Chapter 22

Daisy:

Three and a half weeks. Mylomon had some nerve staying away so long and not even calling.

Daisy paced the docking bay floor, aware of all the eyes watching her. The crew wanted her to stay to the side, out of harm’s way, she understood that, but she needed to move.

Weeks with nothing but silence. No one knew where he was or could track the shuttle. No one knew if he was alive or dead, and every day that rolled by, Daisy grew more certain that Mylomon sending her off to play in the snow on Sangrin was the last time she’d see her husband. Then one day he calls, all calm like it hadn’t been weeks, and said he acquired the guardianship of a child.

Acquired the guardianship of a child.

Hand to God, those were the words he used.

Did Mylo explain how this happened? No. Did he tell her anything about the child, like his name? No. She assumed the child was Mahdfel but, again, she had nothing to go on. Was the child a foundling like Mylomon? Did he have abilities? What did Mylomon expect to happen when he dragged home a child like he picked up a stray kitten? Did he want to keep the child?

That notion excited and terrified her because it was huge. Way too big to process on her own. Maybe she was reading into his message and filling in the blanks with what she secretly wanted.

Okay, secretly wanted was not accurate. She wanted a kid with Mylomon. They weren’t having much success the old-fashioned way, and she knew he blamed himself. He never said anything—because he was Mylomon, master of quietly brooding in the shadows—but she knew.

“Assess and adapt”: the Vargas family motto. Daisy needed information, and it was working the last of her nerve. The only person she knew who adopted a Foundling was Meridan and Kalen, but Estella had been a special case: female and human. Daisy had no idea what happened to male Mahdfel foundlings, and she didn’t want to bug her sister, not when she was going to have her baby literally any minute now.

Every time her comm beeped, Daisy jumped to her feet, absolutely convinced the baby was on his way and she needed to get to med bay immediately. Usually it was Kalen asking if she could watch Estella for the evening, because Meridan needed rest and he’d throw the entire ship out the airlock if it got his mate a bit of peace and quiet.

Yeah, she wasn’t going to ask Kalen or Meridan anything about foundlings, at least not until the baby came.

This would be so much easier if Mylomon had given her any scrap of information or even what guardianship meant to him. He never spoke of people raising him. There was the time he was in Suhlik facility—granted, he barely spoke of that—and the time he spent at the Academy. He spoke about mentors and instructors, never friends, which always made Daisy a little sad. The entire situation made her furious. Mylomon had been little more than a baby—five or six years of age—when he had been rescued. Did he get reunited with surviving family? No. Did he get placed with loving foster parents? Or even caring guardians? No.

He got shoved into a boarding school and stayed there until he was old enough to be useful. He had no friends. Not then, and she didn’t think he had any now. His past was blank, cold and empty, and frankly she was amazed that he was as well-adjusted as an adult as he was. Well, you know, for a former assassin who could walk through walls.

Was that what he planned to do with this unnamed kid?

Daisy’s stomach curdled at the thought.

No. She didn’t know anything about the kid or how well he’d fit into their family, but she wouldn’t let Mylomon dump him off at a boarding school like a puppy at the pound.

The ship arrived and the nearest tech motioned for Daisy to stand at the side while it landed. A ramp lowered, and the hatch opened.

This was it.

“Assess and adapt,” she murmured to herself.

Lorran, a male she recognized but did not know well, descended the ramp first. A human woman with brown skin and a head full of the most amazing curls Daisy had ever seen followed. She couldn’t imagine strutting off a three-hour shuttle trip looking like a cover model. Her own hair tended to frizz from the change in atmosphere and circles hung under her eyes like she had been up for days, instead of sitting through a three-hour flight.

Mylomon followed. He looked…good. One piece. No obvious injuries.

A tech jogged up to Mylo, and he gave the man a withering look.

Okay, Mylo was just fine. What was new was the skinny kid shadowing him.

“My mate,” Mylomon said, his hand resting on the shoulder of a child. The kid had a Sangrin complexion of plum, though he looked pale under the harsh flight deck lights, and horn buds just poked out of his messy hair. “This is Mikah Shaen, son of Ulrik and Saavi. Mikah, my mate, Daisy Vargas.”

“Hello, Mikah. I’m pleased to meet you.” Daisy held out her hand in greeting but then recalled that Mikah was six and did you shake a six-year-old’s hand? Ugh, why was she acting like she’d never met a child before?

She pulled her hand back and beamed. Mikah was a good foot shorter than her. Though he was slim, it was hard to believe that he was only six. She ran through the ages of the children on the ship. Other than Estella, who was 100% human, Mikah was the oldest Mahdfel child on board.

A skeptical look flickered over Mikah’s face and he twisted to look up at Mylomon. “Her last name is Vargas, and so is yours.”

“Yes. I did not have a surname of my own, so I took my mate’s,” Mylo explained.

“Will I have to take her name? I like my name.”

Ouch. Her heart.

“Your name is your own,” Mylomon said. Mikah visibly relaxed.

“You need to talk,” Daisy said to Mylo, because there was so much to discuss.

“Yes, but there is much to do for this one.” Mylomon patted Mikah on the head and it was almost fond. No, it was fond. Mylo went out and picked up an orphan like a stray kitten and had already bonded.

Well, that put things in a new light. What was she going to say? No, screw you, emotionally fragile orphan. Get out of here with your big eyes.

Of course she would say yes. She wasn’t heartless. While the kid stood there stiff and straight, she could tell from the way his fingers twitched that he wanted to clutch onto Mylomon’s hand for dear life.

Daisy totally understood that. Mikah was scared; he just lost his family, and this stranger was staring at him like he was unwelcome.

What else could she say except welcome to the family?

If she didn’t know Mylomon as well as she did, and if she didn’t know he felt things deeply and took responsibility even more deeply, she’d suspect he was manipulating her.

No. If anyone was doing the manipulating, it was Daisy as she twisted her way through logical hoops.

Mylo went out on a rescue mission. This child was the only survivor.

“My mate, you are having an entire conversation with me in your mind and reaching erroneous conclusions,” Mylo said.

Daisy released a sigh. “Probably.”

Lorran stepped forward. “I will escort this one to security as I am on my way with my mate, Bronwyn.” He indicated the woman at his side.

“Wyn, actually. Just Wyn,” she said.

“Welcome and a pleasure to meet you. The introductory protocols for new arrivals won’t take long, but they’ll get you hooked up with computers and the network,” Daisy said.

“I’m looking forward to unpacking and staying put for a while. All this travel has really taken it out of me,” the woman said, still looking flawless and ready for a photoshoot.

“You may escort Mikah if he is agreeable to the plan,” Mylomon said. The child nodded. “Thank you for your assistance.”

Lorran held out a fist. Mylomon bumped it with his own.

What was even happening?

“You made a friend,” she said, watching the trio leave.

“Yes, Lorran is my friend,” he agreed.

Daisy took a step back to get a better look at her husband. She wanted to get a step stool and climb to inspect every inch of him for evidence of a head wound, but this would do. “You’re serious.”

“I am always serious.”

Truer words.

“What’s going on, Mylo? I don’t understand. You’re gone for weeks, weeks, and then you show up with a kid. What happened?”

“It is not a straightforward tale.”

“You have my undivided attention,” she said.

Mylomon quickly laid out events, from the mix-up with the arrival of Lorran’s mate, to the distress call, finding the survivors holed up at an abandoned base, and the Suhlik attack that ultimately took Mikah’s mother.

Mylomon finished and did that thing where he was perfectly still, like he could disappear into the shadows, even though they were in a brightly lit shuttle bay.

“And she asked you to be guardian?” Daisy asked.

He nodded. “Before the Suhlik attack. I suspect she knew what would happen.”

“And you said yes? No let me run this by my wife?”

“I thought you would be pleased. You wanted a son,” he said.

“Yeah, but you don’t pick them up like a gallon of milk,” she snapped. She felt eyes staring at them, but she did not care.

Taking a deep breath, she regrouped her thoughts. “Look, this is a big decision, and we agreed to make big decisions together.”

“I swore an oath to his mother.”

“Well, maybe she asked for too much.” As soon as she spoke the words, Daisy wanted to claw them back. “I’m sorry. That was cruel. You’re a good man and she could see that.”

Daisy took his hand. This entire time they had stood apart, not touching, and awareness zipped through her at the contact. She missed him when he was away, and she did not want to see him act so distant and nervous.

“Give me a hug like you like me,” she said, tugging him forward.

He took a step, purely for her benefit because there was no way she was strong enough to move this mountain of a man. Powerful arms enveloped her, holding her tight.

Home. This is what she had been missing, and home was always with him.

He lifted her for a kiss, tender and sweet. This was even better. As much as she hated waking in an empty bed when he was away, she loved it when he returned.

“My apologies,” he whispered, mouth to her ear to maintain privacy. “I was flattered that Saavi chose me. I am not an easy male to like.”

“I disagree.”

“You have said those exact words to me.”

Fair enough. She loved Mylo with every bit of her soul, but he had this spooky vibe thing going on that unnerved people. Once you got to know him, though, he was a complete marshmallow. “And somehow this unlikeable man goes out and comes back with a friend and a kid that adores him?”

“It is a mystery, I agree.”

Daisy laughed, unexpected mirth rolling out of her, and she playfully hit his arm. “We’ll figure this out,” she said, and knew it to be true. Their little family was growing. Not in the way she expected, but good, nonetheless.

“Tell me everything you know about Mikah,” Daisy said. “Is he really six? Because he seems big for six and we’ll have to set up the guest room for him. Where will Estella sleep when she stays over? We need more room.”

Mylomon gave a content sigh. “As you say.”

Lorran:

“So your cabin…” His mate’s voice trailed off, obviously wanting him to fill in the details.

“My former cabin was suitable for a single male. When you arrived, I was reassigned to a family quarters,” he explained. Their arrival on Judgment had been a series of meetings: with the warlord, with medical, with the requisition to outfit his mate properly, and with security to give his mate the proper clearance and to quiz her on how she ended up on the wrong shuttle. Finally—finally—they stood outside the door to their new quarters.

“You have no idea what’s on the other side of this door?” she asked, eyeing the door.

“I imagine it is much like the quarters my brother Seeran and his mate enjoy. Three sleeping rooms, a serviceable food prep area, two cleansing rooms, and a common area.”

“Serviceable food prep area. Now I’m super curious about the kitchen. Oh, go on. This feels like Christmas morning.”

He pressed his palm to the scanner next to the door, and it slid open. “Wait,” he said, as Wyn took a step forward.

Without warning, he lifted her, cradling her against his chest. She gave a cry of surprise, but laughed. “This is Terran tradition, yes?”

“Yeah, carrying a bride over the threshold. We can also jump over a broom, but that’s more after the wedding ceremony.”

“All of your suggestions have been good. We will locate a broom and jump,” he decided.

“Well, I like your attitude, Mr. Rhew. Onward!” She pointed to the door.

Inside awaited a standard family quarters. Furnishings were sparse, but the major pieces were present. Blue boxes he did not recognize were lined against a wall. His few belongings had been moved and arranged to give the rooms a lived-in feel.

“Swords on the walls. I’m not even surprised,” Wyn said, wiggling out of his arms.

“They are antiques.” He took great pride in his collection.

“Oh, they are beautiful objects. No question. I hope you don’t mind if we also hang art on the wall that’s not capable of poking our eyes out?”

He snorted. “I do not see the point.”

She huffed with a small laugh, then explored deeper into the quarters. “Gray. Always gray. What do you guys have against color?”

“I believe I have demonstrated my willingness to let you paint whatever and whoever you chose.”

“Yeah,” she said with a wistful smile. His cock stirred at her expression and whatever memory caused such a sight.

She disappeared through a door. “The bedroom is huge!”

Then vanished into another room. “And this one too!”

And yet again. “Three? This is bigger than my last apartment. What do they think we’re going to do with all this space?”

“Fill it with sons,” he said, honestly.

Her cheeks darkened. “Yeah,” she said. Once again, he wondered at the memory that gave her such an expression.

“Who did this? The bed is made, and our clothes are already in the wardrobe. Even my shampoo is in the cleansing room. Also, hello oatmeal soap. I missed you. Shea butter, you butter not disappear again. Okay, that wasn’t funny,” she added.

“I found it amusing.”

“You’re only saying that because you want to christen the new bed.”

“I hadn’t, but I do now. And this will answer the question of who performed this service for us.” Lorran held out the note he found on the round table in the food prep area. A glance at the first line confirmed that it was from Hazel and intended for Wyn.

“Paper? Wow.”

“And cookies.” He held out the counter. Unopened, he recognized the scent of almonds, butter, and sugar.

“Hello, Bronwyn,” his mate read. “Welcome to the family and your new home. Oh.” She smiled and blinked rapidly.

“Do not cry,” he said, alarmed. “Whatever Hazel wrote, she is not a cruel person. She does not mean to upset you.”

“No, these are happy tears.” She dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Clearing her throat, she continued to read. “We can’t wait to meet you. I hope you don’t mind that we moved Lorran’s stuff into your new digs. You’ve been gone for a week now and the warlord won’t say what’s keeping you, but I figure you’ll be exhausted when you get home.” She blinked again. “Home.”

“More happy tears?”

“Yeah. I don’t know this woman, but I’m going to give her a hug when we meet. Okay, there’s more. There’s a few frozen meals in the fridge. After you’ve settled in, let’s have dinner. Gavran is particularly eager to show his favorite uncle how much he has improved on the rock-climbing wall, which is something I’ll have to discuss with Lorran later. Regards, Hazel.” Wyn smiled and folded the paper carefully. “How lovely.”

Lorran popped the lid off the container. “Chocolate amaretti?”

“Oh my God, I’m going to give Hazel the biggest hug.” Wyn took a bite, her eyes rolling with pleasure. Because he was used to Terrans, the gesture did not worry him, though he still found it disturbing to witness.

“Welcome home,” he said, pulling her into an embrace.

“Home,” she repeated.