The Healer's Hellion - Miranda Bridges Page 0,56

him. “You act like I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m bonded too.” I hold up my arm. “And I have the mated tattoo to prove it.”

“As do I,” Braxton says, placing a kiss right over the silver swirls that cover my skin.

“I swear I’ve never seen anything sexier.”

“Is that so?”

I nod very emphatically. So much so that he smiles down at me.

“And what about this?” he asks, tapping my piercing.

“That is one of my favorite things too, husband.”

“And this?” He takes my hand and places it on my belly. “I think this is the most beautiful sight ever in existence.”

I smirk at him. “I thought it only got worse after the babies were born?”

Braxton shakes his head slowly. “No, things have only gotten better. And if I had known how much, I would’ve abducted you during my first mission on Earth.”

“Ever the alien,” I tease.

He shrugs. “Good things come to those that steal.”

I cover my hand to keep from laughing too loudly and waking the children. “I see Jane has been coming to the clinic often.”

“Well, she is pregnant, but you needn’t worry because I am your physician first and foremost.”

“No, you are my family, and truth be told, I would’ve abducted you too,” I say.

He grins at me. “Ever the alien.”

I make my voice robotic. “I come in peace.”

“I’d prefer if you’d just come.”

Then he takes me by the hand and proceeds to show me who the real extraterrestrial is. Although by the end, it doesn’t matter because he’s abducted my heart and I’ve done the same to him. So I guess we are both ever the alien.

Check out the first book from Miranda’s

Elemental Mates series:

Glacier

Turn the page for a preview!

Glacier: Elemental Mates Book 1

Chapter 1:

Hazel

It’s colder than a penguin’s ass in here.

I resist the urge to rub my arms, preferring to keep my hand close to the knife tucked in my belt. The spaceship is nothing I haven’t seen before, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Although, this one may be more so, since the technology is pretty advanced from what I can tell.

Smart aliens are never a good thing.

I drag my gaze from the flickering lights of the keyboards and black screens in what looks like one of the engine rooms, careful to keep my steps soundless as I slink down the hallway. The lights on either side of me glow a dull orange as if too tired to be properly illuminated—I get the feeling because I am so tired…of everything.

But I can’t give up. The idea of returning empty-handed and seeing my brother’s hungry gaze is not an option. Not this time. I can’t go through the pain of watching the hope die in his eyes again. It might just kill me.

The entrance for the cargo bay comes into view, and I glance around before shimmying down the ladder. The cool metal bites into my palm, making me wince as I grip it, but the thought of food spurs me on. I can’t remember the last time I had a decent meal that consisted of more than one of the basic food groups.

I race over to the nearest storage unit, a silver box that’s sleek and smooth. It’s even colder than the ladder. I mentally brace myself, wondering what kind of provisions I’m going to find. With a small hiss, the lid lifts, and I nearly weep. Various types of foreign grains, vegetables, and fruits lie snuggled together in a kaleidoscope of nutrition. I swallow the gathering saliva in my mouth as I grab the food and shove it into the satchel slung over my bony shoulder.

My movements are hurried, frenzied by my desperation, and more than once I have to take a deep breath to still the tremors coursing through my hands. If I can make it out of here successfully, then my brother and I will have enough food to last us a long time and I won’t have to hold back tears every time his stomach rumbles. No, I’ll be able to offer him nourishment instead of empty promises.

The weight of the satchel is a comfort but also points out how weak my body is as I climb back up the ladder. And yet I feel lighter somehow, as if my recent struggles have washed away. Just a few more seconds and I’ll be free.

An icy breeze stirs the hairs on the back of my neck just as I enter the hallway. I freeze, listening so intently that