Book 3. Samantha - The bog 1

Book 3. Samantha - The bog 1
Before I could explain the difference between BPD and PPD, Lexi patted his knee and sighed, “Have I ever told you how cute you are when your translator fails on you?”
The Commander got up and gently urged her to do the same. “You can tell me all about how cute you find me on our way to the base,” he told her as he tried to get her out the door.
But Lexi refused to leave and turned to me. “There are several bottles of milk in the fridge for Lake and”—she pointed at the changing table in the corner of the room—“you can find diapers and whatever else you need in there.” She paused for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Gently rocking the baby, I tried to reassure her. “Not at all.” A soft smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “You know how much I care about you, Lexi. You and Nine are my best friends, but I swear to God, if you don’t get your ass out that door in the next few seconds, I’m going to drag you to the doctor myself.”
She chuckled at that. “I forgot how bossy you can be.” She took a deep breath. “We’ll be back as soon as possible. If you need help with anything, Nick’s house is right across the field.
Not long after Lexi and her husband left, I decided to take Lake for a short walk around the farm. Once I had the pram and the bag packed with a couple of diapers, wipes, a couple of warm bottles, and several onesies, Lake and I went outside. 
After showing Lake the chickens and watching her eventually fall asleep in the middle of our tour around the coop, I decided to head over to Nick’s house, knowing that Ulrus had gone straight there not long after we arrived.
From what Lexi told me, Ulrus, her husband, and her brother had become really good friends, and the three of them usually hung out at Nick’s house.
It was only a ten-minute walk from Lexi’s house to Nick’s, and as soon as the small building came into view, my gaze immediately searched for Ulrus, but there was no sign of him. Or Nick. 
After looking for them inside and around the house, I told the sleeping baby, “What do you think? Should we go look for your uncle and his friend?”
Referring to Ulrus as only Nick’s friend made me feel guilty, given that he was my match and had been nothing but kind to me, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t see myself in a romantic relationship with him. Maybe we could be friends, with time.
Thinking they had gone for a walk around the farm, I decided to continue my search, but first, I transferred baby Lake from the pram to the baby carrier, grabbed the bag, and ran a hand along my ponytail before leaving Nick’s house behind me as I follow a trail that takes me toward some hills.
Ulrus had already warned me about the dangerous predators living on Azuron and made me promise that I’d always carry a weapon with me. Right after breakfast, he had me fire a laser gun, and once he was happy with my aim, we came to Lexi’s farm. 
Half an hour later, I reached the hills and sat on a rock to rest while taking in the beautiful view.
Suddenly, pain blossomed in my left shoulder as something hard struck me. I whipped my head around, trying to look behind me, and saw a strange-looking bipedal creature swinging a sling above its head. Before I could duck, the rock struck me right in the temple, making me fall to the ground, my arms instinctively coming around the baby, who barely stirred in her sleep.
Quick footsteps approached me before I had time to get up, and the strange creature knelt before me, making me flinch in fear as my fingers reached for my weapon, but it slapped my hand away. 
The creature’s gaze glided over me, pausing for a moment on the baby carrier, which made my heart slam against my ribcage because if anything happened to Lake, I would never forgive myself. 
I was ready to fight the creature, to do anything it took to get myself out of this mess, but then, it opened its mouth, strange sounds vibrating in its throat, that my translator picked up and turned into English words. 
“I meant no harm,” the creature said. “I only wanted to grab your attention. My village hasss been attacked and we need help.” 
My eyebrows shot up at that. “Can you understand me?” I asked and the creature tapped behind its right ear. “What happened to your village?” I inquired as he helped me up. 
What made me think the creature was male rather than female wasn’t his voice, but his lean yet strong body and the fact that he had no breasts, although I wasn’t sure if the females of his kind even had breasts to begin with. His skin had a faint sheen to it, as if it were naturally covered in a thin layer of moisture, and mud streaked his arms and legs. 
His eyes were slightly larger than a human’s, with green irises that seemed almost too bright against his lilac. His fingers were long and slender, and I noticed a faint membrane between them.
My temple was throbbing with pain, making it hard to focus, but I forced myself to listen to what he had to say.
“Strong warriors came in the night with fire weapons and killed most of the men and took the young and the women. I managed to get away in time, but my father was killed while my mother and younger sister were taken. Please, you need to help us.”
The situation sounded dire, and his people needed help.
“Take me to your village,” I asked him, and he quickly nodded in agreement before pointing at the hills behind us.
My stomach sank as I realized that I would be taking Lake to a dangerous place.
“Pleassse,” he insisted. “My mother and sister—I need to rescue them before they are killed as well.”
Knowing that I would probably regret this and that Lexi would most likely kill me, I said, “Lead the way.”

So sorry for the delay - this summer has been quite busy, but I'm fairly sure things are slowing down. The next update should be in 2-3 days.