Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Lucy stood on the porch with one hand resting on Cody’s shoulder while Lisa waved enthusiastically beside them.
The image struck him with sudden familiarity–he had seen almost exactly the same thing in one of his dreams. A family standing together, waiting for Terra to return. Only in the dream, Taurex had been standing beside her.
He looked at the woman in the passenger seat. Terra was fastening the safety harness and studying the controls with open fascination, completely unaware of the thoughts moving through his mind.
Taurex started the shuttle.
Slowly, take things slowly, he told himself for perhaps the hundredth time.
But as the golden vehicle lifted silently from the cracked driveway and began moving toward the street, he found himself smiling.
Meeting Terra’s family hadn’t frightened him away. It had done precisely the opposite. It had made him want her—and the life that came with her—even more.
He just hoped he could convince her they belonged together when the time came but for now, he was determined to take things slowly and not frighten her off.
He had no idea how quickly things were about to change.
18
TERRA
The trip to the Monstrum Mother Ship was one of the most amazing and awe-inspiring things Terra had ever experienced. She watched with wonder as they flew past the moon and whizzed through the blackness of space. When the rounded red side of Mars loomed above them in the shuttle’s viewscreen, she felt like she was right in the middle of a science fiction movie.
Then she saw the vast golden gleam of the Monstrum Mother Ship orbiting the red planet and was even more amazed.
“That’s the size of a city!” she exclaimed. “A really big city.”
Taurex nodded.
“It holds the remains of my people and–for those who are lucky enough to find them–their mates.”
“Do many Monstrum find human mates?” Terra asked, giving him a sidelong look.
“A fair number,” Taurex rumbled. “You may meet Commander Rarev’s mate. She is an official in the British government.”
“Wow, she must be a really strong woman,” Terra murmured.
He nodded.
“She is admirable–Commander Rarev’s equal in every way.”
Terra looked down at her hands.
“I guess she doesn’t have to worry about anyone finding out she used to be a stripper,” she murmured.
“You don’t either, because you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Taurex said firmly.
Terra looked up and saw that he was looking at her intently.
“You say that, but you weren’t the one on that stage taking off your clothes and dancing for money,” she pointed out.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
“Well, I doubt anyone would pay me to take off my clothes,” he rumbled. “But I saw you on that stage, Terra, and I respect you. You did what you had to do to protect and provide for your family. There is no shame in that.”
Terra had been telling herself that exact same thing for ages, but she still felt validated by the big Monstrum’s words.
“Thank you,” she said to him. “Thank you for not looking down on me or making me feel less-than because of my time stripping.”
“I would never do such a thing,” he said seriously. “You don’t look down on people you care about–people who are important to you.”
“Well, my ex might disagree with you,” she said dryly. “If he ever found out I’d been stripping he would have used it to try and take the kids away from me.”
“Then he never really loved you,” Taurex said firmly. “And any male who won’t provide for his younglings is beneath contempt.”
The growl in his voice surprised Terra and she realized the big Monstrum really felt strongly about her ex and his refusal to pay child support, which she had mentioned only once, in an off-hand way.
“I take it that Monstrum take care of their kids, then?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“It is a mark of pride for us to provide for our family–when we are lucky enough to have one,” he said gravely. “If the Goddess blessed me with a family, I would provide for them and protect them with my life.”
Terra wondered if he was trying to tell her something. She had definitely noticed how quickly her kids had taken to her Monstrum boss and he seemed to like them as well. Even her mom liked him, and that was saying something–her mom had been skeptical of every man she’d ever dated. She had absolutely hated Jackson and Terra had often wished she’d listened to her mom’s intuition before she started dating her ex.
So was Taurex saying he would like to protect and provide for her family?
The thought made her heart flutter but before she could explore it further, they flew through what looked like a giant window in the side of the Mother Ship and landed.
Taurex helped her unfasten her safety harness and led her through the vast, echoing Docking Bay which was filled with the golden Monstrum shuttles. Then he led her down a long corridor that made Terra’s eyes go wide.