and rescued her. They both love her like a daughter. She’s made a place for herself here. She’s built a life for herself here.” Lisa touched his face. “She’s happy, Taelon.”
It seemed too good to be true, that Amiriska had found happiness on this barbaric planet. But hadn’t he, too, found happiness here? With Lisa? Despite all they had suffered? “She’s really okay?”
“Yes. But things are different on Earth, so just… try not to freak out every time someone touches her. They mean no disrespect. And openly expressing affection is common here.” When he frowned, she combed her fingers through his hair. “Don’t you like it when I openly express my affection for you?” She drew the backs of her fingers down his stubbled cheek. “Don’t you like it when I touch you?”
Catching her hand before she could withdraw it, he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. “You know I do.”
“Then try to relax and keep an open mind about this. From what I’ve heard, Ami is more than capable of taking care of herself, so I think it’s safe to say if anyone touched her in a way she didn’t like, she would kick his ass.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
She grinned. “Apparently your sister kicks ass. And I don’t mean that in a she’s cool kind of way. I mean she literally kicks ass. Leah said Ami has even beaten some of the immortal males in sparring contests.”
It strained credulity. Amiriska had led a very sheltered life on Lasara. They had never trained her to fight because guards had accompanied her wherever she went and she served as one of the planet’s top diplomats, a position that had never placed her in any danger.
“She… bests these immortal warriors in combat?” he asked, still trying to make that notion work in his head.
Lisa grinned. “Yes. I would’ve thought they’d be too embarrassed to admit it, but these guys really like strong women.” She reached for something behind him and pulled on a tunic that hugged her bountiful breasts, then expanded into loose, flowing fabric that fell to her thighs. “You look a bit shell-shocked.”
“I don’t know what that means,” he mumbled absently.
“What does your translator say shell-shocked is?”
“The electrified exoskeleton of an invertebrate.”
She laughed. “Then how about astonished? You look astonished.”
He nodded. “That is far more accurate.”
Her smile warm with affection, she reached down, took his hand, and drew him to his feet. “I know it seems crazy after everything you’ve endured. But I think everything’s going to be okay.”
Taelon was afraid to believe it.
She rested a hand on his bare chest and stroked the stubble there. The cursed butchers had shaved his chest multiple times so the hair it usually boasted wouldn’t interfere with their surgeries. “Seth healed you. That’s a good thing, right?”
Nodding, he covered her hand with his own and pressed it harder against his flesh. “I’d forgotten what it feels like to be free of pain.”
Moisture welled in her eyes, but she blinked it back. “And Ami is happy. That’s a good thing, too.”
He shook his head. “It’s difficult for me to reconcile. In all the scenarios I considered, I never once imagined that she would find happiness here.”
“But she did. So forget Lasaran etiquette, try to tamp down your overprotective streak, and just… look at her while she explains everything to you. I mean really look at her. You’re her brother. You’ll know if she’s just putting on a facade. You’ll know the truth when you see it.”
Taelon pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her hair. “This seems so surreal.”
She gave him a squeeze. “I know. Life has sucked for so long that I admit I’m panicking a little inside because this seems too good to be true and I’m afraid…”
“That it’s just a dream?”
“Yes.”
Backing away, he took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Well, if it is a dream, I’m glad I’m sharing it with you.”
Rising onto her toes, she kissed him deeper. “I am, too. Now put a shirt on and think of ice-cold showers so your sister won’t blush when she comes back.”
He laughed.
The reunion between brother and sister nearly made Lisa cry. Again. Hopefully this increased tendency to weep would pass after the baby was born.
Taelon had little to no memory of their arrival here. So when Ami returned and Taelon dragged her into a tight embrace, it was as though he were holding her for