Jacie and the Alien Bodyguard (Intergalactic Brides 6) (2 page)

“I’m sorry about the shedding. He’s nervous,” Jacie said. “It comes off when you wash it.”

Well, that was good news at least.

“I’ll contact the shuttle captain and make sure your cat’s belongings are brought to you. But you really should rest. I’ll return for you in one of your Earth hours to take you out for something to eat. There’s a place here that sells Earth food if you don’t think Terran food would be appetizing. The owner, a woman from Earth, makes sure there’s a -- what does she call it? --
special of the day
, so there’s always something different to eat in addition to the regular menu.”

“I think the Earth fare would be best for today. My stomach has been in knots over seeing Myro again.”

“Yes, well… get some rest and I’ll return for you shortly.”

Barimere let himself out and went next door to his temporary quarters. He’d packed a bag, but the majority of his things were still in his home. The house he owned wasn’t large, but it was warm and inviting. The morning suns shone through the front windows, bathing everything in golden light. He enjoyed sitting in the chair by the window, something he’d picked up from another Earth store on the main thoroughfare, and having his breakfast. Of course, if he ever took a mate, he’d have to eat in the kitchen with her. Missing the suns rising was a small price to pay to have someone to love, even if he wasn’t convinced he was ready for such a commitment, or that any female would ever look at him and find him desirable.

Silence greeted him as there were no pets to meet him at the door. Pulling up the Vid-comm, he placed a call to Councilman Larimar, who had arranged for him to guard Jacie during her stay.

“I take it the human is settled in her suite?” Larimar asked as he came online.

“Yes, Councilman. I left her to rest and unpack, and then I’m taking her out for a meal. I really think it would be best if I tell her about Myro while we eat. Showing up on his doorstep is in poor taste, and I’m not sure I could handle seeing the heartbreak in her eyes when she realizes he’s claimed another female as his own. I think Jacie is attached to him.”

“Well, you know the woman better than I do. If you think it would be better for her peace of mind to be told, instead of shown, then that’s what you should do.”

“Thank you, Councilman. She seems like the type who will cry if faced with Myro, his new mate and his child. I get the feeling he never told her about his son, even though the boy is nearly nine now.”

Larimar smiled. “Would you have told her about your son, if the child in question had been conceived with a whore from a nearby brothel?”

Barimere cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable with that idea. “Probably not. But then, that isn’t something I’ll ever have to worry about, now is it?”

“I’m sorry, Barimere.” Larimar winced. “I had forgotten you are one of the few males we know who can’t reproduce. I remember when we approved your petition to adopt, should you ever find a mate.”

Barimere pointed to the scars running down the side of his face. “Not that it’s likely a female will ever want to look at this face for the rest of her life.”

“And did the human female react to them?”

Barimere frowned. No, Jacie hadn’t reacted to them. In fact, she acted as if she hadn’t seen them, which he knew couldn’t be true. She’d have to be blind to miss them, and her eyesight seemed to work quite well.

Larimar smiled. “That’s what I thought. If nothing else, maybe guarding Miss Montgomery will teach you that not all females judge a male based on his looks. You would do well to take a mate like that, a woman who can see you for the male you are inside, instead of getting caught up in your looks. Any male would be lucky to find such a female, but I’m afraid they’re rare.”

“I have plenty of time to claim a mate, but perhaps I’ll pay closer attention to the next set of potential brides to arrive. Coming home to silence is not as pleasant as I once thought it to be.”

Larimar nodded. “I’m familiar with that empty feeling when you come home and there’s no one to greet you, no one to enjoy a meal with, and no one to hold as you sleep. Once my schedule clears, I plan to seek a mate as well. Now that Borgoz is settled, I’d imagine all of the council will begin looking. It didn’t seem right for us to settle down before he did.”

Barimere hesitated to voice his concerns. “I realize we’re most fortunate to have found Earth, and to have reached an agreement with their government, but what of other females that may be compatible with Zelthranites? What if we’re limiting our options, and our chance to find love?”

“You know that the nearby planets are facing a similar situation as us -- they have too many males, and no females are being born to those fortunate enough to have a mate. We’ve searched the galaxy, and it’s possible that Vaaden females would be viable, but their males aren’t exactly offering up the women to us. Besides, I’ve heard they can be frosty.”

Barimere frowned. “Their temperature is lower than ours?”

“No.” Larimar chuckled. “The humans are rubbing off on me with their sayings. No, I mean that their demeanor is frosty and cold. They pair with their females for breeding purposes, but even they have been using humans. They don’t have an agreement in place, but we’ve discovered that, for at least the past ten years, Vaaden males have been capturing Earth women and forcing them to be sex slaves. Who knows for certain how long it’s been going on?”

Barimere couldn’t stop the growl that vibrated his throat. “We should raid their planet and free those women!”

“It’s a possibility the council has discussed, but we don’t have all of the facts yet. If the women are happy, it would be best to leave them where they are. If we charge in and demand they hand over the Earth women, we will make a powerful enemy.”

“Can we at least stop them from taking more females from Earth? It doesn’t seem right that we’re asking them to hand their women over to us for mates when we aren’t willing to protect the families left behind. Sisters, mothers, daughters… any of them could be kidnapped by the Vaadens, or worse. If the Vaadens are capturing the women, who’s to say others aren’t as well?”

Larimar nodded. “It’s something we’ve thought about, but we don’t have the numbers to protect our world and theirs. There’s been some discussion of asking for help, forming an alliance of sorts, but that would mean sharing the potential brides with another race. Borgoz’s nephew mentioned opening up the bride exchange to other races, and we’ve welcomed some on a case by case basis, but I don’t think we’re ready for something like that full-scale.”

“It’s an intriguing idea. You know I’m willing to fight if I’m needed.”

“Your allegiance to Zelthrane-3 is noted, Barimere, but you’re retired for a reason. You suffered enough at the hands of our enemies and we couldn’t possibly ask you to give any more than you have already.”

Barimere wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was a seasoned warrior, and his sole purpose in life was to defend his world from attack. Since his capture during the last war, he’d been relegated to the sidelines, assisting with training and tactics, but disallowed from fighting. It stung his pride, but he knew his people were trying to honor his sacrifice.

“Is that really why you haven’t taken a mate?” Larimar asked. “Are you afraid of how she’ll react when she sees your body? Because if she can get past the scars on your face, I doubt seriously that the rest will bother her.”

Barimere didn’t want to admit that the scarring on his body played a large part in his reluctance to find a mate. What if he courted a female, began to feel something for her, and then discovered she couldn’t stand the sight of his body? He might be a hardened warrior, but it didn’t mean his heart couldn’t be damaged.

“Just think about it,” Larimar said. “I have to go. Council will be in session shortly. Watch over Jacie and do what you think is best. We want her to remain calm and to get the rest and care she needs.”

The councilman signed off and Barimere collapsed into a chair. He had a feeling this assignment wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d first thought. Get the rest and care she needs? And just who did the councilman think would be doing those things for Jacie? It seemed he was to be more caretaker than bodyguard, and Barimere wasn’t sure he liked that idea at all. It would mean getting close to her, closer than he had planned. Trouble was brewing, and he couldn’t think of a way to avoid it.

Jacie had unpacked while she’d waited on Sugarbutt’s things to be delivered, and then she’d gotten her pet settled. She’d tried to rest, like Barimere had suggested, but she was too nervous about seeing Myro again. She’d thought of a thousand things she wanted to say, but she knew her courage would fail her once she was face to face with him. It had been four months since he’d left to return to his world and she’d thought he would ask her to join him at some point, but he never had. At first, she’d been crushed, and then she’d discovered she was pregnant and had been overwhelmed.

It made her wonder if their time together wasn’t as special as she’d thought. She’d heard that Terrans didn’t believe in casual sex, but had she been wrong? What if Myro had seen her as a good time and nothing more? She’d given him her heart, or so she’d thought, but now she wasn’t so sure. The way her heart had raced when she’d seen Barimere told her her feelings weren’t true for Myro. She shouldn’t have found the large warrior sexy, but she did. There was an intimidating look in his eyes, a look that said he would do whatever it took to get the job done, but it didn’t frighten her. If anything, it made her feel safe.

Since Myro, there hadn’t been a man in her life. She smoothed a hand over her rounded belly. Once she’d discovered she was pregnant, she’d wanted to contact Myro, but hadn’t been sure how. She’d finally gone to the Terran station near her home and explained the situation to them. The guards at the station had contacted their home world, and a few days later, they’d told her she needed to move to Terran in order to tell Myro about the baby.

It had taken several months for her to tie up all the loose ends on Earth and say goodbye to what little family she had left. She hadn’t been sure she would ever see them again when they’d dropped her off at the station for her flight here. And now, after speaking to Barimere, it seemed certain she wouldn’t. How could they expect to keep her here if Myro didn’t want her anymore? Of course, she could understand their reasoning behind the matter, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.

“Take a mate or fend for myself on an unknown world,” she muttered. What a choice!

Sugarbutt pawed at her legs and she picked him up, not caring that she’d be wearing orange fur the rest of the night. Maybe she should confront Myro tomorrow. Her stomach cramped and she realized she wouldn’t get any rest until she saw his reaction to discovering they had a child. They’d spoken so little about their backgrounds or families that she really knew nothing about him. She didn’t even know what he did for a living, other than his job had taken him to Earth for one short month.

She snorted. Short! It had been long enough for her to get pregnant. Why hadn’t she insisted on condoms? It wasn’t like she’d been a virgin, but Myro had swept her off her feet and she’d allowed him liberties that no other man had ever taken. Including not using condoms. She’d had a birth control shot, but apparently she’d missed the letter from her doctor letting her know she needed another one. And now she had a little one on the way. Not that she didn’t love her child! It just wasn’t the ideal situation, but then babies always changed peoples’ lives, whether they were ready for it or not.

A knock sounded at the door a moment before it opened. Her jaw dropped a little as Barimere walked in, an aqua shirt showing off the bulging muscles in his arms and his sculpted chest. A hint of skin showed above the buttons and she could see more scars like the ones on his face, and she wondered what had caused them. His hair was loose and hung in waves past his shoulders. It looked soft and her fingers itched to touch it.

His gaze scanned her from head to toe and she wondered if she was dressed appropriately. She’d changed into a white dress with large purple, teal, and pink flowers across it. The dress hugged her baby bulge, making her noticeably pregnant. Would people assume they were a couple when they went out? And why did her heart give a little kick at the thought?

“You’re well rested?” he asked.

“I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I guess I’m just too nervous about seeing Myro again. I don’t understand why the council didn’t just inform him about the baby and have him meet me at the shuttle.”

“We’ll discuss it over dinner. I’ll answer all of your questions, if I’m able.”

The cat wound around his feet then plopped down on his boot and glared up at him.

“I think Sugarbutt likes you,” Jacie said.

Barimere’s eyebrows shot upward. “That’s what he looks like when he likes someone? Does he turn homicidal when he
dislikes
someone?”

She laughed. “He’d have clawed you and shouted his displeasure earlier, instead of playing with you.”

“Launching your undergarments at my face was playful?”

Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. “Yes. I’m really sorry about that. He can get up to some crazy things, but he usually doesn’t embarrass me quite so much in public.”

“He travels with you often?”

“Oh, I don’t mean for travel. He either gets carried in his tote, or I’ll put a harness on him and take him for a walk. He’s usually well behaved when we’re out, but my parents tend to bring out his naughty side. He’s climbed my mother’s head before, and the last time, he peed on her while he was up there. The look on her face was priceless!”

“I’m suddenly very glad he didn’t climb me like he did your mother, if he can’t hold his bladder. Being pissed on is not high on my list of things to experience.”

As if understanding the alien’s words, Sugarbutt glared up at him, ears folded back, as if he were plotting Barimere’s demise. Jacie quickly picked up her pet and shooed him out of the way. She wasn’t sure she wanted to test Barimere’s patience when it came to her precious baby.