Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,9
all of their women, and of the few babies to come full term in the artificial wombs, none had been female. This child’s mere existence was a miracle.
“Where did she come from?”
“I don’t know,” Abigail said reluctantly, before her chin lifted again. “But she’s mine now.”
“Lieutenant Jedan, examine the logs. See if you can find any indication of where she was found. I will want to interrogate the prisoners as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Unable to help himself, he stepped forward to take a closer look. The baby in Abigail’s arms was impossibly small, but he could detect no sign of ill health and her wide dark eyes were bright. He took a deep breath, and Abigail’s enticing scent washed over him. He was suddenly conscious that his tail was reaching for her—for her or the child—and that his men eagerly watched them.
As he started to step back, the small child at her side spoke up. “Are you Leonardo?”
Abigail made a little choking noise. “No, sweetie. Leonardo is just a cartoon.”
He didn’t quite follow the conversation, but he realized that he had failed to introduce himself. “I am Captain Hrebec. I represent the Confederated Planets. We have impounded this ship and arrested the crew. I will escort you to my ship, the Defiance.”
“And then what?” she asked suspiciously.
“Then we will make arrangements for your return,” he said firmly.
Behind him, he heard a few disappointed noises from his crew, and was conscious of the same feeling deep within his chest, but he ignored them. Their job was to free the captives and he had to keep that in mind. This job was all he had left.
Abby stared up at the big alien standing so close to her, too close for her to ignore the extremely well-defined muscles revealed by his tight white uniform. Everything about him intimidated her, from his overall size to his unabashedly alien appearance. It was almost impossible to believe that he and Tiana were the same species, although they shared the same wide lipless mouth, flat nose, and large black eyes. The resemblance ended there. His jade skin was several shades darker than Tiana’s pale green, but more than that, unlike the baby’s smooth little head, he had a series of dark ridges arching back over his forehead. More curved down his neck and across the top of his massive shoulders. There was one additional resemblance, she realized, as his tail curled around from behind him and headed in her direction.
Lucie giggled. “Look, Mama. He gots a tail just like Tiana.”
She reached out an inquisitive hand just as Captain Hrebec pulled it back, an appalled look on his face.
“You mustn’t touch, Lucie,” she said, even as she glared at him. It wasn’t like her daughter was going to hurt his precious tail.
“The child did nothing wrong,” he said quickly. “Children are naturally curious.” He addressed Lucie directly. “Would you like to touch it?”
“She can’t understand you. I’m the only one who was provided with a translator.”
He looked appalled for a second time and immediately raised his hand to one of the group of aliens gathered behind him. “Mekoi, the females will need translation devices.”
“No, they don’t.” She pulled Lucie closer. “There’s no need to subject them to the pain when we’re just going home anyway.”
“Pain?”
“When you implant the device? It hurts like hell.”
This time, his expression turned thunderous; his dark eyes flashed, and she swore that his shoulders tensed. “It should not have hurt you. I promise you that we will not cause pain to your females. But it would be easier if they were able to communicate.”
Abby bit her lip. Part of her instinctively wanted to trust the big alien, even though she knew better than to drop her guard. It also occurred to her that it would be easier for the aliens to separate them if she wasn't the only one capable of communicating. But in the end, it wasn’t her decision. She turned to the girls. They had all grouped themselves behind her, each one holding a baby. Even Molly had picked up Ginger, although her hold on the infant was less secure than Abby would have liked.
“Girls, the captain has offered to give all of you translators so you can understand what they’re saying. He says it won’t hurt, but I can’t try it for you first since I already have one. Do you want one?”
Lucie piped up. “I wants one, Mama. I wanna know what Leonardo is saying.”