Odin (Alien Adoption Agency #5) - Tasha Black Page 0,27

the grove in total dismay.

“I can’t believe it,” she said, gazing up into the trees where only fourteen sheep grazed on the tree canopy. She’d counted three times, with Odin backing her up. It wasn’t a mistake.

“It wouldn’t be the jaguarootte,” Odin said thoughtfully. “There’s no trace of her tracks or scent. And she wouldn’t have taken out more than one at a time anyway.”

“What would it be?” Liberty asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I think we need to hurry through our other tasks and get to town to ask around.”

“What would we even ask?”

“Whether anyone else is missing livestock,” Odin said. “Whether any predators have been reported.”

Keerah sat between them, looking back and forth as they spoke.

“I can’t understand how she isn’t alerting us,” Liberty said. “She seems so devoted.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Odin told her. “Don’t worry.”

But there was a pall over her perfect day, and Liberty couldn’t help but entertain the ridiculous notion that maybe she was being punished for her disloyalty to the memory of Wyn.

They both got to work on the list of things that needed done, but the day seemed to move slowly, in spite of their best efforts to hurry.

At last, the most necessary farm tasks were done, and it was time to go to town.

“I think we’d better just take the mare,” Odin told her. “That cart will take forever to get us to town and we’ve no need to haul anything back.”

“That sounds good,” Liberty agreed.

She was secretly excited to ride the stag-mare. Lachesis was known for its unusual creatures, but the gorgeous draft horse-looking mare with antlers like a deer had her mesmerized the morning they first went to the barn to feed the animals and muck the stalls.

Now, the lovely creature nickered in greeting as they entered the barn once more.

“Hello, girl,” Liberty said, feeling more cheerful already. “I still can’t believe we have a real stag-horse. She’s like something out of a fairy tale.”

“Most stag-horses are slender and lithe, but this one is excellent for farm work,” Odin said as he bridled the mare. “And she can easily carry us both.”

The mare pranced out of her stall. She was midnight black with a long, inky black mane and tail, and rail-thin black antlers. Her front left foreleg and fetlock were pure white, as if she had stepped one foot in white paint before thinking the better of it.

Liberty reached up to scratch gently behind her antlers and the mare lowered her face to nose her in the chest, bumping Colton in his sling.

The baby made a small, surprised sound and reached for the velvety muzzle.

The big mare whickered, and Liberty scratched her behind the antlers again.

“You’ve ridden before?” Odin asked.

“Not a stag-mare, but yes,” Liberty said.

“Then I think we’ll skip the saddle,” he told her. “They’re tricky for a man my size and it would be uncomfortable if we’re both on there.”

“Are you sure she’ll be okay with that?” Liberty asked.

“Look at her.”

They both looked. The stag-mare was almost the size of a puff-elephant. She could probably carry twice that much without noticing, especially in the lower than standard gravity of Lachesis.

“You’re right,” Liberty told him.

“Ready?” he asked her.

She nodded and he lifted her effortlessly, baby and all. She wrapped her legs around the mare’s ribs and settled herself in.

A moment later, Odin swung up behind her and pulled her close.

Her heart began to pound, and she had to remind herself that they were about to go on a very important mission.

With his big warm body wrapped around hers, all she could think about was going back to bed.

“We’d better go, before I drag you off this horse and take you right here on the ground,” he growled into her ear.

Before she could catch her breath, he squeezed his knees, and the stag-mare trotted down the path around the edge of the farm and onto the narrow trail below that led to town.

Muted sunlight rippled through the cloud cover, making it appear that the blue-green mountains were underwater.

Though the path was rough, the lower gravity made the going comfortable.

Or maybe it was Odin holding her close and shielding her from the impact of the bumps.

The breeze lifted her hair, and with Colton sleeping soundly in his sling, Liberty felt a comfort - physical and emotional - that was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

They rode in happy silence until they reached the outskirts of a small town. A row of small, thatch-roofed houses with

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