Claus (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #7)

Chapter 13

Aubrey found the Vaxxlian cruiser an impressive feat of technology, and it was much larger than she’d anticipated. Claus’s descriptions had made her think it would be small, but as she and the children followed him down a corridor, she soon realized it was about the size of her house. And to think he’d had the cloaked vessel parked in her backyard for over a week now. She wished she could’ve seen what it looked like from the outside, but for security reasons, Claus didn’t want to remove the cloak, not even for a few seconds.

As they reached the bridge, she was stunned to discover an array of screens that showed live video feeds of her front porch and walkway, the sides of the house, and the backyard. She shot Claus an accusatory look, but she refrained from telling him off because he was currently explaining the navigation system to the boys. Well, she would give him a piece of her mind later.

He'd hacked her security system! Annoyance caused her face to heat, and she shifted in place, feeling her agitation grow. But as she watched him patiently speaking with the children, her exasperation started to wane.

She supposed this was how he’d known about Pete’s visit the other night.

Her face heated anew, but not from anger this time, as she recalled the sight of a barely dressed Claus roaring and chasing Pete away from her house. Those tight sleeping shorts had accentuated his bottom nicely. Not to mention other parts of him…

Okay, maybe she wasn’t that upset about his invasion of her privacy anymore. And, she reasoned, it wasn’t as though she had cameras in the house that he’d hacked. He wasn’t secretly spying on her while she got dressed each morning, just keeping an eye on the goings-on around her home.

Claus appeared at her side and followed her gaze to the screens. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the boys entertaining themselves with a spherical holograph of what she assumed was planet New Vaxx.

“I didn’t realize my security system was so easily hacked,” she said in Vaxxlian, sarcasm lacing her voice. She lifted her eyebrows at Claus, awaiting an explanation. Even though she pretty much understood why he’d done it. He wanted to protect her and the boys, and damn if that didn’t make her heart go pitter patter.

He gave her a quizzical look. “Are you… angry I hacked your security system, sweet human?”

She blew out a long breath. “Not going to lie, I was when I first saw these screens.” She waved at the video feed that showed her front porch. “But I guess if you hadn’t done this, I wouldn’t have had any help throwing Pete down the walkway the other night.” She shook her head. “I’m not mad. Just mildly annoyed you never bothered to mention any of this.”

To his credit, his face became flushed, and he appeared remorseful enough for her liking. “I am sorry I didn’t tell you about the hacking, sweet human, but I only wished to ensure your home remained safe. As you’ve probably surmised, I received an alert when Pete showed up on your doorstep.”

“Yes, I figured, and that’s why it’s really difficult to stay upset with you for more than a second.” That and the memory of you running around in those tight gray shorts. She started turning away from the screens, only to see something from the corner of her eye. She turned back and gasped at the sight of a dozen armed soldiers rushing down the street, running by her house. Some of them cut through her yard. “Oh no,” she whispered. “They’re out early tonight. How unusual. It’s not even dark yet.” Seconds later, a tank rolled by, crushing her mailbox.

Claus gripped her hand and pulled her close. “You and the boys will stay on my ship tonight. I don’t want you going outside, even for the few moments it would take to run into your house.”

Aubrey stared at the violence unfolding on the screens. It looked like two of her neighbors had been dragged out of their houses and shot in the street. Oh God. She glanced at the boys and was glad to find their attention was elsewhere. They were still playing with the holographic planet, spinning it and enlarging various mountain ranges, cities, and other landmarks.

“Aubrey? Please. You must stay on my ship tonight.”

She turned to Claus. “Yes, we will stay here tonight. Thank you for offering. The thought of taking the boys outside right now is terrifying. Um, do you think you could turn the screens off for now? I don’t want them to see the bodies.”

His eyes flared with alarm as he looked at the boys, then he pressed a few buttons and the screens went blank. “Forgive me. I should’ve done that sooner. I don’t believe they saw anything.”

“It’s okay, and thank you. I am glad we’re here tonight. With you.” Worry clutched her. What was going on in McHenry? What had happened to Mayor Dickface’s agreement with the militia groups? They weren’t supposed to come out until well after dark.

Need to leave Earth. Need to leave soon.

Whenever she blinked, she saw the lifeless bodies in the street. Which neighbors had been killed? She thought one of the victims looked like Mr. Saddler from two houses down.

How could she return to her childhood home in the morning with the boys? What if the fighting occurred during the daytime hours again? She thought about the baseball game the children had played in the front yard earlier today. Thank goodness nothing bad had happened then.

She gazed at Claus as the seriousness of her predicament set in. His expression was one of gentle concern, and she kind of loved him for it.

Yes, there it was again, that terrifying “L” word. She’d never fallen so hard and so fast for a man. Was she foolish to want him? Was she an idiot if she agreed to become his mate?

Vaxxlians mated for life.

For life.

Her stomach knotted, and she prayed she would figure out the best course of action. The decision that would keep the boys safe but also happy, fulfilled, and thriving. Taking them away from Earth would change the course of their lives. But Emily had wanted to leave. Emily had hoped to bring the children up on New Vaxx.

“I wish my sister would’ve told me how bad things were getting in McHenry.” Aubrey watched as the boys continued playing with the holographic planet. “If I’d known she wanted to leave Earth, I would’ve helped her. I used to be very wealthy before…”

“Before what?” Claus regarded her with a curious but worried look. “Tell me, sweet human. Please.”

“After I was notified about my sister’s death, I immediately chartered a vessel to Earth. But just before I arrived on Earth, I started receiving alerts that huge numbers of galactic credits were being debited out of my accounts. By the time I got the banking system to put a hold on my accounts, nearly all the money was gone. That’s why I’m still here on Earth with the boys. If I were still wealthy, I would’ve chartered an armed vessel and whisked them off to the Quexxtian Empire weeks ago.” Guilt filled her as she thought about the day he’d proposed a marriage of convenience. “I wasn’t honest with you, Claus, when I first told you why I couldn’t leave Earth. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize, sweet Aubrey.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and peered down at her with a look of understanding. “We were strangers at the time, and I suspect my mating proposal took you by surprise.”

“Well, I thought if you knew how broke I was, you would use it as another reason to try to convince me to marry you and leave Earth. Never mind that leaving Earth is a big goal of mine for obvious reasons,” she said with a pointed look at the blank screens.

Claus opened his mouth to reply, but they were suddenly surrounded by three energetic young boys. “We will finish this conversation later, sweet human. I believe it’s time I served you all dinner. I can hear Marcus’s stomach growling.” He displayed a comforting smile that put her at ease.

“The sooner we feed them,” she said with a laugh, “the sooner they’ll go to bed. Then we can talk some more.”

His eyes twinkled in the overhead lights of the bridge. “I look forward to conversing with you later tonight, sweet human. Alone .”