Page 5 of Nanny for the Alien Prince (Alien Recruitment Agency #4)

5

AMELIA

Even now, as I hugged Elijax close, making the descent down the mountainside a more difficult task, I could hear his screams from the back of that giant bat-like creature.

I couldn’t believe Nath had thought it was a good idea. He might not have any experience with raising kids but surely even he could tell Elijax was not old enough for such an ordeal?

When he snatched Elijax from my grasp and pulled him onto that beast, I had never felt more helpless in my entire life.

I shut my eyes and tried to shake myself from the memory of it. But I knew it was going to be something I would never forget. At least, not in a hurry.

Had I really been the one to suggest Nath should spend time with Elijax? Should get close to him? Should get to know him?

There was no chance of that happening now. Not after what he had done. Not after he had proven he was not responsible enough to be alone with Elijax.

I was grateful when we reached the bottom of the mountain and headed back toward the palace’s soft yellow glow. I was even more grateful Nath had not issued a command for his servants to hold us and attempt to argue his way out of it.

At least that showed some sign he felt guilty… Or did it?

I had no idea what he was thinking and I cared even less. When you put Elijax’s life in danger, you forfeited any right to my thoughts or my time.

The tension relaxed from my shoulders the moment we entered the palace. At least here, I felt like I had some control over my situation and some hope I could take back control.

It was a mistake to have brought Elijax here. I should have run away with him, taking my chances on the open road. At least then, he wouldn’t fall off the back of an alien monster at five thousand feet!

All right, so maybe it wasn’t five thousand feet but what difference did it make to a tiny child’s body? It would have been smashed into a million pieces if he’d fallen.

I wondered if I could pack some things, sneak away tonight so we could get free of this place.

But by the time we reached the palace, my overactive imagination had dulled. There was no chance we were going to be able to escape Nath for long. He had an entire empire at his disposal. I was a single mother with no resources. What chance did I have?

Zip.

We reached the hallway that split in two directions — the left would take me back to my room and the right would take Elijax back to his.

I turned to head down my hallway but Elijax resisted and pulled on my arm.

“My room is that way,” he said. His face was still pale, his eyes wide with fear .

I smiled reassuringly at him. “You’re going to stay with me in my room tonight. Maybe we can rustle up some hot chocolate or something.”

I turned to leave and pull Elijax behind me but he resisted once more.

“I have classes early tomorrow morning.”

I frowned, confused as he always loved sleeping with me. Nothing had changed… Or had it?

“I can make sure you get up early for your classes,” I said. “Don’t worry. Even if you get there a little late, they won’t mind—”

Elijax shook his head. “Tomorrow we’re studying history. I don’t want to miss it.”

History? Elijax had never shown much interest in the subject at school. Then again, his old school focused on simple subjects, nothing like the complex history provided here. He’d had never shown much interest in the subject before and I wondered why now.

Elijax gently removed my hand from his. “I want to sleep in my room. If that’s okay.”

My heart thumped in my chest. It wasn’t okay. Not for me. “Of course it’s okay. What a silly question.”

He didn’t bring his eyes up to meet mine but I thought I sensed… embarrassment?

“Can I have a hug?” I asked, before realizing that now I was the one asking to do something I had never required permission to do before.

He nodded and opened his arms. I leaned down and embraced him. I squeezed him so tight he wheezed.

I pulled back. “Are you sure you want to sleep alone tonight? It’s fine if you want to sleep with me.”

More than fine.

“I’m okay. I’m not scared. ”

And with that, he turned and marched down the hallway toward his room.

I stood there a moment, watching that small body swinging his arms back and forth as if he were a little soldier in the military.

Had I misread the situation? I wondered. Perhaps he hadn’t been afraid on the back of that giant bat beast after all?

I knew I was! It would’ve scared the living daylights out of me to be riding that scaly monster — and that was without taking into account the other monster holding onto the reins behind me!

When Elijax disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone in the giant maze-like palace, I clutched my arms close to myself. I had never felt so alone in my entire life.

Everything was changing and I didn’t like it.

Elijax was no longer afraid, no longer wanted to sleep with his mother the way we always did back home. And I’d never misread Elijax’s emotions so badly before.

I had heard him scream… hadn’t I? And it had been a scream of terror, right?

Or had I only ascribed my own feelings to the situation?

I headed back to my room, took a long hot bath, dressed in a soft night robe, and cast furtive glances towards the door every few minutes, thinking I had heard Elijax knock. When I checked, he was nowhere to be seen.

Elijax wasn’t coming. He was growing already and I wondered where I would fit in this new life of his.

That night, I slept fitfully, dreaming dreams of being lashed to the back of a giant beast — much larger than the Shriim. It was a big, giant, scaly dragon with fiery breath and razor-sharp claws.

And when the dragon turned to me, his lips were black, his eyes were golden, rimmed with purple, and it smiled sadistically at me.

Then it descended from the sky, faster than any shuttle I had ever taken, and as I screamed, my head burst open and all my hopes and fears and dreams and desires spilled from me until I was nothing but an empty husk.

I skipped breakfast the following morning. I couldn’t bring myself to face Nath after the previous night. More than that, I didn’t want to know how Elijax had changed in his thoughts and feelings toward me.

A knock came at the door and I was slow to answer it. I was relieved when I found a servant armed with a silver platter. She said:

“The master noticed you were not present at breakfast and ordered for it to be brought up to you.”

I shook my head. “You didn’t need to bother. I’m really not hungry.”

The servant removed the platter lid. I was taken by surprise. The food was not congealed blood and meat piled high but a bread product that looked surprisingly similar to a croissant.

Beside it sat tiny little jars of condiments that were more at home at a fancy hotel buffet than a home breakfast table.

“Is that what I think it is?” I blurted before realizing the servant would not be able to pronounce the name of it even if she knew what it was.

“It is a breaded product from…” The servant shut her eyes and thought carefully before attempting to recall the right word: “France? ”

“Correct. Thank you. I… didn’t know we had real human food in the kitchen.”

“May I?” the servant said, motioning toward the small dining table in my room.

I opened the door wider to let her in. As I moved to shut it, another figure blocked it. It was another servant carrying another platter.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know you were there.”

The servant smiled amiably and carried the platter into the room and added it to the first.

I moved to shut the door once more when another servant entered… and another… and another.

Soon, the entire dining table was covered with platters of Earth food. The dining table was too small, so they spread over to the desk.

Much of the food was Western in origin, while others were from Asian countries far with the kind of food I was not used to eating on a regular Tuesday morning.

“Where did all of this come from?” I said, astounded at the sudden variety I could actually eat.

“The Master ordered it last night. He hired local businesses to use Earth recipes to make these for you. Ingredients from your planet have been sent but won’t arrive until later today. In the meantime, they used the ingredients that had close at hand. We hope it is satisfactory.”

Satisfactory? Satisfactory? I almost burst into tears. It was exactly what I needed. A piece of home.

The only thing ruining it was the knowledge it was Nath who had ordered it. Was this his idea of an apology? To seduce me with sweet and savory snacks after scaring me half to death by risking Elijax’s life?

Well, it wasn’t going to work!

I would send the food back to the kitchens right now! Or better yet — to his office! The image of him surrounded by human snacks was too delicious. I would not touch a single morsel, not have a single bite…

At least, that’s how I thought things would happen.

But boy, did that croissant look good… And those bagels… They looked like genuine New York-style bagels, coming in a variety of flavors.

My mouth watered despite my best efforts and I knew I could not send it away.

“Thank you,” I said, aiming my thanks directly at the servants who had brought it, cooked it, and not toward the Ulsen that had sent it to me. “Thank the baker for me. This is really touching.”

The servants shared a smile and hastened out of the room.

The moment I was alone, I gorged myself, suddenly extremely hungry. Each mouthful tasted better than the last, and yet made me feel sick at the same time.

My brain and stomach were fighting for supremacy but it was obvious which would win. The brain was no match for the stomach, not when it was hungry for connection.

I tried a little of everything but there was no chance I could finish everything off. Stuffed with the delicious food, I decided to take a walk.

I could only manage a gentle stroll and passed by Elijax’s room. I thought maybe he might have changed his mind, deciding he was too scared and upset to go to his classes after all. I knocked on the door but there was no answer.

When I swung by the library and study rooms, I heard his teacher’s voice and Elijax asking question after question about all the various intricate details about what happened in the Ulsen’s history .

I shook my head in wonder. I never would have thought it was Elijax if I hadn’t heard his voice with my own ears.

At a loss, I continued my walk, losing myself through the endless hallways and corridors. When I looked up, I found I had brought myself to the activity room that Nath had introduced me to the day before.

Clothes design…

Yes, that was what I needed! Some distraction from the confusing and bewildering emotions I was feeling.

I would create something new, something exciting I could sink my teeth into.

I pushed the doors open and stepped inside, and the moment I did, someone grabbed me by the arm and yanked me into the room.

Whoever it was, was hellish strong and as hard as I fought to free myself from his grip, the figure easily swung me around in a circle, his arm wrapped around my waist, the other gripping my flailing hand firmly.

“Get off me!” I screamed. “Get off me!”

“Yes! Yes!” the figure said in a lilting accent I didn’t recognize. “There is fire! There is passion! Then there is hope!”

When he released me, I flew backward, tripped on my own feet, and landed hard on my ass. I was up in an instant, stepping back away from the figure that had grabbed me.

What the hell is that?

It was a figure from my nightmares — not the dragon from last night but some kind of half-man, half-octopus.

That is, if a man could grow tentacles for hair, which I was almost certain they couldn’t…

He was tall, with a powerful build. His legs, torso, and arms were mostly human. On his head sat a pile of wriggling tentacles like possessed Rastafarian.

The tentacles shifted from pink to purple to blue to yellow… So many colors I soon lost track. Their slimy surface began from his cheekbones and then rose all the way up over his eyes and forehead.

His eyes were big and bulging, rolling around as if they could peer out the back of his head. As his skin could change color, it was possible it could turn translucent.

He stood with his arms behind his back and waited as I caught my breath. I was panting violently.

“Who… Who the hell are you?” I said between gasps.

“I am Thuayn. Your new dance teacher.”

He bent down, performing a bow more suited for royalty than regular old me.

“Dance teacher?” I spluttered. “I don’t have a dance teacher!”

“But you do now. I see you have fire in your belly and passion in your heart. This you will need when you learn the mysterious movements from all four corners of the galaxy…”

His legs moved in ways I had never seen before, flopping as if he had no bones. His tentacles bent and writhed, performing the same hypnotic dance.

“The sensual seduction of the Kreic rumba, perhaps.”

Then he performed another dance, this time slower, more sensual.

“Or the Gharrack Mating Dance perhaps?”

He finished with a quick smack of his knees and heels, something I had seen Russian dancers perform. Then he stamped his foot and threw out his arm and snapped: “Hissar!”

I just blinked at him, confused, bewildered.

This was not the kind of distraction I expected when I came to the activity room. “Thank you, but I came to design some clothes. ”

“Clothes are important, yes. They act with the dancer, and when costume and dancer become one, it is a thing of magic, no?”

I shook my head. First, there was the surprise breakfast and now a dance teacher? Was Nath trying to tell me something?

“Have you always been here?” I asked.

“Sadly, no. I have never performed, much less taught members of the Ulsen royal family before. But it is a challenge I accepted without question.”

“I’m not a royal. I’m just me. A human.”

“We are each of us never ‘just’ anything.”

“I think there’s been some mistake. You must be here to teach someone else.”

Thuayn raised his hand, extended it for me to take. The tips of his fingers wriggled like worms. They were tiny tentacles too. He counted off the reasons I was wrong:

“My new student is called Amelia. Your age is thirty-one. You are from Earth. And you have always wanted to learn how to dance.”

He was right on all counts but it was the last one that made me blink. “How do you know that?”

The teacher shrugged his shoulders. “I do not know. I only know I have been sent to teach you.”

I’d wanted to dance ever since I was a child. Much like Elijax with his history lessons, dancing had always been my passion. But I’d had no tutors, no money, no way to learn. And so, I grew up only watching it on television and online.

The only reason I loved fashion design was because I had always loved the colorful sequins and bright colors of the dancers I saw as a child.

When I finally got the chance to leave Earth and start a new life, I considered sparking that passion that had never really been lit. Then Elijax came along and I knew I would never get the chance to learn.

And now, here it was. The opportunity to pursue the passion that had laid dormant within me my entire life.

How Nath had learned about it, I had no idea. No one knew about my secret desire. I’d never told anyone.

Now, with Thuayn standing there, his hand held out for me to take with its bizarre wriggling fingers, I felt very, very tempted to take it.

I couldn’t believe I was actually considering it. And when I reached out, slowly, hesitantly, I gave a little yelp when his cold, clammy skin wrapped around mine.

Thuayn grinned. “Now we begin. Tell me, what do you know?”

“I… don’t know anything.”

“Then we shall begin from the beginning. Prepare yourself. Dancing is not something that can be taught. It is merely a way to represent what is with us. Our passion. It is the same with other acts of the body. Fighting. Athletics.” His eyes widened. “Making love. And so you shall become the mightiest warrior. Prepare yourself. This is a war of wills.”

The fire ignited and burned hot and bright.

And I began to dance.

Four hours later, I had more abrasions, bruises, and sore muscles than I’d ever had in my entire life. The sweat dripped from me in cascades, my lungs burned with fire, and my legs were wobbly and barely able to keep themselves upright.

And I loved every minute of it !

Finally, it was Thuayn who stepped back, panting under his breath and reaching for a glass of water that the servants had brought in for us.

“You… You are a monster!” he cried.

He took a big gulp of water. As he drank it, his tentacles waved violently, aggressively, as if he were swimming underwater.

“Well…” I panted, “you said it was… all about passion and desire… right?”

“Yes, but never have I seen a student with so much heat! You have a deep well inside you, Amelia, that begs to be released and set free.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “When you love something, it’s impossible to let go.”

Thuayn nodded and his eyes shifted over my shoulder and then back to me. “But as much as I can teach you, there is only so much I can do. You have come a long way already but in order to progress, you must have a partner.”

“ You’re my partner!” I said, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

He frowned at the fist I’d formed to strike him and seemed deeply confused about it.

“Yes, but we are of vastly differing skills. If you are to truly improve, you must have a partner of a similar level.”

“Who? There’s nobody else here.”

Thuayn grabbed my shoulders and gently turned me around.

Standing in the doorway, watching closely, was Nath.

Seeing him brought back the anger and venom he’d produced in me the night before. His cloak was wrapped tightly about him, tall and sinister and menacing as always.

His eyes were burning pits, his pallid skin glowing like snow on a moonlit mountaintop .

Thuayn moved toward him and extended his wriggling fingers the same way he had toward me. “If you would, Your Highness.”

Nath just looked at the proffered hand, then raised his eyes to Thuayn, who, for the first time since I’d met him, retracted his hand in defeat.

“Ah. Of course. There is no need to practice now, of course…” He seemed put out.

I glared at Nath and felt that familiar surge of anger mixed with adrenaline that he always brought out in me.

He was the reason Elijax was acting differently toward me.

He was the reason Elijax didn’t want to hug and sleep with me anymore.

He was the reason I was here, dancing with this strange octopus-like alien, helping relieve my tension and anger and frustration at his actions.

And now he wouldn’t take the teacher’s hand. Why not? Was he too good to touch the hand of a commoner?

A common nanny?

I raised my chin and glared at him with a newly-imbued sense of self-confidence. “I doubt he even knows how to dance.”

Thuayn looked between us and clearly sensed the tension. “Perhaps. Or perhaps not. But a partner should commit of his own volition. It should not be forced—”

I stabbed a finger at Nath. “I doubt he even knows what dancing is! Come dance with me, if you think you can!”

I raised my hand toward him the same way Thuayn had. And once again, Nath’s eyes drifted down to it and then slid back up to my face.

Come on, you coward!

I wanted to punish him, to show him up in front of Thuayn and the smattering of servants around the room, who shared uneasy glances.

A small audience, but it was better than nothing.

“What’s the matter?” I whispered quietly under my breath. “No child to terrify?”

Sneering, I retracted my hand and turned to Thuayn. “Again. Show me how to do the—”

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Its skin was pale white like chalk or marble, its nails long, almost like claws.

The hand turned me around and I found Nath had crossed the space in perfect silence.

His eyes — those eyes — drilled into me, forceful and adamant. He reached down and took the hand I had offered. I felt the cool dampness of his skin and his powerful yet graceful moves as he raised my arm above my head and turned me in a circle.

Ha. If that was all he was capable of, I was going to embarrass him for sure!

I pulled his arm back and assumed the attacking pose of the Ulsen warrior dance. It was the first dance Thuayn had taught me and the one I felt most proficient at.

“Perhaps this is one you know,” I said, baiting him.

I stamped my feet, drew back, and smiled at him, my movements hard and tough and strong. I hissed, baring my fangs — if I had any — in a display that was meant to scare my opponent.

Nath recognized the movements immediately and moved in tandem with them. His movements were surprisingly smooth and graceful. He kept his eyes on my face and reacted without thought.

He still used a single arm, as if I were no match for him. Then his eyes over my body, appraising my movements.

“You learned this today?” he asked .

“Yes,” I spat. “Why? Does it not meet your high standards?”

“It’s just… very impressive.”

Impressive.

A positive word from the Crown Prince of the Ulsen empire?

It momentarily took me by surprise, but I immediately suppressed it. I ground my teeth that I could be taken aback by something so trivial. I would not allow his fake warmth to distract me.

“Then perhaps you know this one,” I said.

I swiftly shifted position and lashed at him with my fist, so fast he barely managed to avoid the blow. It should have struck the center of his chest where his heart was located — if he had a heart!

I immediately spun around and swung my leg in a perfect arc. Once again, I almost caught his heel but he raised his foot at the last second and slipped back.

The surprise on his face was palpable and the telltale signs of a smile played at the corner of his lips.

He nodded respectfully at me, but I didn’t want his damn respect!

I struck at him again and again, swiping, clawing, kicking, lashing out with my elbows and knees… and he avoided every blow.

Then he assumed an attacking pose and took his own turn. It was the same pattern repeated over and over again but the interesting thing with this dance was that the dancer could replace the moves with whatever they wished. That’s what made the dance unpredictable.

And dangerous.

Thuayn had told me it was designed as a way to both practice self-defense moves and prepare the body for the approaching battle.

Nath moved faster and faster until his limbs were a blur.

I gasped. I barely managed to keep up and I thought — although it angered me — that he was still holding back his true strength and speed.

I growled under my breath and lashed at him, harder, faster, giving him everything I had.

He spun, twisted, jumped, and rolled, none of my blows ever quite managing to land. But they almost did — very nearly almost!

Each time he threw out his own attack, I was there to knock them aside or avoid them.

My lungs hurt and I’d long since taken my last full breath. And so, knowing my next attack would likely be my last, I decided to throw a little surprise into the mix.

I swung my leg to kick, and as he moved to avoid it, I instantly switched into a punch and caught him on the chin.

He stumbled back, dazed.

The blow was not hard and left no mark on his skin. It would do no damage either, but the shocked expression on his face was one I knew I would treasure for the rest of my life.

“How about that—” I began to gloat but I had counted my chickens before they’d hatched.

Nath moved so fast that blinking proved too much of an obstacle. One moment he was there, standing with that look on his face, and the next, his arms were wrapped around me, and my feet left the floor and my stomach lurched as he swung me around…

And the next thing I knew, I was sailing through the air. My hands reached out to grab hold of something — anything — but there was nothing there .

I shut my eyes as I expected my back to smack hard into the wall…

And coiled myself up to absorb the impact…

When I stopped, freezing one inch from its unflinching surface.

I was wrapped in Nath’s arms. He’d somehow covered the distance between where he’d thrown me and the wall faster than I could sail through it.

He was so close I could see the individual scales on his face. His black lips were parted and I could see his forked red tongue in his mouth, running over his sharp fangs.

He held me suspended in the air like I didn’t weigh a thing — and I can guarantee I weighed a whole lot more than a thing!

His speed and strength were impressive. But more than that was the gentle way he held me, as if I were something fragile that could be broken if inappropriately handled.

I lost myself to his gold-purple eyes that drank me in like poison.

He’d bested me, and bested me with ease.

And I’d never been so turned on my entire life.

His eyes searched my face in slow arcs, moving from my eyes to my nose to my lips…

And held there.

Go on. Do it.

I felt my body go lax. There was no fight left in me. He could do whatever he wanted with me.

He had beaten me and could take me as his prize.

The servants gasped and murmured among themselves. They quickly hushed when Nath glanced in their direction.

And just like that, the moment was broken.

He put my feet down and backed away.

“That… was not a legal move,” he said .

I folded my arms. “What’s the matter? Annoyed I bested you?”

“You did not best me.”

“My successful blow would argue otherwise.”

“And my throw?”

“After the fact. Anyway, when you’re really fighting, you don’t follow the rules. You have to break them.”

“We’re not at war. We’re dancing.”

“With the way the Ulsen dance, what’s the difference?” I said.

Nath just looked at me. The harder he glared, the harder I glared back. Until finally, something very strange happened.

His glare broke and his black lips curled into a smile, stretching across his entire face, bringing with it warmth I would never have imagined was there.

He laughed. It was surprisingly warm, deep, and strong, and filled the entire activities room.

Then an even stranger thing happened. His laugh broke my anger too. And I began to laugh in return.

Even Thuayn joined in, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“You are right,” Nath said. “It is always best to surprise our enemy, to never give them what they expect.”

When he looked at me this time, the constant glare was gone, his anger absent.

Something had changed, I thought. I didn’t know exactly what it was, what it meant, but something had permanently altered between us.

And I knew on a level deep, deep down that nothing would ever be the same again.

“How did you know that I like dancing?” I said to him over lunch.

It was a question I’d been dying to ask ever since Thuayn had appeared in the activities room. Now that I was refueling my body with much-needed energy, I couldn’t help but ask.

My body ached in places I didn’t even know I had muscles, but it was a luxurious kind of pain.

Nath swallowed a large mouthful of meat and washed it down with several spoonfuls of his blood soup.

He dabbed the blood off his lips and pursed his lips to speak but before he could respond Elijax said:

“I told him about it.”

“You? When?”

“Today during class. He interrupted math class and asked me about it.”

“Actually, I came for a… different reason,” Nath said, not meeting my eyes. “It just happened to come up in conversation.”

A different reason? One he was shy to admit? I wondered what it was. I decided to ask Elijax later when we were alone.

“Well, it was a very nice gesture,” I said. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to dance.”

“Well, it’s not over yet. The teacher has accepted a residency. So, you can learn any time, day, night, you want.”

“Thank you.” And I really meant it. “But why would you do that?”

“It’s my responsibility to ensure my charges are happy with their situation at all times.”

He took a sip from his wine and looked at me over the rim.

That wasn’t it. At least, that wasn’t the entire truth .

He must have sensed my doubt, so he put down his glass and said: “And… I wanted to… apologize for last night. It was wrong of me to take the boy—”

“Elijax,” I interjected.

“Yes, Elijax. I shouldn’t have taken him without your permission. He’s your charge as much as mine. I should have asked first.”

His eyes met mine and there was genuine concern there that could not be faked.

I nodded. “Yes. You should.” I waved a finger at him. “Don’t do it again.”

And with that, the issue was resolved.

Nath didn’t need to apologize. I doubted he’d ever needed to admit fault his entire life. Even less did he need to apologize by hiring a dance teacher. But he had, and I appreciated that.

After lunch, Elijax had twenty free minutes before his next class began. I suggested we take a walk outside for him to get some fresh air before hitting the books.

It was a gorgeous day, made even better by the deep pain in my muscles.

We came to a large tree with strange sail-like branches that flapped in the breeze as if it wanted to fly. It provided fantastic areas of shade. We took a seat on one of its upturned roots.

“Mom, can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” I said, beaming at him. “Of course you can. You never need to ask that. What is it?”

Elijax looked at his tiny hands which fidgeted as if he were playing an invisible instrument. “Can you tell me about… Mom?”

His hesitation to use the word was not surprising. I had always tried to speak with him in the past about his natural- born mother, wanted to share with him the memories I had of my stepsister — at least, the lighter, age-appropriate ones — but he had always turned away, refusing to get to know her.

I always figured it was just a matter of time. Eventually, he would be ready to learn about her. I just had to wait. Another reason did occur to me though: maybe he preferred to believe I was his real mother — which in both our hearts, was the truth in any case.

But we had to face the truth that he hadn’t come from my body. He was the product of my stepsister and her lover. Nath’s brother.

“What do you want to know?” I said with bated breath.

Elijax shrugged his tiny shoulders. “Everything, I guess.”

I ran my fingers through his hair. It was soft and felt like feathers. “Well, telling you everything about her will take a lot of time. But I can tell you that if she’d been the one to raise you, she would have loved you as much as I do.”

Lines formed on Elijax’s brow — lines that should never be present on such a young face. “Then why did she leave me?”

If there was one silver lining to not having to face his questions about his real mom it was that I could avoid this very question. And despite all that time and effort I’d put into preparing to answer it, I’d never come up with a really good way.

To fully stand why Wrenley had left him with me was the need to understand the kind of person she was. But how could you do that when you had no memories of her?

Elijax was looking for a simple and direct answer, and I wasn’t sure I had one to give.

“Wrenley… was a complicated person.” I looked at him, ch ecking to make sure he knew what the word ‘complicated’ meant.

He didn’t have that same quizzical look on his face when he asked me the meaning of certain words, so I pushed on.

“Your mother was a strong woman and she was very passionate. She always chased the things she wanted. And sometimes, she did things without fully… thinking them through. She never left you. She was always coming back. I just… looked after you until she did.”

I leaned down and kissed him on the top of his head. “It’s… difficult to explain to someone so young. But I promise that with time, you will understand. Your mother never left you. She never abandoned you. It was never a case of whether or not she wanted you. She always wanted you. That’s why she gave birth to you. And I know that, with time, she would have returned. And she would have been a second mother to you. She would have loved you just as much as I do and I’m sure, so would your father.”

In truth, I knew nothing about his father. He was even more of a mystery than my stepsister was. But at least I grew up with Wrenley. At least she was a part of my life. We still shared that same history, the same memories.

“Was she a good person?” Elijax asked.

“Of course she was. Just like you are good. If there’s anything you ever need to know about her, you only need to look inside yourself. She is inside you, just as she is inside me.”

“Inside me?”

“Yes. In every cell of your body, there is a small piece of her. Every day when you think or do something, she will always be there, guiding your decisions. And you will never, ever be alone.”

Elijax frowned at this before wrapping his arms around me. He could only reach about a quarter of the way around me but inside, he enveloped me entirely.

I shut my eyes and rocked gently back and forth, savoring the moment.

Perhaps there was a reason Elijax was so into history… It wasn’t the Ulsen history that he was interested in… but his own.

“But you’re not in my body,” Elijax said. “Will I forget you one day?”

“Of course not. And I am inside you. You see, half the cells in your Mom’s body are also in mine. So, in a way, I am inside you too.”

“Will you ever stop being my mom?”

He looked up at me and I lost myself in those deep gold-purple eyes of his. And in the flash of an instant, I saw Nath in them. They were just as vibrant, just as deep, just as strong.

I smiled at him and stroked his cheek.

“I will always be your mom,” I said. “No matter what happens.”

“Then who will be my dad?”

I looked up at the palace, at the windows of the office where Nath most often worked. Nath wasn’t there but I sensed his presence.

“Nath will be your father from now on,” I said. “I know he can be a little… cold. But give him time. He will warm to you.”

I had no evidence of that but I felt certain it was true. He was capable of feeling guilt, of admitting he was wrong, of caring for others.

Admirable qualities, every one of them. And ones every father ought to possess.

And that also meant he was capable of love .

I smiled at the thought of that, and when I looked down, I saw Elijax reflecting my own smile back at me. He hugged me again.

“Then I’m super lucky. I have two moms and two dads!”

Yes, I thought. Very lucky.

In my stomach, fluttering like a tornado of butterflies, I felt a growing sensation that I realized had begun from the first moment I saw Nath.

I looked up at the office window and made out a tall shadow standing rigidly to attention. Even from this distance, I could feel his mesmerizing eyes on me.

I welcomed them.