Chapter Eighteen

He bit her, and she felt different although she didn’t know why. She was his mate. That much she understood, and her life was now linked with his. She looked at him to make sure he was still asleep before she got out the bed and went to the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Her nails were sweet little points. She thought Deja just filed her nails that way to make a statement. Her teeth were a little sharper, but most people wouldn’t notice the changes in her because the real change was on the inside. She could feel it, there was something inside of her that had never been there before.

“Mama.” Little feet came running into the bathroom.

She scooped her up and placed kisses all over her. “How was your night staying with Mrs. Deja?”

“I played, and Ven chased me.” She made scary claws and dragged them through the air.

Jessie swallowed so she wouldn’t let a tear leak out. Mia was growing and maturing her body was still small, but her mind was sharper every day, and her language skills were advancing. If her pediatrician could see her now, she’d be amazed.

“You fine Mama?”

“I’m perfect baby. Where’s your Dada?”

“Kitchen.”

They headed toward the kitchen looking for Cole. She blushed the minute she looked at him remembering last night.

“How do you feel?” He looked hopeful and worried at the same time.

“I feel like I could run a marathon even though I have no desire to. I feel content like I’ve been looking for you my whole life and now were together. I feel happy.”

He took her in his arms and kissed her making Mia cheer before she demanded to be picked up.

“I also feel like I need clothes, if can convince Deja to watch her one more time do you think we can get in a quick shopping trip? Mia needs somethings also.”

“We can ask her, but I know she’ll say yes.”

They ate and moved into the living room. Mia was on the floor playing while Jessie stared at him.

“Say what’s on your mind.”

“I was wondering after all this is over what do you think about me taking some classes at community college. They have an LPN class, and you could use a nurse around here.”

“LPN?”

“Licensed Practical Nurse. It’s the first step in a nursing career.”

“I think you should do it. I know Tristan and Cait would welcome the help. Tristan is teaching Cait Kur’ik biology since she received her degree from Earth. When you’re ready, they will teach it to you.”

“What about the club?”

“It will go on. We need a nurse, and with your heart, you’ll be one of the best.”

She took his hand and pulled him closer lifting up to kiss him. They broke apart to find little blue eyes watching them.

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing to kiss in front of her.”

“It’s a good thing. This way every time she sees me take her mother in my arms she’ll know I love you.”

“You love me?”

“I do.”

“Cole, I…”

“We moved fast Jessie, and I’ve had a much longer life than you to think about falling in love, to dream that I might meet someone. My dreams don’t compare to the reality of you.”

She crawled onto his lap tugging his head down for another kiss. It was slow and tender showing how much she cared for him.

She looked up at him with stars in her eyes. “Everything is perfect.”

She dressed both Mia and herself in a sweater since the weather was a little chilly and waited for Deja to come. They were going to play in the back yard with Amira and Jade.

“Thank you. I really need some things, but I also need to get out for a little while.”

“I know, be careful. I don’t think they have stopped gunning for you.”

“He’ll keep me safe.” Turning her head, she looked over at Cole who was handing Mia to Ven. He was fascinated by both Mia and Jade.

“He loves children.”

“He does but he told me last night that I was right, he wasn’t old enough for his own child. Needless to say, I’m grateful.”

“You go Mama Deja.” She smiled at her. “On a more serious note, thank you. You could have denied me a job. Instead, you went out your way to help me. You talked to me every day about why I needed to keep working. There were days that your words and your voice were the only thing I could hear clearly. I met Cole because of you that’s one thing I’ll never forget.” She reached out and pulled Deja in her arms and held on.

“You’re like the mother I wish I would have had.”

“Hey, none of that. I suddenly feel old.” Her laughter made Jessie laugh. She walked over to Cole who had the car idling in front of the house.

She ran back picked Mia up giving her a hug and a kiss. “I’ll be back soon.”

Then she was getting into the car almost feeling like they were going on their first unsupervised date.

“Where to first?”

“I want to pick up some clothes for Mia.”

“No, you first then Mia.”

“But…” She closed her mouth because she knew that look. It said Mia has and you don’t.

“Can we go to the mall?” Her eyes were sparkling thinking about it. There were so many stores, and she had money.

“The mall it is.”

“You’re going to love the mall.”

The radio was on, and the windows were cracked, this was possibly the third best day in her life. The first was when she had Mia. The second was when Cole claimed her as his, and now there was today. She spent too many years wanting to be older so that her life would be better. Now she knew that she could be young and still have a good life.

Her hand went to his thigh. He threw her a smile that made her heart beat faster.

*~*~*~*

“Jade loves this swing.” Amira was behind her pushing while Deja was pushing Mia.

“Xander and Caden did a good job when they purchased this.”

“Do you think we can really find females for our males. Two females for close to two thousand males it feels like a drop in the bucket, or is the correct saying a needle in a haystack?”

“Either one of them will work. I don’t know. You’ve been here so long why am I the first person the barrier let in. I wonder all the time why me. Then Jessie came, but by her own words there were other women who could cross the barrier but chose not to.”

“Maybe they didn’t belong here.”

“Maybe. Does something feel off to you?”

“No, yes.”

“Enzo?”

“What’s wrong camire?”

“I don’t know, but something feels off to me. I can’t pinpoint it.”

“Declyn and I will check out the compound. You and Amira keep the girls safe. I’m sending Ven to you.”

She would have laughed seeing as she could take care of herself but the longer they stood here, the more exposed she felt.

“Amira if we can put up a barrier that acts as a shield so were invisible, what’s to stop the government from having the same ability?”

“They would have had to have stolen the technology from us. Either that or other ships have crashed here and like with our ship some of the components were hundreds of miles away from where we were. Thankfully they were minor components and won’t hinder our ship.”

“Let’s take the girls inside.”

“Someone is watching us I can feel their eyes on me. They need to die.” Amira looked around while she was picking up Jade.

“I agree with her.” She told Enzo what was being said. “We’re in real danger.”

“Get inside Deja.”

“They will die.”

She picked Mia up, and that’s when several helicopters uncloaked they were hovering overhead.

“We need to get into the house Amira.” They ran the children close to their chest. Now she wished she was at her house. Enzo had protected it after everything that happened. No one could get through the door if their bio-signs weren’t recognized. He refused to risk his mate and son.

Note to self, tell Cole to update his security pronto. He has too much to lose.

“Amira don’t move.”

“That little red dot means that I have the black-haired child in my sight and that my friend has the other child in his sights. This can go down several ways. You can let the older child down, and she comes to me, or I shoot one of them.”

“You don’t want to do this. There isn’t enough money in the world to save you from the hell that’s coming your way.”

“I want to do it. I don’t know what you are and I don’t care. My finger is pressing this trigger down. You touch me or kill me, and I’m taking that child with me. Now wouldn’t you rather she live to see another day?”

“The one that won’t live will be you.” She let Mia down and spoke to her in Kur’ik.

“What was all that?”

“I told her not to be scared because her daddy was going to kill you unless of course, her uncles got to you first.”

“Tell her to come here.”

She whispered in her ear and watched them pull back. There was a helicopter hovering over the back yard. They watched as the men ascended their hands tied because of the red lights aimed at Mia’s little body.

“Somebody tell me what the hell happened?” Deja was shaking in fury.