Page 10 of Her Alien Matchmaker

I stared out the window into the deep dark of space with Aaron curled asleep in my lap. Jet had said it would be okay to remove the restraints after takeoff, but we’d need to replace them before landing in an hour or so.

Stroking my fingers through his springy mess of hair, I smiled. Ten minutes ago, he’d been nearly rocking in his seat with questions about how things worked, its gravitational pull, what kind of shielding the Sparrows used, and other stuff above my head.

He’s still young, and I hope he’s able to bounce back from everything that’s happened. Maybe I haven’t scarred him for life.

I used my feet to swivel my chair to point toward Jet, who tapped on a virtual screen lit with neon colors. “I’m sorry.” My attention wandered to the back of his neck and downward, knowing exactly where’d I’d cut him, where I’d invaded his body and took pieces of its protective layer of myelin.

“Why? If things had not happened the way they had, you and I would not be where we are.”

“Yeah, and you wouldn’t be taking personal responsibility for your enemy and her son.”

“This has already healed.” He jerked a thumb behind him. “Besides, I took the mission months ago knowing full well the consequences. Out of all the scientists and doctors, you were kindest.”

“ Kind? What I did was not kind. You were right when you called me out, reminding me I’d forsaken my oath. It forced me to really look, to see you and what I’d done, continued doing. Doing something bad for the sake of good is still bad, no matter how someone tries to spin it.”

He held out a hand, his palm upward. “You also had a choice to kill me. Instead, you defied that command and risked your career and life to do the right thing. Perhaps it does not make up for past misdeeds, but it is a new path.”

I put my hand in his and squeezed, enjoying how his tougher skin brushed against mine, how secure I was with him near.

“Voren mentioned a human woman, Lilly, being pregnant. Is there any way to see a medical chart or whatever you guys use? I did a rotation in obstetrics years ago, so I need to freshen up my knowledge and get a head start on what we’re dealing with, but I’d love to help however I can. ”

Mars loomed closer as we traveled, even though I couldn’t sense any sort of momentum. The only sign we moved at all was the shrinking planet behind us.

He lifted my hand to his mouth and breathed, his breath warm. Flicking his forked tongue over the skin, he glanced at me beneath his brows, something wicked and mischievous dancing in their depths.

The staccato pounding of my heart competed with the heat rushing down my chest to my stomach, settling in my core. Keep it together. I survived death. I’m feeling this way because my body has been flooded with adrenaline and now needs release. That’s it.

“I’ll connect a data pad for you.” He sat upward and released my hand, grabbing a tablet and giving it a few taps.

Was he flirting with me? If so, I couldn’t deny our chemistry. Hell, I’d felt it in the lab, even when I’d tried to ignore him and any traces of his personality.

I can make a life with these people and become the mother and doctor I should’ve been a long time ago.

And who knows? If he’s open to the idea, maybe I can even be something to Jet.

Learning their culture and rituals appealed to me.

To add to that, I’d also love to study their anatomy and physiology in detail and learn what their doctors had to teach, if they’d be willing.

This is a clean break for Aaron, for me. The wonders my son will see, the things he’ll learn; it’s so much more than I could give him on Earth.

I took the offered data pad and began scrolling through Lilly’s notes to get a feel for her health, any possible complications and her personal preferences for the birth.

I’ll need to find out how Volderens have babies, too, and what procedures they use if there are issues.

My scrolling became endless, and true excitement at helping to deliver a new life—the first of a new race—coursed through my brains.

“Are we home yet?” Aaron snuggled his face against my stomach and pulled his knees closer.

“Almost, sweetheart, almost.”

Jet gave me a wide smile, and I grinned.

Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. Home is where we are loved. Home is anywhere, and anyone, I want it to be.