Chapter 5

Rosemary:

“So what’s this kid of yours going to look like?” Rosemary slumped down onto the sofa next to Hazel. A Sangrin soap opera played on the screen embedded in the wall while Hazel knitted.

“Watch it. Don’t bump my skein or it’ll get tangled.”

Rosemary adjusted the skein of cornflower blue yarn and admired the softness. “What are you making?”

“Well, this was going to be a baby blanket, but now it’s an apology scarf for my sister. Think she’ll like it?”

“She likes how soft it is. Thank you.”

Hazel nodded. The fabric draped across her lap. “Are stupidly long scarves still in fashion?”

“Yes, and wide enough to fold over your head like a shawl.”

“I might as well knit you a blanket, then, and I don’t know what he’ll look like. Mostly human.”

“Mostly?”

“They tell me that the Mahdfel tend to look like their mothers and some human women on the ship have already had their babies. One lady, Carrie, has the sweetest baby boy. He’s all smiles and looks a lot like her, right down to the red hair and freckles. He smells so good.” Hazel paused, the knitting needles slipping from her hands. “I got baby fever pretty bad, huh?”

“The worst case I’ve ever seen,” Rosemary confirmed. When Michael was born, Hazel had obviously fallen in love with her nephew, but she never gushed about how good he smelled. For the record, as a baby, he smelled amazing.

“Then there’s the warlord’s wife, Mercy. She’s nice, but the warlord is a bit scary.”

Rosemary nodded. She found all the Mahdfel a bit scary. A week of close contact had softened the edge of that fear, but just the title warlord sounded frightening. The Mahdfel leader wasn’t a general or a president or minister, but a lord of war.

Lorran, with his jokes and easygoing nature, didn’t correspond with that idea, nor did Seeran and the devotion he lavished on Hazel. Supposedly, the Mahdfel were cruel, short-tempered, prone to violent outbursts, unreasonable, and more brawn than brains. At least, so the anti-alien folks back on Earth would have her believe.

She had always believed it, a tiny bit. She never met a Mahdfel before, so it was easy to believe all the bad press and let those ideas fester in an ugly part of her heart.

Yet she liked the Rhew family, even Mene. She felt safe and comfortable with them.

This vacation had changed her preconceived notions of the Mahdfel.

“They have twins. Very sweet. Almost a year old. They look human, but they have these itty-bitty horns.”

“And how do they smell?”

“Amazing.” Hazel sighed deeply. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not,” she said, barely keeping a straight face.

“Do you ever think about having another?”

“Nope.” Being a single mom was tough enough; she didn’t need to add a baby to the mix. Michael was the love of her life. No questions about it. She knew she could love another kid as fiercely and completely. Her love was not a limited resource, after all. But exhaustion overwhelmed her just at the thought of midnight feedings and diaper changes. The first time around, all she had was basically a sperm donor with zero interest in his kid. At least she had Hazel to help. She couldn’t do all that on her own. “Maybe if I find the right guy. Someday.”

Hazel patted her belly. “The baby fever is contagious you know. Watch out.”

She’d need a partner first next time, not just someone to knock her up. An actual partner to be a parent. She hadn’t found that person yet.

Briefly, her mind slipped back to Lorran explaining that compatibility often ran in families. She wasn’t his mate, but she might be Mene’s. The purple meanie wouldn’t be the worst choice in the world. Universe. Whatever.

It didn’t matter. She wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend.

A shirtless horned purple man flashed on the screen, grabbing her attention. “What are you even watching?”

“Endless Hope and Suffering. I love it.”

Rosemary followed the action for a few minutes. Basically, it was people giving dramatic looks into a camera while being very, very attractive. “So this is some sort of soap opera?”

“Yes. That’s Doctor Ro—”

“Shirtless dude is a doctor?”

“He’s having a secret affair with that nurse, but she’s from the past. He doesn’t know that yet, but the other doctor, the one with the scar, he suspects that she’s the nurse who went missing twenty years ago. They used to be married. Or they were, before she traveled through time.”

“That’s stupid. Of course, they’re still married.”

“Well, he thought she died, so he remarried,” Hazel said.

“Wait, the guy with the scar used to be married to the time traveling nurse? And he hasn’t said anything?”

“No, shirtless guy used to be married to the time-traveling nurse. He thought she died. He remarried. Now he’s cheating on his second wife with his not-dead-time-traveling first wife.” Hazel hummed, clearly enthralled with the convoluted story.

“But he doesn’t know she’s the first wife?”

“Not yet. She keeps trying to tell him, but they get interrupted.”

“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Now stop talking, I want to watch this.”

Mene:

Shouts of distress drew Mene outside into the cold. Fresh snow had fallen overnight, blanketing the ground in a plush layer.

Michael, the small Terran child, crouched behind a poorly constructed wall of snow. His nose was bright red and dripping. Lorran crouched next to him. They clutched crudely made weapons, snow packed tightly into a sphere, and whispered.

Seeran came up the walkway, unaware of the ambush.

Michael tittered with excitement.

Seeran paused, head cocked as he listened. He scooped up a handful of snow, but the cautious warrior was too late.

Lorran and Michael sprang up from behind their barricade, flinging their readymade supply of missiles. Seeran ducked and rolled to the ground, snowballs pelting his back. The battle was short but fierce. Outnumbered, the lone male admitted defeat and surrendered.

"Join us, brother," Lorran called from behind his barricade.

"I will not." Mene had outgrown snowball fights several years ago.

"Is the big, bad Enforcer afraid of getting his horns wet?"

"He does not wish to look foolish," Seeran added.

Lorran shoved a handful of snow into the back of his brother's head. "That is your smack talk? Your mate claimed that you have been practicing."

"I have."

"Practice more." Lorran turned his attention to the young Terran. "Convince Mene to play with us, Michael."

Michael stood, his blond head barely cresting the barricade. He wiped his dripping nose on a coat sleeve. "We have cookies."

Mene sniffed the air. He detected many things, but he did not detect cookies. "I fear my brothers have corrupted you, young warrior. There are no cookies."

"I'm not lying." He snickered. "Honest."

He moved toward the barricade, sensing a trap. "Present the cookie's credentials."

Michael sprang up and tossed a snowball. It hit Mene square in the chest and exploded in a brief flurry.

"Do you require another cookie?" Lorran asked sweetly, preparing a second missile.

"Fresh baked, just for you!" Michael tossed another snowball, hitting his mark.

"The cold is affecting your translator,” Mene said. “Those were not cookies."

"Well tough cookies!" The youth doubled over with laughter. When the other three Mahdfel stood perfectly still, watching him, he paused. "That's a really funny joke in my language."

Seeran nodded. "Idioms," he said in a knowing voice.

Rosemary rounded the corner, dragging behind her a wooden sled. The metal tracks cut a groove through the snow. "Guys, look what Oran found. I haven't been sledding since I was your age, Michael."

Michael abandoned the snow fort and ran to his mother. "Awesome! Can we go for a ride down the hill?"

Rosemary nodded, but Mene loudly said, "No."

She dropped the rope handle, and the sled fell to the ground. "Excuse me? We're going sledding."

"It is too cold," he said.

"It's supposed to be cold. Too warm and the snow melts."

"You are ill-suited for the cold. The layer of fat at your hips and midsection will provide some insulation, but is not enough."

Her mouth fell open. Lorran patted poor, simple-minded Mene on the back as he walked by to retrieve the sled. It was not a reassuring pat, but one given to a comrade about to face an impossible foe. Seeran mumbled that he would miss his eldest brother.

Perhaps he miscalculated.

"Did you just call me fat?"

"I referred to the layer of—"

"I heard you the first time!"

"Your nose is pink, and your lips have begun to discolor. You should return inside immediately until your core body temperature is at acceptable levels." He touched the tip of her nose to demonstrate. The flesh was cold.

Her eyes grew wide, and she took a step forward, right into his reach. With her head craned back, her gaze narrowed with displeasure. She did not fear him. "First, don't touch me. Ever. Second, you are not the boss of me."

"Clearly, you require supervision." He folded his arms over his chest. She mirrored his moves.

"And you're just the person to give it to me, I assume."

Heat inexplicably kindled in his gut at her words. Yes, he would give it to her. He frowned and increased the intensity of his stare. "If I must."

She held his gaze. "And what makes you so qualified?"

"I am an accomplished warrior. My deeds are known to many throughout the system."

"Well, sugar plum, I don't need your permission or supervision. Now get out of my way."

He widened his stance.

"How are you even serious right now?"

"I question your judgment, female. It is too cold for your soft form and too cold for your son. His nose is red and dripping." Alarmingly so.

"So now fat and a bad mom?"

"Those were not my words."

"Right, a bad, fat mom who requires supervision. I believe those were your words."

"You are being irrational."

"Because I'm talking to a great lavender wall of jackasses."

Michael ran up and tugged on her coat sleeve. "That's a credit for the Swear Jar, Mom. I heard you."

"Go with Lorran. I'll be there soon," she said. She zipped his coat closed and adjusted the knit cap on his head. Satisfied, she patted him on the back, and he took off at a breakneck pace.

When Michael reached Lorran, the older man clamped his hands over the boy’s ears. "Are you two done flirting? You can give it to each other all you want, later.” He uncovered Michael’s ears. “My balls are freezing over here."

"Swear jar!" Michael shouted.

Mene turned to point to his younger brother, currently making a fool of himself with exaggerated shivering. "See, it is too cold even for a warrior."

"I don't have balls," Rosemary said.

No, her form was entirely feminine.

Mene turned back around to say something to that effect when a snowball hit him in the center of his face.

She laughed and danced away, out of his reach.

Utterly fearless. His admiration increased.

Rosemary:

Her vacation flew by. She would be returning to Earth, and by extension real life, the next day. She had to find a new job, a new car, and figure out a way to deal with Vince once and for all.

That sounded a lot more ominous than she intended. She just needed him to sign the custody agreement, like he said he would.

Threatening him or calling his bluff would mean he’d drag his family and all their money and reputation into it. They’d spend a fortune to protect the family name. Rosemary was tempted to skip the courts altogether and just go directly to his family. Granted, the last time they spoke, they flatly said they were not interested in whatever piece of garbage Vince knocked up or his illegitimate bastard.

Their words still stung.

They’d be interested if she threatened to sell the story to the media. Vince’s parents could force him to sign over custody, and the situation would be over.

Or they could drag her to court, bury her hopes with the best legal team money could buy. They’d take Michael, not because they cared but because they could.

Nope. There had to be a better solution. She just needed to think. Tomorrow’s marathon shuttle journey would give her plenty of time to think and peruse job listings.

She pushed tomorrow’s worries out of her mind. She still had one more evening with her sister and one more evening to enjoy herself.

Tonight was the last night of Golau. The Rhew family, with human guests, gathered on the back patio. Lanterns illuminated the dark, casting a warm glow. Shadows played across the Mahdfel men’s features. With their horns, they appeared as fierce creatures out of a nightmare. She knew better. She noticed the way Seeran cocked his head as he listened to Hazel. She noticed the way Oran, ever silent and filled with dignity, reached out to his mate of many decades to share quick touches. She noticed the way Lorran went out of his way to make others comfortable, even at his own expense. She even noticed the way Mene patiently endured Michael’s endless questions and demands for piggyback rides.

Hazel found herself a proper family, and jealousy tugged at Rosemary.

Tani settled next to Rosemary on the bench. “Are you cold? You Terrans look like you should always be cold.”

“Sorry,” Rosemary said, half paying attention.

“It’s the thin skin. How can you keep the warmth in?”

“We manage just fine.” She had plenty of insulation, apparently. Her gaze narrowed on Mene.

Tani chuckled softly. She followed Rosemary’s gaze but said nothing.

“What is it like?” Rosemary finally asked.

Tani didn’t ask for clarification. “Mostly good. I have a good mate.”

“But you had to leave everything behind?”

“Do I look like I’ve left anything behind? I’m celebrating Golau in my family’s ancestral home with the male I love and the strong sons we’ve made. Our family grows every year.” She patted Rosemary’s hand. “The Mahdfel have been on Sangrin for three generations now. Being claimed as a bride was not such a strange, new idea for me.”

“Three generations? Don’t they leave, eventually?” Would they leave Earth once the Suhlik threat vanished?

“Have the Suhlik stopped attacking your planet?”

“I guess not. There was an attack on the moon base a year ago, I think.” Rosemary had vague memories of news reports. “But there hasn’t been an attack on Earth in years.” Not since she was a teenager.

“The Suhlik will never stop, and the Mahdfel will always honor the treaty.”

“As long as they get women.”

Tani shifted on the bench and faced Rosemary. “They get a new generation, who will lay their lives down to protect their mothers, their mates, their children, and any other Mahdfel territory.”

Rosemary nodded politely but said nothing. She didn’t agree with the price of protection. As far as she could tell, only half the Earth’s population had to pay. It was unfair.

“Now we have the genetic test, so finding a mate is easy.”

“Um, I guess. I’ve never been tested.” Rosemary was unsure of Tani’s motives. She knew the woman could be sneaky, obviously. This entire trip was a ploy to introduce Rosemary to her smarmy and grumpy sons.

“Before the test, the Mahdfel went by scent. A compatible female would smell more alluring than an incompatible female.”

“That sounds…” She searched for the correct word.

“Tedious. When I was a youth, eligible females had to attend one social event a month. Basically, we lined up in a room with tacky paper decorations and poor lighting and stood around while the Mahdfel males sniffed us.” Tani smoothed down the front of her robe. “It was humiliating.”

Rosemary pictured something akin to a high school prom with crepe paper streamers and the vague smell of gym shoes, waiting around for a bunch of muscle-bound brutes to peruse the goods. “Going by scent seems imprecise.”

“Very.” Tani leaned in and lowered her voice, “Pregnancy is always risky, you know. Carrying a Mahdfel baby to term is very taxing on the body. They’re big and grow fast. Many females cannot sustain it. Often they can only have one child.”

Oh, sweet baby cheese. Panic fluttered in her stomach. “Is Hazel going to be okay?”

“She is stubborn and does not listen, but she is strong.”

That did not ease her worries.

“I knew when I met Oran that he was the male for me.” A wistful tone crept into Tani’s voice. “When he entered the room, I knew. I felt this electricity in the air. He walked right up to me. Zero hesitation. He bent over and looked me in the eyes. He said, ‘I am Oran Rhew, son of Dason Rhew. You are for me.’ And that was it.” She clasped her hands together and sighed.

“But what about your life? How old were you? Weren’t you worried you’d never see your family again?”

“And has your sister been whisked away to the far side of the galaxy, never to be seen again?”

Rosemary narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like it when you make a good point.”

“Call it the privilege of age. I have all this experience and wisdom to impart.”

“I think you like to meddle.”

Tani’s bright laugh slipped out. Oran glanced in their direction but seemed satisfied to leave them be for the moment.

“What about Michael’s father?” she asked.

The change in conversation made Rosemary’s head spin. “Um, he’s not in the picture.”

“Is he deceased?”

“No, Vince is very much alive.” And a pain in her tuchus. “He’s just not interested in being a father.”

“Mom! Look!” Michael clutched a golden sparkler in one hand and demonstrated how to write his name in “Terran” for Lorran, who demonstrated how to write his name in Sangrin. She was lucky Lorran didn’t show him how to write his name in the snow. “Are you looking?”

“Yes. Very nice, honey.”

“You were very young when the Suhlik came,” Tani said, dragging Rosemary’s attention away from Michael’s antics. “The fear is fresh in your mind.”

“You mean when Earth learned we weren’t alone and our nearest neighbors were psychopaths hell-bent on destroying us? That tends to stay fresh.” Rosemary could never forget the smell of burning. Everything burning: buildings, plastic, and sometimes people. That kind of soul-crushing stench stayed with you.

“It’s a good life. When we were newly mated, I went with Oran while he served his clan. We lived on a battle cruiser, much as Seeran and your Hazel do.”

“But why? If the Mahdfel’s mission is to forever fight the flipping space lizards, why drag women and children into that mess? It’s not safe.” Hazel shared a harrowing tale of how their ship had been boarded by the Suhlik. Boarded. Not shots fired from one massive ship to another massive ship, like in the movies. Actual Suhlik were in the vicinity of Hazel. None of that was cool.

Tani sighed. “The Mahdfel were designed to fight, yes? But they were also designed to mate. The Suhlik wanted their slaves to make more slaves, but they can only have male children.”

“Seems like a design flaw to me.”

“The Suhlik controlled access to the females. Granting a mate as a reward. Taking that mate away as punishment. Holding them hostage to prevent rebellion.” Their plans didn’t seem to work in the end. The Mahdfel rebelled. “Their instincts are to have their mates close by, to protect them.”

“By bringing them to battlefields?”

“If the females stayed behind, undefended, alone, what would they do if the Suhlik returned? And the Suhlik always return. They raid and capture Mahdfel children.”

Rosemary shivered at the image. She had never seen a Suhlik in person, but she didn’t have to see their weird lizard eyes to know they were heartless monsters. Whatever they did with the captured children was not good.

“Is Hazel safe? With him? On that ship?” It was such a hard concept to accept: keep her safe by bringing her to danger.

Tani nodded. “Safer than if she stayed behind on Earth.”

“Will they be on that ship forever?”

“Even the best warriors age. They can serve their clan in other capacities. When my Oran’s hair turned white, he joined the Council, and we returned to Sangrin.”

“And you bought a winery.”

“It was my family’s. My parents were gone by then, but the property manager had kept it going until I could return. Come, it is nearly midnight. Time to release your lantern.”

Lanterns hung on a string above the patio. Seeran used a pole to take down the lanterns and pass them out. In her hands, the thin paper crinkled and glowed with warmth. The lantern floated when she relaxed her grip. “Hold it tight until the countdown,” he said.

“Make a wish and release you lantern on three,” Tani told Michael. He held his lantern arms fully extended, his face screwed up in concentration.

Rosemary looked down at the lantern in her hand. She should make a wish but didn’t know what to ask for, other than a way to deal with the real-life problems waiting for her on Earth.

On three, she let go. The lantern floated away, hovering a few feet above her. The other lanterns joined hers, clustering together before the wind carried them away. They scattered into the night like stars. In the distance, other points of light appeared as more lanterns painted light against the dark canvas of the night.

“What did you wish for, honey?” she asked Michael.

“Wishes don’t work if you tell them. They have to be secret,” he said with certainty.

Lorran passed around mugs of hot mulled wine. Rosemary sipped at hers and made certain Michael got the hot chocolate, not wine.

Tani settled back to her spot on the bench. “Tell me what you taste.”

“Hmm.” Rosemary took another sip, this time paying attention to the nutty and fruity flavors. “Fruit. Not bright and not too sweet. Nuts or wood. Maybe from the barrel?” Another sip. “This is nice, but it’s clearly not your best wine.”

“Indeed, no. Why waste a good vintage by boiling it and adding spice?” A smile spread across her face. “Stay with us.”

“I’d love to, but I have a shuttle to get on tomorrow,” Rosemary said with a small laugh.

“No, stay. Work in the Tasting Room.”

Rosemary leaned back, stunned. “Are you offering me a job?”

“Yes.”

“In the Tasting Room?”

“Yes. I have a feeling that customers will come to drink wine with the pretty Terran who has such amazing taste receptors.”

“I thought serving food and drink was taboo?”

Tani shrugged a shoulder. “You’re not serving wine. You open a bottle, and they pour it themselves.”

“So my job will be opening wine bottles and describing the vintage?” It sounded too good to be true.

“I want you to get self-important men drunk and sell them too many bottles of wine.” Tani nudged her shoulder. “I offer a fair wage with room and board.”

“I can’t possibly live in your house.” As nice as the offer was, she would always remain a guest in the Rhews’ home. Wait. How was that her first thought? She wasn’t actually considering this, was she? “I can’t just not return to Earth. Michael has school. We have things.”

“We have schools here. We can hire out movers to pack anything you like and ship it here. We even have a cottage on the property that you can have.” Tani pointed off in the distance. If there was a cottage there or not, Rosemary couldn’t tell in the dark. “The groundskeeper lived there, but now he lives in town with his family. We use it for storage but can clear it out. It’s not big, but there’s two bedrooms and privacy.”

She needed a job. She needed to move away from Vince. This did appear to be the perfect solution. “What about immigration?” She couldn’t imagine that Sangrin authorities would let just anyone move permanently to their planet without some type of monitoring. She and Michael had been approved to enter as tourists. She couldn’t imagine the legal maneuvering to get a work visa.

“I’ll file the paperwork,” Tani said with a wave of her hand.

“Why me?”

“I like you. I like Michael. I’m a greedy old woman.”

“This isn’t some long con to get me hooked up with one of your sons?”

“No tricks. No matchmaking, but I wouldn’t be upset.” Another shoulder nudge.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes.”

“Yes, but I need to discuss this with Michael.” He had a say in the decision, too. He’d be leaving his school and friends behind.

“Excellent. My Golau wish is already coming true.” A broad smile spread across the older woman’s face, warming Rosemary.