had to be one of the women in the work program, a housekeeper like Inara. Although her lower half was hidden behind the island, I could tell she had the exact body that the Draax liked. Tall and curvy in all the right spots. With tits like hers, she probably had to beat the Draax off her with a stick.
“Hello,” she said.
“Uh, hey, how are you?” I said.
“Good.” She sprayed the top of the island with the cleaner and wiped it with the rag before studying Galan’s shirt. “That’s an interesting look.”
I laughed. “Yeah, thanks. I just felt like wearing something pretty today to clean. You know how it is.”
Her laugh was genuine, and she cleaned another spot off the counter with the rag. “Are you lost?”
“Um, sort of. I mean, not lost, lost… I know I’m in the castle, but I can’t seem to find my way to the front door. I don’t suppose you could point me in the right -”
The knock on the door behind me made me drop my rag and slap my hand over my mouth. When Galan’s deep voice said, “Sabrina? Are you busy? May I join you?”, my heart almost joined the rag lying at my feet.
I bent and snatched it up before holding my finger to my lips. The woman stared at me in amusement as I crept toward the couch.
“Do me a solid and don’t tell the big guy I’m here, okay?” I whispered before dropping onto the floor in front of the couch.
I laid on my stomach, placing the bottle of cleaner and the rag on the floor beside me and staring under the couch as Galan knocked again. “Sabrina? May I come in?”
“Yes,” Sabrina said.
Still staring under the couch, I held my breath as the door opened. The floor was spotless under the couch. Damn… the woman could clean, I thought dimly as I tried to ignore the panic eating at my stomach lining.
“Hello, Sabrina. How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks, Galan. How are you? You look upset.”
Sabrina… why was that name so familiar? I tried to think of where I’d heard it before as I watched Galan’s feet walk over to the island.
“It has been a long day,” Galan said.
“What happened?” Sabrina said.
Fuck, how did I know the name Sabrina?
I closed my eyes in thought and made a soft grunt of surprise when something hard and pointy poked me in the side of the head. I opened my eyes, staring up at the tiny purple face looking down at me from the couch.
The little girl was maybe two years old and her dark hair was scooped up into two tiny pigtails. She blinked sleepily at me as her tail came down and poked me again in the side of the head.
I glared at her and pushed her tail away when she brushed it against my forehead. She sat up on the couch, rubbing at the sleep creases on the side of her admittedly adorable face. She used her tail to poke at my face again and I batted it away, putting my finger to my lips when she opened her mouth.
“Shh,” I said in a low voice.
Her tail brushed across my hair before she whispered, “Hello, girl.”
I waved at her then held my finger to my lips again.
She mimicked me, holding one chubby finger against her mouth before smiling.
I glanced under the couch again, staring at Galan’s feet. Shit, what did I do now? Also, who did this kid belong to and why was –
I couldn’t hold in my loud grunt when the toddler dropped onto my lower back. She was a chubby little thing and it was like a bowling ball hitting me square in the spine. The toddler laughed, her tail tugging on my hair and her hands clapping.
“Surprise, girl! Mama, I surprise the girl!”
“Jovie, what…”
The toddler was lifted off of me and I stared up at Galan as he held the toddler in his arms.
I waved at him. “Oh, hey, Galan.”
“What in Krono…” Galan set Jovie down on the floor and she wandered away. I flinched when Galan reached for me, but he just grabbed my arms and hauled me to my feet.
“What are you doing in here, Ellis?”
“Um… I got lost?”
“How did you get out of your living quarters?”
Galan shook me lightly when I didn’t answer. “Answer me, little female.”
“Galan, it’s fine.”
We both looked at Sabrina. She was standing in front of the island and holding the little girl in her arms. My mouth dropped