Page 13 of Offering Herself to Darkness

“She’s the reason I’m here,” Nora said simply. “After my sister died and I adopted Anna, I knew I would do anything to keep her safe. Anything to protect her.”

“Then I will take that vow as well,” Xarex looked at her intently. “As long as we are Joined, Anna will also be a priority for me. I’ll do anything in my power to help her and safeguard her.”

Nora was touched but she wasn’t sure if she could truly believe him. Lots of men would say anything at all to get into a woman’s pants. But then, Xarex didn’t have to say anything because she had already signed a contract giving him full access to her body.

“Thank you,” she said simply, nodding at him. “Er, do you know what time it is?”

He glanced down at the complicated timepiece he wore around his wrist. It seemed to tell time for several different time zones—or maybe it was several different planets.

“I believe your appointment for Anna is in fifteen minutes,” he told her. “We should leave now if we want to make it to the Med Center on time.”

“Oh—okay! Let me go get her!”

Nora hurried over to the group of children and took her daughter by the hand.

“Come on, sweetie—we need to go see the doctor now,” she told her.

Anna gave her a long-suffering sigh.

“But we just started playing! I’m tired of seeing doctors.”

“I know you are. I am too. Hopefully this will be the last one we have to see for a while,” Nora told her. “Come on—say goodbye to your new friends. We need to go.”

Anna sighed again but allowed herself to be led away.

“Okay, we’re ready,” Nora said when she got back to Xarex. “Can you tell me which way to go please?” It was her first time aboard the Mother Ship and she had no idea how to get to the Med Center.

“No need—I will take you,” he rumbled. “Come—we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.”

He set off, striding over the grassy field and Nora and Anna hurried to keep up with him. However, his stride was so long that she was taking two and three steps for every one of his and after a few minutes, she found they were falling behind. Also, a glance down at Anna had her immediately worried—her daughter’s lips were turning blue and she was gasping as she tried to keep up with the adults.

“Wait!” Nora called. Crouching down, she took Anna’s face in her hands. “Breathe, sweetie!” she urged. “Just concentrate on breathing and catching your breath.”

And then Xarex was beside them.

“Is everything all right?” He sounded anxious and his brow was furrowed.

“She just can’t keep up with that fast pace,” Nora explained. “She’s on oxygen—she isn’t supposed to exert herself.”

“Forgive me,” he said and the look on his face was genuinely contrite. “I didn’t think—I was just concentrating on getting to the Med Center on time.” He looked at Anna. “Would it be all right if I carried you? We can go much faster that way.”

Weakly, Anna nodded.

“All right, Daddy,” she whispered faintly.

“All right then. Here we go.”

Xarex scooped her up and held her seated in the crook of one muscular arm. Then he looked at Nora.

“Are you ready to go on?”

“Yes, I’m ready.” She straightened up. She couldn’t believe how naturally her scary boss seemed to be taking to fatherhood. But she was grateful that he was willing to carry Anna. Though she was light, it still would have been hard to keep up with his long strides if she was carrying the little girl herself.

“Let’s go then,” Xarex said and they were off again.

Nora just hoped they made it on time.

7

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