a library filled with books in Vaxxlian, Galactic Common, and several Earth languages, including English.
He also showed her the living room and a playroom filled with toys that was clearly meant for Meela.
The second floor contained several guest bedrooms that Cora couldn’t help but wonder might eventually belong to their future children, another living room that opened to a balcony, and two small rooms that each held an interstellar video comm.
Finally, they reached the third floor, and Cora couldn’t help but wonder about the sleeping arrangements. Would Draevan expect her to share his bedroom?
She assumed Meela’s nursery and Draevan’s bedroom were on this floor, but she wasn’t certain if there were any extra bedrooms up here that he might place her in.
Did Vaxxlian mates typically share a bedroom? She wanted to ask, but she was also a little embarrassed, and she didn’t want to make another cultural blunder.
Draevan led her into Meela’s nursery just as the baby stirred in his arms. The child released a weary groan as her eyes fluttered open, and Cora found herself biting back a smile.
As soon as Meela took in her surroundings, she wiggled in Draevan’s arms and reached for Cora.
Oh, how sweet.
Did the baby have any idea just how wanted and useful she was making Cora feel? Thank goodness little Meela seemed to like her. It made the whole moving-to-a-brand-new-planet thing a whole lot easier. All she really had to stress about was her relationship with Draevan.
Not that she was really stressing over it. But their mating union was new, perhaps even a bit fragile, and they were still getting to know one another.
Cora eagerly took possession of Meela and hugged the sweet baby tight.
She placed a kiss on the child’s forehead, stunned by how quickly Meela was growing on her.
“Good morning, darling,” Cora said. “I hope you slept well. Guess what? You’re home now, and your uncle is showing me around your beautiful house. ”
Cora made a show of looking around the baby’s nursery, taking in the crib, the handmade furniture, the changing table, the colorful rug that nearly covered the entire floor, and the basket of toys and books near the window.
“Meela, I love your room,” she said, bouncing the baby slightly on her hip. “It looks like something out of a magazine. Did you help decorate it?”
Meela cooed and made some more noises that almost sounded like words. When Draevan gasped, she turned to face him.
“What is it?” she asked.
He stepped closer, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at his niece.
“I am fairly certain that Meela just said thank you. Sezt miraax,” he said, repeating the words in his native Vaxxlian.
“How unexpected. Perhaps she does know a bit of Galactic Common after all if she’s thanking you for complimenting her room. ”
“Sezt miraax,” Cora echoed, trying to commit the phrase to memory.
“Sezt miraax,” Meela said, this time blurting the phrase clearly enough that even Cora could tell she’d said it right.