Page 13 of Draevan

He suddenly found himself thinking of all the ways he might woo the young woman. Then he nearly scoffed aloud. He was a fierce Vaxxlian warrior, a respected commander who’d never lost a battle, and he was unaccustomed to such… tender thoughts.

He suddenly noticed the framed photographs and colorful posters that hung on the wall in the music room. Most seemed to depict Cora, though if it was her in all the photos, she was wearing strange attire that sparkled and revealed a shocking amount of flesh. She also wore so much makeup that she looked almost like a different person. Was she some kind of performer? In some of the images, she was holding an instrument with strings or was seated in front of a piano, her face bent close to what appeared to be a speech amplifier.

Before he could contemplate Cora’s possible career as a performer—a musician—Meela emitted a delighted squeal. When he looked at his niece, she was staring straight at him, having finally noticed him peering through the doorway. The child giggled and plucked a few more keys on the piano, humming loudly and eventually singing in her own way. She wasn’t singing any actual words from what he could tell, but it fascinated him, nonetheless. It also brought a smile to his lips, one that made his cheeks ache since he was so unfamiliar with the expression. But it felt good to smile. It felt even better to see Meela having such a wonderful time with Cora. During the three moon cycles she’d been in his care, he had never seen her looking so joyous or animated.

Fate.

The word echoed in his head.

Yes, perhaps fate had led him to Cora.

Dare he to hope?

“Ah, there you are,” Cora said with a smile as she continued playing the song until reaching the conclusion a few moments later.

Meela beamed at Cora, then leaned closer to her and wrapped her arms around the human woman, hugging her tightly. Draevan was heartened by how quickly Meela was becoming attached to Cora. Yes, he’d worried it would take a while for the baby to become comfortable in the company of a complete stranger, but he was pleased to find that his concerns had been unfounded.

“Yes,” Draevan finally said. “Here I am. All your belongings are loaded on my cruiser, Cora, and I’ve already made arrangements for a shipping company to pack your piano and bring it to New Vaxx. I’ve informed the guards too so they will know to expect them and allow the movers into your apartment. Captain Ambers has promised to personally oversee the packing of your piano.”

Cora rose from the piano bench and hoisted a still-smiling Meela onto her hip. “That is great news. I can’t thank you enough, Draevan. Perhaps as I teach Meela how to speak Galactic Common, I can also teach her how to play the piano.”

“That is an acceptable plan,” Draevan replied, trying to maintain his smile even though it was beginning to feel awkward. Despite his approval of Cora, as well as his attraction to her and his ponderings about fate, there were moments he feared it could all be ripped away from him in an instant.

He knew all too well how quickly joy could turn to grief. The war against the Irrcons had taught him that nothing was ever certain. Death, destruction, and loss could come for anyone at any time.

Draevan drew in a deep breath. “It is time,” he announced as he reached out a hand to Cora. “It is time to leave Earth.”

Chapter 6

Cora watched as Draevan carefully fed Meela a bottle of milk. Once the baby finished drinking, he lifted her and gently patted her back until she burped. Then he rearranged her in his arms and began rocking her gently. He hummed a tune Cora didn’t recognize, though it was pleasing to the ear. He had a gratifyingly deep voice that rumbled through her even when he was just humming.

As Meela’s eyes fluttered shut, Draevan peered at Cora with a wistful look. “She likes to be rocked like this before being put in her crib,” he whispered. “Her mother used to sing to her, but I feel I’m better at humming.”

“Your humming is pleasant and in tune,” Cora whispered. “I would imagine you have a wonderful singing voice.”

For the second time since meeting Draevan, a blush suddenly clung to his cheeks. It made Cora’s heart stutter. Her mouth also went dry. Goodness.

“I am afraid I don’t know any songs that are… appropriate for children. I only know the lyrics to Vaxxlian war ballads, and those are much too violent to sing to a child just before bedtime. I-I meant to learn a few lullabies so I might sing to my niece, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Meela has only been in my custody for three moon cycles, and in addition to caring for her, I’ve been busy helping my people build our new settlement as well as training the warriors under my command.”

“I see. So… her parents died very recently? Forgive me, but I don’t quite know when the war against the Irrcons ended.”

“Yes.” He pressed a kiss to the baby’s forehead, then continued rocking her. “After the Irrcons destroyed our planet, killing most of our females and far too many children, our warriors were filled with grief and rage. We converged on the Irrcon fleet and killed nearly every last Irrcon in existence. Only a few escaped, and they were driven to the far reaches of known space. But… back to Meela. Only a day after Vaxxlian forces decimated the Irrcon fleet, I received a message that my parents were dead, and so were my brother and his mate. But Meela had been found in the wreckage of a ship that had departed Vaxxlia just before the fateful attack on our homeworld.”

“I’m so sorry about your parents and your brother and his mate. Oh, how sad. Meela is lucky to have you though. You are so sweet with her. I can tell you love her very much, and likewise, she loves you.”

Draevan cleared his throat and shifted in place, his gaze suddenly darting around the room.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you,” Cora said. “I’m trying to give you a compliment.”

He finally met her eyes, though he still appeared somewhat uneasy. “Thank you,” he said in a tone that sounded almost comically begrudging.

Did he really not believe he was a good father figure to Meela? It broke Cora’s heart to think that he had doubts about his parenting abilities. From what she’d seen so far, he was an excellent caregiver to his baby niece, attentive and affectionate, more so than many human men might be.

She glanced out the viewport and gasped at the sight of Earth growing smaller by the moment. Though she’d been anxious to leave the planet of her birth, her stomach still flipped, and she felt a sudden wave of uncertainty.

“Don’t worry,” Draevan said. “The autopilot controls on my ship have never malfunctioned. Even though I’m not at the helm, I promise we’re perfectly safe and we’ll reach the Eshunna Passage soon. In just a few hours.”

“Oh, I wasn’t worried about that,” Cora said, deciding to be honest. “It’s just a bit startling to see Earth disappearing so quickly, especially since it’s probably the last time that I’ll ever see my home planet. Not that I have any desire to return…” She flushed, trying to decide whether to reveal why she wanted to leave Earth. For a reason she couldn’t fathom, she didn’t want to mention the stalker. It was a scary part of her life that she simply wanted to forget and never mention again.