Odin (Alien Adoption Agency #5) - Tasha Black Page 0,45

her with his essence.

She clung to him, sobbing with the intensity of their shared ecstasy as her body shivered with rapture.

39

Liberty

Liberty clung to the stag-mare’s mane, enjoying the feeling of Odin’s arms around her, and Colton’s warm weight on her chest.

After days in the mating thrall, it felt good to be able to leave their bed to retrieve their son and venture into town.

Though she still felt the pull of his body, and she imagined she always would.

“Gods, I just want to take you home again,” he murmured into her hair as if they had shared the same thought.

“We promised the marshals we would go to town and make a statement,” she reminded him. “We have to be upstanding citizens.”

He huffed with impatience and for a moment she could see the dragon in her mind, burning coal-red and proud. Part of her hoped she might get to see the magnificent creature again, but she also hoped there wouldn’t be another situation where it was necessary for Odin to shift.

He nuzzled her neck and was one hundred percent her Odin once more.

“Fine,” he whispered. “But as soon as we get home…”

As soon as they got home, Colton would need to be changed and fed, the sheep would need tending, and Keerah would want attention.

But Liberty knew better than to argue. She was very sure that she and her efficient mate would manage to get through their work swiftly so that as soon as evening fell, they could surrender to the need that pulsed so insistently between them.

When they arrived in town, Odin tied up the mare and helped Liberty hop down with Colton, who promptly woke up.

She pulled him out of his sling and held him to her chest.

He grabbed a hank of her hair in his little fist and held it tight.

“Somebody’s wide awake,” she said, stroking his soft cheek.

“Thanks so much for coming in,” the marshal from the night of the ambush said. “I never got to introduce myself, the name’s Petryx.”

“Good to meet you,” Odin said, thrusting out his arm, which Petryx took with a smile. “You really helped us out of a tough spot the other night.”

“Glad you could come down and speak with us,” Petryx said. “Come on in.”

They followed him inside, to a desk in the corner of the wide-open room.

“Coffee?” he asked, gesturing to a table with a stale-looking pot of coffee on it.

“No thanks,” Odin said, glancing at Liberty.

She shook her head.

“Well let’s get down to business then,” Petryx said.

His questions were organized and easy to answer, but they went on for a while.

“I think that’s all for now,” he said at last, just as Liberty was wondering how much more information they could possibly need. “Has everything been okay at the farm since?”

Liberty felt the blood rush to her cheeks, thinking about what had been happening at the farmhouse since the last time they’d seen him.

“Everything has been great,” Odin declared, squeezing her knee under the table. “Have you found our sheep?”

“I’m so sorry,” Petryx said. “We’ve questioned the Sons of Sirius repeatedly, but so far, they won’t talk. Hopefully, we’ll get it out of them sooner or later, and then we’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you,” Odin said politely.

But Liberty knew better. Those sheep were either long gone, or they were in storage someplace and weren’t being cared for properly. Either way, they were out of time. She was going to have to work hard to run a farm with what she had left.

“Aww, he’s sleeping on the job, huh?” Petryx said, gesturing to baby Colton, who, true to form, had fallen asleep on Liberty’s chest a few minutes into their interview.

Sleeping on the job…

That made her think of something…

“Keerah,” she said suddenly.

Petryx frowned and glanced down at his tablet. “That’s… the tree-hound?”

“Yes,” Liberty said. “I couldn’t understand why she never alerted us about the rustlers. And the night of the attack, she was sound asleep under the hemlock tree. It seemed odd, with everything going on, but I forgot about it until just this minute.”

“Your guard dog slept through all that?” Petryx asked, looking astonished.

“Do you think she could have been drugged?” Liberty asked.

“A hound that size would require a fairly heavy tranquilizer,” Petryx said thoughtfully. “But the heaviest kind for the farm animals we have on Lachesis would be too strong.”

“The transport,” Liberty murmured.

“What about it?” Petryx asked.

“The medical transport might have that kind of tranquilizer,” Liberty said. “They would certainly have the needed ingredients to make it.”

“The medical transport