Daughter of the Alien Warrior - Honey Phillips Page 0,35
on admiring the planet instead. As the ship flew closer to the surface, she began to pick out even more colors. A wide variety of foliage in an astonishing array of bright colors surrounded low buildings in equally bright shades. Inzen headed for a large landing field.
“I will land the ship here and we will transfer to my personal flyer.” Before she could object, he continued, “I have spoken to Abby—one of the human females—and she has arranged for the children to be present to meet you.”
The obvious strain in his voice tugged at her heartstrings, and for the first time she found herself considering how difficult this must be for him as well. If he had been caring for her daughter for the past year, she had no doubt that he loved the little girl. Perhaps he could still visit with Hana once she reclaimed her. The idea appealed to her more then she would have liked but her attraction to the big warrior was undeniable.
“All right,” she agreed, and saw his shoulders relax a little.
He said nothing else as he brought the ship into a smooth landing, then gathered up her belongings, once again neatly wrapped, before she could protest. Deciding it was a battle not worth fighting, she followed him down the landing ramp. Twice, his tail started towards her, and both times, he yanked it back. She didn’t need his assistance so why did she miss the comforting warmth of his tail around her waist?
The landing field on Trevelor was very different from the one on Driguera. Although there was a bustle of activity, there were fewer ships and most of them were small. Instead of being surrounded by multistory buildings, she saw only a profusion of the brightly colored vegetation, which seemed more like enormous grasses than the trees she knew.
A pair of workers hailed Inzen and he threw up a casual hand in response as he kept walking, but she came to an abrupt halt. The two males had feathered crests, one in shades of yellow and orange, the other in every shade of blue, with the feathers descending down over their arms like vestigial wings. They had small, plump bodies and long, thin legs with birdlike feet, and she had never imagined anything like them.
“Is something wrong my—Jade?” Inzen asked, frowning at the workers.
“No,” she said, resuming the walk. “I just wasn’t expecting bird aliens.”
“Ah. The Trevelorians are quite different, but they are a good species. Their civilization was not as devastated by the Red Death and they have opened their planet as a refuge to many other species.” He hesitated. “Both Cire and human are welcome here.”
She didn’t respond as she followed him into his flyer, but her mind was already turning over possibilities. If this were a safe planet, perhaps it would be a good place to settle down with her daughter. And Inzen could come and visit them.
The flyer had a driver’s seat at the front and Inzen headed for that as she stepped into the passenger compartment. As she started to sit down, she found a small pink blanket tucked into the seat and unexpected tears filled her eyes. Was this her daughter’s? She raised it to her face, pressing the soft fabric against her cheek, and inhaled a mixture of both Inzen’s scent and a delicate floral undertone.
“Is this hers? Is this Hana’s?”
“It belongs to Lily,” Inzen replied, his voice tight.
She didn’t ask any more questions but clutched the blanket for the rest of the journey. Inzen lifted into the air, circling around the wide, attractive city before heading out across the countryside.
“I thought you said you lived in town?”
“I do. But there is a Cire colony where Abby and Hrebec live. I left Lily with them while I went to meet you on Driguera.”
“Why did you come for me?” The question had been nagging her. “You could have let the patrol ship bring me here.”
He stared straight ahead, refusing to look at her, but she saw his tail stirring restlessly.
“I wanted to know. Putting off the knowledge of an unpleasant truth will not make it any less true.”
“Unpleasant?” The words caught in her throat. “Is that what I am?”
At her question, he turned to face her, his face shocked. “Never. I can never regret meeting you.” His gaze dropped to his hands. “But I do not want to lose my daughter.”
My daughter, she wanted to cry, but the pain on his face was something she understood too