Daughter of the Alien Warrior - Honey Phillips Page 0,49

clothing stores, but Jade hoped that she would at least think about listening to her instead. She had been quite sincere when she said that the girl had talent; she just needed to showcase it.

Inzen’s tail wrapped around her waist and she leaned into him as they wandered down the street, away from the permanent stores into the stalls of the open market.

Bright colors surrounded them. Everything from the buildings to the colorful canopies over the stalls was decorated in brilliant colors that should have clashed but instead mingled into a cheerful whole beneath the turquoise sky. The Trevelorians were equally colorful with their variegated crests and brilliant outfits, but as she had mentioned to Cassie, a wide variety of other races were present as well.

They walked slowly around the edge of the market, stopping to pick up skewers of an unidentified but tasty meat and a small basket of something resembling fried potatoes. As they sat under the shade of one of the giant grass trees and fed Lily, Jade was filled with a vast contentment. Her daughter had actually agreed to sit on her knee and be fed, Inzen’s tail was still firmly around her waist, and she was finally beginning to feel at home on this beautiful, interesting planet. She sighed happily.

“Are you well, my mate?” Inzen asked immediately.

“Very well. I have my daughter and I have you.” She reached up and cupped his face, and his black gaze intensified.

“And do I have you?”

Before she could answer, Lily put a sticky hand on her cheek, mimicking her gesture.

“Cookie, Mama,” she demanded.

Jade’s eyes filled with tears. It was the first time that Lily had called her mama.

“I’m not sure that they sell them here, baby. Why don’t we go back to the house and make some new ones? After your nap,” she added as Lily yawned and snuggled against her.

“Do you want to put her back in her stroller?” Inzen asked.

“No.” She didn’t want to give up the warm little body nestled in her arms.

The three of them headed back to their house, stopping to look in the shop windows surrounding the market. Jade was delighted to find one that appeared to be a real estate broker with images of various properties on display.

“I always liked looking at houses,” she told Inzen as he stopped to let her look.

“Do you wish to move? We do not have to share the property.”

She considered the idea, then shook her head. Even if they had gotten off to a rocky start, she liked knowing that there were other human women nearby, and it would be good for Lily to have friends her own age as well. She still held out hope that she and Cassie would eventually be able to bond over their shared interest in clothing.

Inzen looked relieved at her decision.

“You don’t want to leave, do you?” she asked.

“I do not. You know that I think of Cassie as a daughter. And I also like the fact that there is another mated Cire warrior present to watch over all of you when I am not there.”

“Then why did you offer?”

“Because your happiness is most important to me, Jade. I—” Someone bumped into him and he gave a frustrated look around at the crowded surroundings. “We will talk more about this later.”

Her pulse raced. Had he been about to tell her that he loved her? She already knew how much she cared for him and the words that almost escaped her the previous night, but everything was still so new. Keeping her face composed, she turned back to the window.

“I like this one, but why is it on stilts?”

“I believe that area floods in the rainy season.” Inzen accepted the change of subject, and they laughed at a few of the more outrageous images, before he stilled, looking over her shoulder.

“I see someone I need to speak with. Will you wait for me here?”

“Sure, that’s fine. Will you be long?”

“Just a few minutes. But do not leave here,” he ordered.

He bent down and kissed her, his tail stroking her cheek before he strode off. Shaking her head at his bossy ways, she turned back to the window.

When the few minutes stretched to ten or more, she started getting restless. Lily was asleep against her shoulder and she put her back in the stroller, shaking out her arm. The toddler weighed more than she had expected. Once Lily was buckled in, she turned to look for Inzen. People dodged in and out,