Nanny for the Alien Lord by Tammy Walsh

Belle

The lookon his face when I entered his room was priceless.

Almost as good as his expression when I turned and left!

With him building the ramps into his house and installing the elevators, I thought it only fair I pay for his services with a little… service of my own.

Let it be known Belle Baker always pays her debts!

“Morning everyone,” Tauas said, hair still wet from his shower.

He weaved between us to reach the coffee pot and pour himself a cup.

“Nice coffee,” Abbie said, tapping her fingers on her mug.

“Yes,” I said, peering over my cup at him. “Nice and hot.”

Tauas sputtered on his first sip, utterly confused by the situation.

Elken raised her arms for him to pick her up.

He did and kissed her on the swell of her cheek before placing her back down on the floor again.

“How did you sleep last night?” Tauas said to Abbie.

“Like a dream,” she said.

By his tussled and baggy-eyed appearance, I suspected he hadn’t slept quite so well.

I grinned around another delicious sip of coffee.

“Well, I guess I should be going,” Tauas said. “By the way, a friend of mine might show up later. When she arrives, just show her in. She knows the way.”

My grin faded as Tauas turned and left.

Elken chased after him like a puppy nipping at his heels.

A friend of his?

A twisting sensation curled the pit of my stomach at the thought.

Maybe he has a mistress…

Or a girlfriend for that matter!

There was so little I really knew about him.

Anything was possible.

The guy was a damn billionaire!

Women would be throwing themselves at his feet!

I put down the coffee cup and turned toward the hallway.

I would ask him who this female “friend” of his was and demand an explanation of their relationship.

When I came in view of the front door, I realized I was already too late.

His shuttlecraft banked as he blasted off to work.

Yeah, you’d better run,I thought.

Elken ran up to Abbie and begged her to help make a new dress.

“A dress?” Abbie said. “You want me to make you a dress?”

“I want making dress!” Elken said, full of enthusiasm. “You help?”

“With an offer like that, how can I refuse?” Abbie said. “Hop on! All aboard for the Design Express!”

She lifted Elken into her lap and together they wheeled out of the kitchen.

Abbie stopped and looked back at me.

“You coming?”

I barely registered her question.

I was still distracted by what that fool of a man had said.

She?

A friend of his?

“I’ll… be right there,” I said.

Abbie pulled on an imaginary truck horn and made a honking noise.

Elken mimicked her, even though she didn’t fully understand what she was doing.

As they disappeared into the front room, I took a seat at the kitchen’s island.

I sat on a chair nearest the front window and glanced out of it every few minutes, expecting this mysterious “friend” of his to pop up at any moment.

Over the following few hours, I wrote a dozen messages to Tauas asking him about “her” and craftily asking for details about whether they should prepare themselves for her visit or not…

But I never sent them.

I didn’t want him to think I was nervous or jealous.

That was ridiculous!

“Let’s put it on,” Abbie said. “Give us a twirl!”

Elken had input a great deal of ideas into the design of her new dress.

It was all Abbie could do to rein in some of the more… creative concepts.

The dress was pink with an upside-down rainbow across the front.

Elken had insisted on a magic wand to cast spells that attached to the underside of the dress.

It wasn’t Abbie’s usual style, but I suppose she had to give the customer what she wanted.

“Beautiful!” Abbie said, making a face at me, saying she secretly thought it was anything but.

Elken turned in a circle, making the dress form the shape of a tutu.

I couldn’t help smiling at her.

I was so distracted I didn’t see the figure approach and knock on the front door.

I bolted to my feet and peered out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of this mysterious “friend.”

The angle was no good.

Irritated, I smoothed down my dress and hurried to the door.

Elken was on my heels as I drew it open, revealing the most incredible creature I had ever seen.

She might have stepped out of a Hollywood movie from the golden era or, in fact, any era at all.

Hers was a timeless beauty that transcended mere generations.

She had a small face with a pointed chin.

Her horns were tall and narrow with barely a single twist in them.

She removed her sunglasses and her cool eyes drank me in.

She didn’t seem as impressed with me as I was with her.

“Iatell!” Elken squealed as she ran at the stranger.

“Elken!” Iatell said, scooping her up in her arms and spinning her around.

My shoulders sagged.

Not only had I lost in the looks department, but even Elken had chosen the enemy.

Iatell peered over Elken’s shoulder at me.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.”

As if she would remember me if we had!

I offered my hand and was surprised when Iatell shook it in return.

“A human!” she said. “I am well-versed in your quaint ways of welcome.”

Quaint?

Bitch.

“Tauas asked me to drop by,” Iatell said. “Is he in?”

“I’m afraid not,” I said.

If he was, I’d wring his damn neck!

“A pity,” she said. “I never grow tired looking at him.”

She sighed as if picturing him now.

I ground my teeth.

I didn’t want her anywhere near him.

Especially if she was picturing him in ways only I was allowed!

“I’m Belle, Elken’s nanny.”

It was the best attempt at stamping my authority over Elken, and therefore Tauas, I possessed.

It suddenly seemed minuscule and weak.

“I thought Daynnis was Elken’s nanny?” Iatell said.

If she knew the inner workings of Tauas’s household, it wasn’t much of a stretch to realize she was probably used to coming here.

Iatell put Elken down, who took off like a windup toy.

“In here! In here!” Elken said. “We designing!”

“Designing?” Iatell said through pursed lips. “Now this I must see.”

She floated past without giving me another look.

She clapped her hands as Elken performed a runway performance.

She tripped twice but Iatell was polite enough to pretend she hadn’t noticed.

“Beautiful!” Iatell said. “Now, tell me, who designed this wonderful piece of… art you’re wearing?”

“Me!” Elken announced. “I designing!”

“Well, that explains why it’s so magnificent!” Iatell said.

“But Auntie Abbie helping!”

Elken took Iatell by the hand and dragged her toward Abbie, who she pointed at with her short stubby finger.

“Auntie Abbie! Auntie Abbie!”

Abbie beamed happily and extended her hand toward Iatell as I had.

“Abigail Baker,” she said. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance—”

She blinked, startled, and withdrew her hand.

“Good Lord… You look just like…”

“Iatell Islah at your service,” the stranger said with a bow.

Abbie’s eyes couldn’t have broadened any wider if she tried.

She was frozen with shock.

Her eyes flicked from mine to Iatell and back again.

Then she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around her, yanking her forward and almost off her feet.

“I’m your biggest fan!” Abbie squealed. “I died when I saw your autumn collection last year!”

Iatell blew her nails as if it was nothing.

“An amalgamation of earlier creations. I’m afraid I’ve been running out of new ideas for years.”

“Rubbish!” Abbie spat. “Your designs always inspire me! I get new concepts I never would have dreamed of otherwise!”

Iatell straightened up and peered at Abbie’s dresses hanging from their mannequin models.

“I can see you’ve been very busy.”

“This? It’s nothing. It’s just a hobby. It’s nothing compared to your work.”

Iatell strode amongst the dresses and ran her hand over the material.

I held my breath, fearful she might say something derogatory about Abbie’s work.

They looked awesome to me, but I didn’t have the eye of an expert.

A negative comment from Abbie’s hero would destroy her.

“It begins as a hobby for us all,” Iatell said, “until it takes over our lives and we cannot breathe or eat without thinking about it.”

I stepped forward.

“Would you like something to drink? Come with me in the kitchen and I’m sure I can find you something.”

And give you a good talking to.

“I’m only an amateur,” Abbie said, looking at her hands in her lap. “You don’t need to waste your time with my designs.”

I hated the look on her face, the sense of despair.

Iatell was doing this to her.

I swear to God, if she says one negative comment…

“You may have been an amateur once,” Iatell said, “but that period passed some time ago. Your work is incredible.”

I watched as Abbie’s expression broke—from the same intense fear I’d been harboring, to breaking down in happy tears.

She wiped a pearl from the corner of her eye.

“That’s very kind of you to say,” she said. “Thank you. I know it’s not up to your level.”

Iatell fell dramatically to her knees and took Abbie’s hands in her own.

“You have an incredible gift, my girl. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I would be honored to share your work with my Warehouse designers.”

Abbie just gawped at her.

“The… The Warehouse?”

I’d heard her wittering about it in the past, about how it was where all the best designers honed their craft and became true masters.

Certain she would fail, she never even tried to get in.

Now, it was being offered to her on a plate.

It was as if a fairy godmother had waved a wand—maybe Elken’s wand was more than a piece of card smothered with glitter—and had made all of her wishes come true.

“I… I’m not sure,” Abbie said. “I mean… I’m not sure I have anything good enough to show.”

“Darling, you have more than enough,” Iatell said. “Many of my designers come with a great deal less than you have here.”

“These are only the dresses I’ve been working on recently. I’ve got a bunch more in my wardrobes upstairs… if you’d like to see them?”

For the first time since Iatell showed up, I saw surprise register on her face.

“More?”

“Many more.”

“It would be a pleasure. Please, lead the way.”

Abbie shot out of the room faster even than Elken usually moved.

The roles had reversed and suddenly Abbie was the child keen to show off her toys and possessions.

My heart hammered in my chest and I grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to show her everything?”

“Sure it is,” Abbie said. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

I glanced over at the designer, who was momentarily distracted by Elken.

“She might be tempted to copy your designs!” I said. “It happens all the time!”

“She’s Iatell Islah!” Abbie said. “None of my designs would exist if it wasn’t for her!”

She bolted outside as Elken led Iatell toward the stairs.

Watching the scene take place was like watching my nightmares seep from my dreams and step into reality.

I needed to protect Abbie the way I always had.

I needed to make sure she didn’t get hurt.

“Afternoon, everyone!”

Tauas shut the front door behind him.

I hadn’t so much as heard his shuttlecraft approach!

He came to a stop when he saw Iatell in the entranceway.

“Iatell Islah! So glad you could make it!”

Iatell floated toward him as if she were on a cloud and wrapped her arms possessively about his shoulders.

She kissed him on the cheek and beamed up at him.

I couldn’t stop glaring.

Tauas peered over Iatell’s narrow shoulders and saw me standing there, arms folded and fuming.

“Iatell,” he said, “have you met—”

“The temporary nanny?” she said. “Yes, we’ve met already. You told me you had some designs for me to look at. I had no idea they would be so marvelous! We’re about to go see the rest of Abbie’s incredible collection. Would you care to join us?”

Tauas peered between Iatell and me and, no doubt feeling like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place, he nodded and approached Abbie’s newly-installed elevator.

“Aren’t you coming?” he said to me.

“I’ll catch up,” I said.

Alone.

Where I belong.

First, he took my home from me, now he took my sister.

Was there no end to his depravity?