Daughter of the Alien Warrior - Honey Phillips Page 0,39

Instead, the three of them sat in silence and watched the water flow.

Jade sat next to Inzen, snuggled against him, if truth be told, and tried to sort out her tumbled thoughts. The last twenty-four hours had been such a roller coaster of emotion. First her happiness at being with Inzen shattered by the knowledge that he’d been keeping secrets from her. And then finding her daughter, only to be rejected by the person she loved most in all the world. But as heartbreaking as it had been to be rejected by her daughter, the love between Inzen and Lily was all too clear, and she found herself softening towards him. And now, he was suggesting a marriage of convenience.

It’s a practical solution, she told herself. Captain Armad had made it quite clear that she couldn’t return to Earth. Right now, she didn’t have any way to support herself, and while she had no doubt that she would manage somehow, it would be much easier to have someone assisting her. And not just anyone, but the male that her daughter obviously loved. If nothing else, it would give her time to get to know Hana—Lily—again and for her daughter to get to know her.

What else would this marriage entail? Obviously, they would be living together, but he hadn’t mentioned sex. Was he no longer interested? For that matter, was she?

His tail stroked the palm of her hand in what was obviously intended to be a comforting gesture, but the nubs caressing her skin were unexpectedly arousing. The memory of those same nubs covering his cock as he plunged it inside her sent a shiver down her spine, and she felt herself dampen.

Inzen shot her a startled look. “My letari?”

Oh, Lord, could he tell that she was aroused? Ignoring his question, she rose to her feet, brushing off the back of her dress. The new outfit she had chosen so carefully was a little the worse for wear, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She had her daughter. Even if it took time, she was sure they could rebuild their relationship. And she had what felt like the beginning of something with Inzen. The world seemed a lot brighter than it had this morning when she woke up.

Chapter Fifteen

“This is your house?”

Jade eyed the bright peach-colored building doubtfully. It was one of many on the busy street, all of them ranging from two to three stories, painted in bright colors and topped with thatched roofs. Shops occupied the first floor of each building and the one in front of them was clearly a clothing store. While the outfits on display were bright and appealing, the window was too cluttered to showcase them properly.

“Yes. I purchased it when we decided to stay on Trevelor. Cassie is a very talented seamstress. She and her daughter occupy the second floor.”

He was clearly proud of the woman, and Jade fought back a wave of something that felt uncomfortably like jealousy. That jealousy only increased when the shop door flew open and a tall, slim woman rushed out and threw her arms around Inzen and Lily. Inzen stepped back with a quick look at Jade, but Lily grinned and threw herself into the woman’s arms.

Her heart ached. On the trip back to Wiang, Lily had refused to be separated from Inzen. During the procedure to sign the mating contract, she had sat on Inzen’s lap and ignored Jade completely. Jade had done her best to hide her hurt as she studied the papers. No matter how much they protected her custody rights, they couldn’t make her daughter hug her. Her daughter appeared to have no such reservation about the new woman.

Barely a woman, she realized as the girl turned to face her. Her young face hardened as she studied her with distrust.

“Cassie, this is my mate, Jade. She is Lily’s mother.”

“You don’t look like her.”

“No,” she agreed, ignoring Cassie’s attempt to goad her. “She takes after my husband.”

“Yeah? Where’s he? Does he know you ran off and mated someone else?”

“Cassie—”

“It’s all right, Inzen,” she interrupted, leveling a look at Cassie. “He doesn’t know because he’s dead. He was killed when Hana—when Lily—was abducted.”

A flash of sympathy crossed the girl’s face before it hardened into a sneer. “So now you’ve found yourself a rich warrior to take care of you?”

“Just like you did,” she snapped, then immediately regretted the words. “I’m sorry. I just meant that this is a new world for all of