6
NORA
“Mommy, Mommy — I remember where I saw the giant before!” Anna exclaimed, pulling on Nora’s sleeve.
Nora had changed into a less formal dress—a pretty green one that brought out the green flecks in her brown eyes—and was attending the reception which Kat had also set up in the parklands beside the Sacred Grove . The vast rolling meadow-like space was dotted with trees and covered in green and purple grass.
She looked down at her daughter, feeling her cheeks get red with embarrassment. After all, Commander Xarex was standing right there, sipping a glass of the light blue Woo liquor that was being served by the circulating waiters.
“Honey, he’s not a giant—he’s a Kindred warrior,” she explained in a low voice. The plan was to attend the reception for about an hour before they slipped away to the Med Center where Anna was going to be seen by a Kindred doctor.
“He’s a giant!” Anna insisted loudly. “ And I saw him in my dreams! A beautiful lady who was all sparkly like a fairy showed him to me and said he was going to be my new daddy!”
Nora went from embarrassed to humiliated in a heartbeat. She could feel her cheeks getting hot with a blush. What in the world must Xarex be thinking?
“Anna—” she began, but then, to her surprise, Xarex crouched down to Anna’s level.
“Hello, young one—you must be Anna ,” he rumbled.
Bashfully, Anna nodded.
“Yes, that’s me. Did you see me being a flower girl?”
“Yes, I did. You were the best flower girl I ever saw,” Xarex told her.
Anna’s pale cheeks flushed with pleasure.
“Thank you! You’re kind of scary looking but you’re nice,” she told him. “ I’m glad my Mommy married you. Now you can be my Daddy and I’ll be your little girl.”
“All right.” Xarex nodded gravely. “ It’s a deal. Do you want to shake hands on it? I know that humans do that to seal bargains.”
He held out his huge hand and Anna shyly held out her own. But then she seemed to change her mind and threw her arms around his neck instead.
“Thank you for being my Daddy ,” she said, squeezing him tight with her little arms. “ I’ve never had one before.”
Nora was dumbstruck by all this. She looked down at Xarex and found that he was looking up at her, as though asking permission. She nodded slightly and he put one arm around Anna and hugged her back very carefully.
“I’ll do my best to be a good father to you,” he rumbled.
“I know you will.” And Anna gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek before pulling away and looking up at Nora . “ Can I go play now? There are some other kids over there who look like they want a new friend.”
She motioned to a few children playing a little way over.
“All right, but not for long—we’re about to go to the special new doctor I told you about,” Nora cautioned her. “ And be careful not to get out of breath.”
“I’ll be okay,” Anna assured her. She turned away towards the kids and Nora could hear her calling, “ Hey —do you want to play?”
That left only Nora and Xarex at the standing table, still sipping their Woo . Nora’s mom, who was old and frail, had gotten tired after the excitement of the wedding. Kat had generously volunteered to take her back to the guest suite where she and Anna were staying while Nora stayed with Xarex for their honeymoon.
As soon as Anna was out of earshot, Nora started apologizing.
“I’m sorry— I don’t know what got into her with all that ‘ Daddy ’ talk,” she told him. “ She’s got such a big imagination. She? —”
“I didn’t mind,” Xarex rumbled, looking down at her. “ I have never had a youngling in my life before. And since I was never a youngling myself, it’s a very interesting experience.”
“Wait—you were never a child?” Nora frowned. “ That can’t be right.”
“It is correct, I’m afraid,” he told her. “ The Dark Kindred are not conceived in the traditional way. Our DNA is mixed by Tolleg scientists and we are grown to adulthood in gestation tanks.”
Nora wasn’t sure what to say to that. No wonder he seemed so robotic at times. It wasn’t just the lack of emotions—though to be honest, she was beginning to wonder about that—it was the fact that he’d never even had a childhood.
“How sad for you,” she said at last. “ To never have a childhood, I mean.”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling beneath the fitted tux.
“I cannot miss what I have never experienced but I do find the concept of childhood interesting. And your daughter is both amusing and charming.”
“She’s the reason I’m here,” Nora said simply. “ After my sister died and I adopted Anna , I knew I would do anything to keep her safe. Anything to protect her.”
“Then I will take that vow as well,” Xarex looked at her intently. “ As long as we are Joined , Anna will also be a priority for me. I’ll do anything in my power to help her and safeguard her.”
Nora was touched but she wasn’t sure if she could truly believe him. Lots of men would say anything at all to get into a woman’s pants. But then, Xarex didn’t have to say anything because she had already signed a contract giving him full access to her body.
“Thank you,” she said simply, nodding at him. “ Er , do you know what time it is?”
He glanced down at the complicated timepiece he wore around his wrist. It seemed to tell time for several different time zones—or maybe it was several different planets.
“I believe your appointment for Anna is in fifteen minutes,” he told her. “ We should leave now if we want to make it to the Med Center on time.”
“Oh—okay! Let me go get her!”
Nora hurried over to the group of children and took her daughter by the hand.
“Come on, sweetie—we need to go see the doctor now,” she told her.
Anna gave her a long-suffering sigh.
“But we just started playing! I’m tired of seeing doctors.”
“I know you are. I am too. Hopefully this will be the last one we have to see for a while,” Nora told her. “ Come on—say goodbye to your new friends. We need to go.”
Anna sighed again but allowed herself to be led away.
“Okay, we’re ready,” Nora said when she got back to Xarex . “ Can you tell me which way to go please?” It was her first time aboard the Mother Ship and she had no idea how to get to the Med Center .
“No need— I will take you,” he rumbled. “ Come —we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.”
He set off, striding over the grassy field and Nora and Anna hurried to keep up with him. However , his stride was so long that she was taking two and three steps for every one of his and after a few minutes, she found they were falling behind. Also , a glance down at Anna had her immediately worried—her daughter’s lips were turning blue and she was gasping as she tried to keep up with the adults.
“Wait!” Nora called. Crouching down, she took Anna’s face in her hands. “ Breathe , sweetie!” she urged. “ Just concentrate on breathing and catching your breath.”
And then Xarex was beside them.
“Is everything all right?” He sounded anxious and his brow was furrowed.
“She just can’t keep up with that fast pace,” Nora explained. “ She’s on oxygen—she isn’t supposed to exert herself.”
“Forgive me,” he said and the look on his face was genuinely contrite. “ I didn’t think— I was just concentrating on getting to the Med Center on time.” He looked at Anna . “ Would it be all right if I carried you? We can go much faster that way.”
Weakly, Anna nodded.
“All right, Daddy ,” she whispered faintly.
“All right then. Here we go.”
Xarex scooped her up and held her seated in the crook of one muscular arm. Then he looked at Nora .
“Are you ready to go on?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” She straightened up. She couldn’t believe how naturally her scary boss seemed to be taking to fatherhood. But she was grateful that he was willing to carry Anna . Though she was light, it still would have been hard to keep up with his long strides if she was carrying the little girl herself.
“Let’s go then,” Xarex said and they were off again.
Nora just hoped they made it on time.