Alien Warrior’s Promise by Sue Mercury
Chapter 13
Dakk surveyed the empty showroom,surprised by how clean it looked. He’d arrived here expecting to spend the better part of the morning removing the burned remnants of furniture, as well as scrubbing the soot from the stones. But the entire building was spotless.
Voices carried out of the storeroom, and he went to investigate, only to spot Vallis and Rellac emerging, both carrying boxes filled with the recycled materials Dakk used to create his more eccentric pieces of furniture.
“Warrior Dakk,” Vallis said, lifting his box higher. “Good news. The fire didn’t reach all the boxes in the storeroom. All the wood is gone, but most of the materials that we scavenged from the debris field in sector 21 are still usable.”
“That is good news,” Dakk agreed. He looked between his assistant and his closest friend. “The building is in excellent order. Do I have you two to thank for cleaning it up?”
“We wanted you to be able to spend extra time with your new mate,” Rellac said.
“That is most thoughtful of you,” Dakk said, truly touched. “I cannot thank you enough, and I hope to repay the favor to you both one day soon.”
The three males began sorting the supplies in the boxes. Once that task was complete, Rellac departed for warrior training, hoping to catch the last few sparring rounds, while Vallis stayed to help Dakk look over the apprenticeship applications.
To Dakk’s relief, Vallis was eager to assist and seemed not at all offended that Dakk hadn’t asked him to become his apprentice. While they read over the applications, the young male spoke of his upcoming warrior training with enthusiasm, as well as his desire to eventually be assigned to Commander Fullatt’s unit, a unit that was known for traveling to the edges of known space.
“In six moon cycles, you’ll be of age and can begin your warrior training,” Dakk said, pride filling him as he peered down at the young male. At some point during the last two years, he’d begun to think of Vallis as a brother. “I know you will do well in training, and it will be my honor to sponsor you.”
“Thank you, Warrior Dakk. I am grateful that you are willing to sponsor me.” Vallis peered at the application on the screen, leaning closer as he lifted his eyebrows. “Ah, Horron, son of Brekka. I know him personally and believe he would be a good fit. He isn’t due to enter warrior training for another year, and he wishes to remain on New Vaxx, as his parents and siblings—three brothers and two sisters—all survived the war, as they were visiting friends on an outpost during the Irrcons’ attack on Vaxxlia, and he wants to remain close to them. He is the oldest child in his family.”
Dakk took a closer look at Horron’s application and liked what he saw. He sent the young male a message, asking him to come in for an interview, and before the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Dakk had successfully hired his new apprentice.
With the shop in order and Horron scheduled to start in three days, Dakk decided to visit the lead investigator, Commander Moxx, even though he doubted any new information had been uncovered yet. If Commander Moxx’s team had learned something important about the fire, Dakk would’ve been informed.
A quick conversation with the commander confirmed Dakk’s suspicions—there were no new leads yet. But the commander was working furiously to discover the source of the accelerant. If they could determine when and where the accelerant was acquired, tracking the arsonist down would be much easier. Commander Moxx assured Dakk that investigating the fire was his highest priority—crime was virtually unheard of in Starzzia and the commander took any law-breaking personally.
On his way home to Macy, Dakk passed a flower stand and paused, watching as a Vaxxlian-human couple perused the flowers, until the Vaxxlian warrior finally purchased a bouquet for his human female. The female accepted the bouquet with a smile and kissed her mate on the cheek, and the couple eventually took off down the street, arm in arm, looking as though they were deeply in love.
A day ago, witnessing such a display of affection would’ve filled Dakk with longing and jealousy, but not anymore. Instead, watching the happy couple reminded him that he had a sweet wife of his own waiting at home. Macy. And Star God, how he couldn’t wait to return to her.
But he didn’t wish to return empty handed. Even though he’d locked her in his house for her own safety, as well as for his peace of mind, he still felt guilty that she couldn’t enjoy the same freedoms as most mated females. A present—like a huge bouquet of flowers—might help remind her of his devotion and perhaps help soothe any hurt feelings. She’d claimed to understand his reasons for locking her in, but he’d been gone for half the day already and worried she might be growing restless.
He purchased a bouquet of red roses, a flower native to Earth that had been brought to New Vaxx by the human females who’d settled here, and hurried in the direction of his home.
Before he stepped on the front walkway, he used his wrist comm to deactivate the force field surrounding his house. He ran up the steps, unlocked the door, and entered the white stone structure, thankful that he was finally returning to Macy.
An unusual but mouthwatering scent hit him, and he paused and inhaled deeply, wondering what it was he smelled. The food replicator couldn’t produce such strong scents. Was Macy cooking a meal from scratch?
He followed the sounds of clattering dishes and humming. Pausing in the kitchen doorway, he took in the sight of Macy bent over as she peered into the oven while humming a melodious tune under her breath.
My wife. My mate.
Coming home to his female for the first time filled him with joy.
“Hello, yummiska.”
“Oh!” She shot upward and turned around, holding a hand over her heart. “Dakk! You scared me! I didn’t hear you come inside.” Then she laughed. “Skylar always sneaks up on me too. Well, so do a lot of people. I guess I get lost in my own little world sometimes and don’t notice when someone is getting close.”
He walked around the counter and closed the distance between them, eager to take her in his arms and comfort her, even if she was laughing now. But he was still holding the roses, so he offered her the bouquet instead, hoping it would make for a good peace offering.
“I’m sorry I scared you, my sweet mate. I promise I’ll make more noise when I come home from now on,” he said, offering her the roses. “Here. These are for you. The merchant told me they are called roses, a flower from Earth. Are you familiar with them?”
Her lips parted on a slight gasp, and her eyes went wide, a look of disbelief crossing her face. “Oh my goodness! I love roses, and red is my favorite color!” She peered at him with tears gleaming in her eyes. She accepted the bouquet and stood on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Dakk.”
“You’re very welcome, and I am glad you like them, yummiska.” He glanced at the oven. “By the way, whatever you’re cooking smells delicious. I have never smelled anything like it before.”
“It’s lasagna, and I’m about to make garlic rolls to go with it, and a big salad too.” She found a vase in the cabinets, put the flowers in it, and added water. “Um, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my sister over for dinner tonight. She’ll be here at any moment. Myadd said he would drop her off in the late afternoon and pick her up in the evening. Is-is that okay? Perhaps I should have asked you first, but—”
“I will be happy to meet your sister, Macy,” he said, interrupting her nervous chatter. He took the vase from her and set it on the counter, then he drew her into his arms and placed a kiss upon her cheek. “This is your home too, and I want you to feel comfortable here. You may invite company over whenever you wish, and you don’t need to ask for my permission first.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“Brace yourself,” Macy said with an apologetic look. “Skylar means well, and I love her to the moons and back, but she can be a handful sometimes. I’m just warning you now—she’s going to talk your ear off and ask you a million questions.”
Dakk grinned. “I’m up for the challenge.”
