Mail Order Mom, page 12
Inie shrugged. “Well, maybe he feels some guilt for killing their mother and siblings.”
“It’s just so... Horrible.”
“It is. Imagine how I feel, seeing this criminal literally getting away with murder. My poor Gelnall has been dead for over a decade now, and her killer is still walking free.”
Xavran squared his shoulders, heading our way in long, determined strides. My heart squeezed with worry. I sensed nothing good could come out of an encounter with his former mother-in-law.
The ground between him and us moved suddenly. The perfect pattern of the cobblestones cracked and broke.
“What’s going on?” I spread my arms wide for balance. “Is it an earthquake?”
Color drained from Inie’s face. She stared at the large mound that rose from the ground.
“We need to go home... Engage the shields... Home...” she kept saying rapidly, not moving an inch.
“Susanna!” Xavran shouted. “The children!”
He lunged our way, but the dirt jerked higher, throwing him backwards and off his feet.
Panic exploded around us. People screamed, rushing away from the mound.
The children!
I looked around wildly.
Illal was there, grabbing my hand.
“Daddy!” Ivex ran past me toward his dad, but the mound of dirt rose in his way.
“Ivex! Come here!” I got hold of his shoulder. “Where’s your brother?”
The boy pointed at the nearby table. Xilvo climbed from under it, the bowl with shohe fruit in his hands.
“Come here, Xilvo.” I waved at him.
We had to run, but where?
People rushed in every direction. The Ravil ambassador ushered Mara out from under the gazebo. I directed the children to follow them, but the ground kept rising all around us. The trench encircled the small group of people that included us, cutting all of us off from the exits.
Everyone seemed to try to stay as far from the churning soil as possible, and I did the same, stepping back.
“Stay close, guys,” I said to the kids. “Where is Ene?”
I searched the chaos erupting all around us for her small figure.
Patches of grass, clumps of dirt, and loose path stones shot up into the air as if blasted out from an underground cannon.
“Watch out!” I drew the kids closer to me, trying to shield them with my body.
A cobblestone hit me on the shoulder. I ducked my head under my arm.
“Susanna!” Xavran’s voice reached me through all the noise and shouting. “Don’t move!”
Don’t?
Did he want us to stay still? When everything around us was in motion? Even the hedges got uprooted. The chunks of their roots and branches shot up into the air, propelled by some invisible force.
What was happening?
“Hogas worm!” someone shouted.
The mound right in front of us grew even higher. A black, glossy dome rose out of it. It stretched upwards, narrowing into a thick column that towered over us.
The smooth end of it split open, then expanded, like a humongous umbrella. The inside of it was dark and glossy, like liquid ink, edged with circular rows of black, shiny teeth.
The monster hovered over us. The most nightmarish abomination I’d ever seen, either in dreams or reality.
Cold terror spread through me. My muscles vibrated with the urge to run.
But where?
The circle of the raised dirt surrounded us, moving closer, tightening around us.
“Don’t move, Susanna!” Xavran yelled again, his voice thick with horror but also filled with determination.
He ripped the bracers from his forearms, revealing long, curved horns flattened from the sides, like blades.
Tossing the bracers away, he stomped his feet. Other men, outside of our “circle of doom,” did the same, stomping and shouting, obviously trying to divert the attention of the terrifying creature away from us.
The thing didn’t fall for it, though. Whatever this monster was, it had obviously set its sights on the few of us it had entrapped.
I wrapped my arms tightly around all three of the kids, willing my legs not to move, my feet rooted in place. Fear shook me, making my teeth chatter and my knees weak.
The giant umbrella swayed downwards toward us. A woman next to me whimpered, shrinking away from the creature.
As if having waited for that, the thing lunged for her. She leaped back, swerving out of its way. A man jumped forward, shielding the woman with his body. The edge of the “umbrella” mouth caught on one of the horns on the man’s shoulder. With a hard yank, the creature freed itself, knocking the man off his feet and leaving a long smudge of black blood on his shoulder.
Aldraian men’s bodies had considerably more protection than the women’s. Without the man jumping to her defense, the woman would’ve been severely injured if not killed. As it happened, only the giant worm got hurt. So far.
The man helped the woman to her feet, but neither of them stayed up. The ground shifted right under our feet this time.
I cried out in shock, fighting to keep my balance.
The people outside of the circle still tried to make some noise. They upturned tables and threw things at the creature. All in vain.
Xavran cursed under his breath in frustration.
“Daddy!” Ene ran from the outside into the lit space under the roof.
I pressed a hand to my chest in relief at seeing her safe and sound. Thankfully, she was outside of the circle, free.
Ene stared at us, her eyes glistening with tears.
The giant worm dove for us. And Xavran launched at it from behind. Jumping up, he slammed both arms into the creature. The curved, narrow horns on the back of his forearms sank deep into the smooth, black body of the worm, leaving long slashes as he slid down.
The giant creature was at least ten feet in diameter. The wounds, as long and deep as they were, didn’t do much to stop it, but Xavran definitely had its attention now.
The long column of the monster’s body swayed. The “umbrella” pivoted, whipping around to face Xavran. Then, it dropped down, covering him whole.
“Daddy!” Ene screamed.
From the mess of the upturned dishes on the ground, she grabbed a cauldron, then threw it into the giant worm with all her might.
Terror struck me.
“Xavran!” I screamed. What if the worm disappeared back into the dirt it had come from, taking Xavran with it? “No!”
The sharp tips of his horns poked through the membrane of the “umbrella.” They moved to the base, which was the worm’s neck, then all the way across, spraying ink-black blood. The parts of the creature’s terrible mouth fell apart.
Xavran climbed out from the gash.
He was covered in scratches from the worm’s teeth. His red blood blended with the worm’s black, painting his skin with gore. But he was alive.
The black column of the worm convulsed then collapsed to the ground, the creature’s throat slashed from the inside.
“Daddy!” Ene ran to him. Ignoring the gore and the stench of the worm’s steaming blood, she hugged him tightly.
Climbing over the piles of churned dirt, the rest of the children dashed to them. Xavran opened his arms for all of them.
My legs still shaking, I stepped closer. And he grabbed me, too, in the same wide sweep.
“Family hug,” he rasped.
I leaned into it, spreading my arms around them as wide as I could.
Family.
I’d never felt the meaning of that word as strongly as I did now.
Chapter 15
SUSANNA
“That was disgusting!” Mara sobbed, crying at the kitchen table when the rest of us finally made it home. “What was that thing?”
“Hogas worm,” Xavran said, washing his face, neck, and arms in the stone sink. “A small one. Must be still a baby.”
He put a new pair of rubber-like bracers on, concealing the lethal horns on his forearms.
“A baby?” she yelled, nearly choking on the word. “Why did no one tell me those ugly things existed? I would’ve never come here. Never. Ever!”
Xavran looked tired.
“The shields are up. We’re safe now,” he told her. He placed his hands on the shoulders of Ene and Ivex. Illal and Xilvo kept close too. “I’ll take the children to bed.”
He led them out of the kitchen.
With everyone gone, Mara directed the full force of her distress at me.
“I’ve had it with this place. Why would anyone want to live here? It’s a nightmare! Why did you make me come here? How is being eaten alive any better than decapitation?”
“No one ate you. You’re still alive,” I pointed out.
“Thanks to Ambassador Zeigan. He saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Xavran killed the worm.”
“Oh, please!” She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t make him a hero.”
In my eyes, it totally did. But I felt too exhausted to argue.
“Come, Mara. Have a bath, get some sleep. I’ll do the same.” I just couldn’t deal with her tonight.
I put my arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the kitchen.
“I swear I’m getting off this planet as soon as I can.” She kept complaining on the way to her room. “No one deserves to live like this. It’s barbaric. They don’t even have one decent shop around here. And those things, popping out from the ground, like fucking daisies!” She shuddered.
“Calm down, Mara.” I helped her out of her clothes and into the tub. “We’re safe, now.”
“Safe? We were supposed to be safe all along! That was a freaking country dance or something like it. A family event. It should’ve been as safe as could be.”
“A shield failed, apparently.” I repeated what we’d been told by the authorities when an enraged Xavran demanded an explanation back at the town hall. “It was scheduled for maintenance next month. Someone on the town council had tried to save money by spreading out its maintenance a bit too thin. They will have to re-adjust the schedule after this.”
“Great!” She threw her hands up into the air, then dropped them back in the tub water with a splash. “They’re not only painfully primitive around here but also grossly corrupt.”
“It doesn’t happen often. There hadn’t been a hogas worm attack in Diria for over twenty years before tonight.”
“Ha! Once in a lifetime event! Lucky me.”
I stayed for another minute or two, making sure she’d calmed down enough to go straight to bed after her bath. As irritated as she was, I worried Mara might do something stupid, like make arrangements to go back to Earth or possibly request refuge on Tragul through her new friend, the ambassador. Knowing Mara, even the most outlandish scenario wasn’t off the table for her.
But after lying in the tub for a few minutes, she seemed to have relaxed a little. I bid her good night, then shuffled to my bedroom. Afraid I’d fall asleep in the tub, as tired as I was, I took a quick shower instead.
Before going to bed, however, I threw on a bathrobe over my pajamas and headed out, intending to check on the children quickly. They had been through a lot tonight.
To be completely honest, I wished I could check on Xavran too. The medics had been called to the town hall. They had assessed his injuries and treated his cuts, but I was sure he’d been shaken by the whole ordeal more than anyone. I hoped it wouldn’t keep him awake tonight, as he was going to work first thing tomorrow morning.
After I took the first turn, however, I ran straight into him.
“Oh...” I managed to stop just in time, without crashing into him. But he grabbed my shoulders and drew me close.
“Are you alright?”
“Me?” I asked, pressed to his bare chest. “How are you feeling?”
He’d bathed and changed into a pair of loose sleep pants.
“I’m glad.” He sounded calm. But as he heaved a long breath, a shudder ran through his large body. “Glad that it ended the way it did.”
He was right. It could’ve been much worse. He could’ve lost his entire family tonight. And I... I could’ve lost him. The image of the worm nearly swallowing Xavran would stay burned into my memory forever.
“I’m glad it all ended the way it did too.” I wound my arms around his middle, leaning into the warmth and safety radiating from him.
Best hug ever.
“How are the kids?” I asked, not letting go of him.
“They’re well. I’m so proud of them. Ivex is disappointed that he didn’t get to throw anything at the worm like Ene did.” His wide chest vibrated with a chuckle. “They decided to sleep in one room tonight.”
“I understand them way too well,” I blurted out. “I wouldn’t want to be alone tonight, either.”
Tonight would be great to spend with a family. Except that I only had Mara. And she would kick me out in a flash if I tried to climb into bed with her.
Xavran’s breathing hitched.
“Susanna,” he said softly. “You don’t need to be alone. I’ll stay with you. If you want.”
“Stay,” I breathed out, without taking any time to think. I just wished for him to keep holding me.
That one word was all he needed. His one arm around my shoulders, he walked me back into my room. After closing the gate, he turned me to face him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he easily lifted me off the ground.
“Susanna,” he breathed out my name like a prayer.
I circled his waist with my legs, and he kissed me, carrying me to bed. Wrapping my hands around his horns, I kept him where I wanted him. His kisses proved to be even more addictive than his hugs.
He placed me on the mattress and climbed over me, covering my face with hot, urgent kisses.
Heat spread through me from his touch. Desire raged, stronger than ever. Suddenly, I wanted him more than the air I breathed.
Such a loss of control was...unnerving.
He yanked at the belt of my robe, untying the knot, and I grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“Xavran, please,” I begged. “Slow down.”
All of this was happening incredibly fast. My feelings for him made my head spin, leaving me no time to absorb and adjust. I didn’t come to Aldrai in search of a man. I’d just lost a husband. I wasn’t ready for anything else so soon.
It felt as if I’d just crawled out of a car wreck and was already speeding down a highway on the way to what very well could be another disaster.
“It’s just way too fast,” I pleaded.
He pressed his forehead to my shoulder. “I’m afraid I can’t go slow with you. It’s like a frenzy that only taking you will calm.”
I stroked his back, my fingers trailing up and down the raised bumps over his vertebrae.
“I don’t think I can handle a frenzy, Xavran. It’s too much, too soon, and too...scary.”
He rolled off me onto his side. “I don’t want to scare you. But it is rather intimidating, isn’t it? The moment I met you, my feelings for you have been uncontrollable. Like a wildfire.”
That was exactly how being with him felt to me: wild, hot, and out of control.
I’d promised myself to be honest, so I told him the truth. “I don’t want whatever it is between us to burn out too quickly, leaving us with nothing but ashes. I care about you, but maybe...” I rose on my elbow to see his face better. “Maybe, we should take it slow. To see if something real is possible between us. What do you think?”
Xavran could never be just a fling. I’d never met anyone like him, and that wasn’t because he came from another planet. I’d seen the courage and integrity in him that I’d never seen in any other man.
I didn’t just want him, I admired him. He was someone worth getting to know. He was worth more. I could only hope he felt I was worth more too.
“What do you think?” I asked again, holding my breath in anticipation of his answer.
I’d never put myself out there like that before. But the idea of playing games made me sick to my stomach. The only thing I could do was to say it as it was.
The night was dark. Even the glowing insects had gone to sleep by now, shutting off their tiny golden lights. Only a handful of them still flickered faintly in the canopies of the trees above us, framed by the starry sky above.
Xavran’s eyes glistened in the darkness, unreadable like pools of black ink. “You want more than one night with me?”
I shook my head. “Nights are easy. I want to see how well you and I will keep handling the stress and worries of the days. And maybe sometime in the future, the two of us will decide to spend all our nights and days together.”
I searched his face, trying to guess his reaction. We hadn’t spoken about any of this before. Was I being too straightforward? Would he have preferred games to this kind of blunt honesty? I was sure many people would.
“Would that be something you want?” I asked tentatively.
He lifted his hand to my face, then gently moved away the strand of my hair that had fallen over my forehead.
“Taking it slow will be hard.” A corner of his mouth lifted, curving it into a crooked grin. “In the past decade, I thought I’d become a master of celibacy. But then you came along, and... Well, suddenly, all I can think of is sex. Every day, I try and fail not to imagine you naked. In my bed, on the grass, on the kitchen counter... With your legs spread open, and my tongue—”
I slammed my hand over his mouth. “This is the opposite of ‘taking it slow.’”
He chuckled, removing my hand from his face, then placed a gentle kiss in the middle of my palm.
“All I’m saying is that it’ll be hard.” He placed an emphasis on the last word, arching a brow ridge. “But I will master patience.”
“Really? You would?” I was afraid to believe he understood me and relieved that he did, at the same time.
He tied the belt of my bathrobe back for me. “I feel like I’ve waited for you all my life, Susanna. I don’t mind taking my time now that you’re here.”
