Rosemary

 

 

Eleven Years Later

 

"Mom, enough." Michael batted away Rosemary's hand and smoothed the front of his shirt.

The crowd in the spaceport parted around their little caravan, giving them a wide berth. Most people did when a Mahdfel glowered and glared at anyone who dared to stray too close to their family.

"I'm just so proud of you, honey." Pride swelled her chest. So much happened once her little boy turned eighteen and graduated from the Academy. He had grown into a tall, handsome man with strong muscles and a stronger character. Michael enlisted in Earth's military forces and started boot camp in a few weeks. Turns out receiving a decade of Mahdfel training and being fluent in a xeno-language made him a desirable candidate. EMPs too often knocked translator chips offline and the military valued being able to maintain communications at all times.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure," Michael said. He and Reven planned to backpack their way to famous Earth landmarks in the weeks before he had to report for basic training.

"If you have any trouble, call us," she said.

"Mom, it'll be fine."

"If he does not report to training in a timely manner, I have warriors ready to retrieve him," Mene said. The backup plan. Not that Rosemary expected to need a Mahdfel strike force ready to extract Michael, but she worried. Michael could take care of himself but what if he got locked up? Or kidnapped and his organs harvested? Okay, that probably wouldn't happen. Probably. Still, a mother worried. It didn't matter how old, tall or capable her little boy grew; he'd always be her honey bunny.

Lukkan bounced on his toes. "Are you going to get a tattoo of a hula female?"

"Sure am. She's gonna dance." Michael went down to one knee and flexed his bicep for his younger brother. "There's an ultraviolet ink so I can glow just like you."

"Neat." Lukkan flexed his arm to match. Lukkan, nine, and Toraan, seven, worshiped their big brother. They wanted to do everything Michael did, even the boring human stuff like going to the dentist. Mahdfel teeth were freakishly perfect and never developed cavities. Their innate healing repaired the damage. They looked surprisingly human. Well, it surprised Rosemary. Mene always said that his sons would look like her, but she didn't really believe it until they were delivered with no horns, no fangs and only a slight purplish tint to their skin. The pigment only really showed under certain lighting. Mostly they just looked really tanned. 

"I'm going to get one, too," Lukkan announced.

"When you're older," Rosemary said on reflex. The idea of Michael getting ink didn't fill her with joy, but he was eighteen now and legally an adult on Sangrin and Earth. He could do whatever he wanted.

"You're frowning, Mom," Michael said.

"Just thinking about how you hid your tattoos from me."

Michael had the decency to blush and give a weak shrug. "Sorry."

"You're not sorry, so save it, buster." Last week, the boys went fishing and came back filthy and soaking wet. Rosemary refused to let them in the house until they stripped down and hosed off in the yard. It was hard enough to keep the house clean with three boys. She didn't need them actively tracking in mud and whatever else followed them home.

Michael stripped off his shirt, and that's how she saw it, the massive scrawl of ink he had across his back and shoulders, all conveniently placed to be hidden by clothing. Turned out, he'd been hiding it for a solid year. Mene knew. Of course, her husband knew. He probably helped.

They conspired for an entire year to keep the secret from her. She tried not to get too upset. Lukkan and Toraan had smaller tattoos. It was a coming-of-age Mahdfel thing. How angry could she be that her eldest wanted the same thing his younger brothers had? Especially as Mene explained the design proclaimed Michael a beloved son of the clan.

The men in her house were entirely too good at defusing her anger with sentimental claptrap. They knew her and the secrets of her soft, gooey marshmallow heart.

Michael gave Lukkan a one-armed hug. Toraan, being younger and not so self-conscious, wrapped both arms around his brother. "I'll get one, too, but I won't tell Mom."

Tricky. Her youngest was a bit too clever for his own good.

"You do not announce your strategy in front of the enemy," Mene said, pulling Toraan away. He handed the child to Rosemary, who snaked an arm across his chest to keep him in place.

"We'll talk about that later," she whispered to her youngest. She arched a brow at her husband. "And you're not off the hook either." She was not the enemy. Keeping some semblance of control in her house was tough enough being the only woman. She didn't need her boys thinking of her as an enemy agent to outwit and outmaneuver.

He clasped Michael on the arm in the manner of one warrior greeting another. His nostrils flared as he considered his eldest, human son. "You'll contact us when you get to Earth," Mene said.

"As soon as I can."

"And you will make daily reports."

"Until I report to camp," Michael said.

"This mission is unorthodox," Mene said at length, displeasure clear in his voice. 

Rosemary's arm tightened around Toraan. "Mom, don't squish me."

Mene worried about Michael. Mene never worried. Not once in a decade of giant crab hunting, fishing deep sea monsters, horseback riding, insane sporting events, a broken leg, camping in the worst storm in a century—no broken bones, thankfully— and hiking—which resulted in a tumble and a sprained ankle— had Mene expressed worry. 

"I'll be fine. It's Earth. I swear not to get locked in a box or shipped off-planet."

"Such things happen?" Mene looked to Rosemary for an answer.

"No," she said firmly.

"Don't worry, Dad," Toraan said. "You chipped Michael, so you'll always know where he is."

"Oh, that's interesting," Rosemary said, arching her eyebrows.

Mene frowned. "We will discuss the merits of discretion when we return home," he said to Toraan. Her youngest had a bit of a blabbermouth, apparently. Good news for her.

"You going to explain or just let me jump to conclusions? Right now, I'm assuming we've all had locators implanted in us," she said.

"The translation chip can also be used for location purposes," Mene admitted. He tossed Toraan a stern look, "I did not chip anyone."

"But you could find me if you needed to?" Michael asked. Mene gave a short nod. Michael had the chip installed a month ago. While he spoke and read Sangrin fluently, he would be exposed to many languages in the military. It was strictly a matter of convenience. 

"Such measures will not be required. You are... capable," Mene said, reluctantly.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. Mene really did worry and fought all of his instincts to let Michael go. "He'll be fine," she said, placing a hand on the thick arm of her mate.

All those years ago, she impulsively accepted an invitation to an alien planet. She never expected to stay. She never expected to find her true love and build a family with him. Now she couldn't imagine her life turning out any other way.