Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,74

limp body and unlocked the bathroom so that he could cleanse her. As soon as he was done, he gathered her close. She snuggled against him and stroked his chest.

“I’m so glad we found each other,” she whispered.

“Granthar has smiled on us,” he agreed.

“Mm.” She wiggled a little, stopping only when his body responded. “Hrebec, you’re hard again. I thought that after you knotted, you didn’t remain hard.”

“I didn’t remain hard,” he corrected her. “I am hard again.”

She rolled over and arched her back so that the tips of her luscious breasts rubbed against his chest. “Well, in that case, maybe we should take—”

They both heard the whimper from the monitor.

Hrebec laughed. “I suppose I should be grateful she waited this long.” He stood up and pulled on his sleep pants, tossing Abigail his shirt. “I’ll go get her.”

As he went to get his daughter, he realized there was one last thing he would need to do to separate himself from his old world.

The next morning, he arranged to use L’chong’s conference room to send a message to Ciresia. Joining him in the conference room were the shipmates who were choosing this new life with him. His family was there as well, with Lucie warned to be silent.

He stood alone on one side of the room so that his would be the only figure visible in the screen.

After a brief pause, the weathered features of Councilman Okaza appeared. “Well, Captain Hrebec? Did you find any other Cire females?”

Everyone in the room held their breath.

“No,” Hrebec said finally. “It appears that the female who gave birth came from one of the ships that stopped here, but so far we haven’t found any records to indicate which one.”

Okaza sighed. “That is disappointing, but not surprising. It was too much to hope that another female would survive. This makes it even more imperative that you bring the infant female to us as soon as possible.”

This was the difficult part. “Would that still be true if she wasn’t of pure Ciresian blood?”

“What?” Okaza recoiled. “I thought her mother was Cire. Her father must have been also. We cannot mate with other races.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” he pointed out. “We have not made an effort to confirm whether or not it is true.”

“And we will not. We are trying to save our race, not create a new race of half-breeds.” Okaza’s face wrinkled with distaste. “Are you sure that the infant is not a true Cire?”

“I’m sure that her mother is—was—not actually Cire.”

“How disappointing.” Okaza sighed. “Perhaps it would be best if you did not bring her back to Ciresia. I do not want any of these young fools getting the wrong idea.”

“Yes, Okaza.” After a brief pause, he continued. “However, I still feel a responsibility for the infant. Under the circumstances, I will not be returning either.”

Okaza raised an eye ridge. “Since you abandoned your position at the Reproduction Laboratory to go on this misguided adventure in the first place, I’m not surprised. I shudder to think what your father would have said.”

“I don’t think he would be surprised,” Hrebec said slowly, looking around the room at his mate and his girls, at his companions.

“Perhaps not,” Okaza acknowledged. “Your efforts have been most helpful and so I wish you well, Hrebec.”

“Thank you.”

He disconnected the call and smiled as he took another look around. His old life was behind him now and he felt not an ounce of regret. His future awaited.

Epilogue

Two years later

“Mama, fireworks!”

Lucie burst into the room just as Abby was putting the baby to sleep. As usual, Tiana was right behind her, but even at two years old, she was still a quiet and observant child. Abby often wondered how much her first traumatic months had influenced her, but all that really mattered was that she was now safe and happy.

“Shh, Lucie. Let me get your brother asleep first.”

“But doesn’t Leo want to see the fireworks?”

It was perhaps inevitable that when Abby gave birth to a boy, Lucie had insisted that he should be called Leonardo. Since Hrebec was equally as enthusiastic, Abby didn’t attempt to argue.

“He’s just a baby, sweetie.”

Lucie pouted. “But I want him to see.”

“Perhaps next year, when he’s older,” Hrebec said firmly as he followed the girls into the room. “I think Mama’s glad he’s sleeping right now.”

She laughed and nodded. Leo was cutting his first tooth, and he’d kept both of them up most of the previous night. Hrebec had been at her side the