Claimed by the Alien Bodyguard - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,48
Ana, and her eyes, filling with tears, met Broxen’s. She made a high-pitched whine; as alarming as her tears were, that sound set Broxen on alert.
He turned toward her. “Ana?”
Her features crumpled, and she darted into the room, rounding the bed to slam her little body against him. She hugged him around his waist and cried.
All Broxen could do was stand there in stunned silence, staring down at the little kit without a clue as to what was happening. When he finally broke his stupor, he took hold of her wrists and gently pried her arms apart so he could drop down to a knee, bringing himself closer to her eye level.
“Ana, what’s wrong? Did I…did I do this wrong?”
She looked at him, lashes spiked, cheeks wet with tears, and her shoulders and chest heaving with ragged, hiccupping breaths. “N-no, you d-didn’t.”
Gabriela appeared in the doorway, a hand braced on the frame. Her brows were creased in worry. “Ana?”
Ana looked at her mom then back to Broxen. He was growing quite concerned; her breathing wasn’t normal, and she looked like she’d spilled enough tears to dehydrate herself.
The kit tugged her hands free and wrapped her arms around his neck in another embrace. She sniffled. “Thank y-you.”
Gratitude? Ana’s hysterical crying had been in…gratitude?
He didn’t understand these humans at all.
Or…perhaps he did.
She lost everything. And I…I’ve given her something back.
Broxen wrapped his arms around Ana, returning the hug. Her grip on him only strengthened.
“I wish you were my dad,” she whispered.
His brow knitted, and something tightened in his chest. He shifted a hand up to cup the back of her head. As much as her tears had alarmed him, there was a warm feeling inside him, a good feeling. He couldn’t change what had happened in his females’ lives. He couldn’t change their pasts any more than he could his own, couldn’t protect them from the hurts they’d already suffered.
But he could do everything possible to protect them now—and forever after.
Broxen glanced at Gabriela. She remained in the doorway, her hands covering her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes.
“You like it?” Broxen asked, combing his claws gently through Ana’s hair, hoping to soothe her.
“I love it,” Ana said.
“Good. Then no more tears.”
She laughed. “Okay.”
“Now what was it you came to tell me?”
Ana finally loosened her arms and drew back. There was a smile on her face. “Mom said dinner was ready.”
“Perfect timing,” he replied, smiling back at her. He flicked his gaze to Gabriela again, and his smile widened further. “Been hard not to go into the kitchen and steal a taste. I’m starving.”
Gabriela laughed softly and wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands. “Wash your hands. Both of you. I’ll get the table set.”
She left them, and Ana took hold of his hand, leading him out of the room and into the bathroom. Ana stood patiently as he removed the adhesive bandages from her palm, revealing only healthy skin beneath. They shared a grin. When Ana was done washing her hands, Broxen sent her off to see if Gabriela needed help before stepping to the sink himself. As he scrubbed his hands clean, he couldn’t help but wonder at what he was feeling.
Contentment? Completion? Wasn’t it too soon to feel that way? Gabriela and Ana had been here for a day, and nothing was certain.
I’m certain. They are mine. My family.
Yet there was a shadow hanging over those good feelings, one he’d thought about but hadn’t yet decided how to handle. This secret of his—the secret that had kept him alive to this point, the secret that had allowed him a chance at making a new life, a chance at having Gabriela.
He turned off the water and stared at himself in the mirror as he dried his hands. In his mind’s eye, he could see himself as he actually appeared. Red skin, black horns, a long tail. Claws and fangs, purple irises in pools of black. But the face in the mirror was a stranger. A human—or, worse, an impostor. Was this…was it a betrayal? Was he betraying Gabriela by hiding the truth?
Soon. I’ll tell her…show her…soon. She doesn’t need any more surprises now. I’ll wait until the time is right.
All he could do was hope that he wasn’t helping his females establish a new normal only to shatter it again when he revealed himself. All he could do was hope that Gabriela came to trust him and care for him enough to accept what he was.