Page 31 of Draevan

Her hair was slightly mussed from sleep and hours of lovemaking, and he thought she’d never looked more beautiful. For a moment, all he could do was stare. Yes, even after almost a moon cycle of having the pretty human as his mate, he still frequently found himself captivated by her spirit and her beauty.

“I am sure I don’t want to try coffee,” he finally answered. “It smells like a muddy, fermenting pond.”

“Fine, then. More fermented pond water for me.” She took a long sip, while peering at him playfully over the rim of the mug, her eyes glimmering with laughter.

Draevan glanced at the bowl of fruit Meela had barely touched. No matter how much he tried to coax her to eat something, she didn’t seem interested. “Why won’t she eat breakfast this morning?” he asked, sitting back in his chair as he watched his niece. The nine-month-old baby seemed more interested in watching the colorful birds native to New Vaxx flit among the various bird feeders outside than consuming a single piece of fruit.

“Well, I’ve been giving her the same kind of fruit almost every day for two weeks now, since it is what is ripest from the gardens.” Cora took another sip of coffee, then turned to the food replicator. “She’s probably growing tired of eating the same thing every day. She just needs some variety. Here, let’s try this.”

Her hands flew over the control pad of the food replicator, and a moment later, a bowl filled with oatmeal topped with red berries appeared. She placed a spoon in the bowl and turned around.

Draevan eyed the bowl dubiously as Cora approached Meela. He’d seen his mate eat the beige mush called oatmeal a few times before, but he found the food rather tasteless and doubted his niece would like it. But to his surprise, as soon as Cora placed the bowl in front of Meela, the baby reached for the spoon and started scooping huge amounts of the mush into her mouth.

Cora took a seat next to Draevan and side-eyed him with another playful look. “Variety,” she said with a grin.

Draevan shook his head, but he couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips. Somehow, Cora always seemed to know what Meela needed.

He looked at the little girl again, watching as she happily shoveled another spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth, and he marveled at just how much Meela had changed during the last month.

When Cora had first arrived on New Vaxx, Meela had been a quiet, withdrawn baby who often awoke screaming from nightmares, but now she was almost always smiling. She laughed frequently, babbled constantly, and had become so used to Cora’s presence that she often reached for her new mother before reaching for him.

And she was finally talking.

Not merely babbling or repeating an isolated word, but actually starting to form short sentences in both Vaxxlian and Galactic Common. It amazed Draevan every time he heard her say something new.

He’d hoped that having a new mother would be helpful for Meela’s happiness and her development, but he could have never imagined just how quickly his niece would flourish with a new mother.

And he could have never imagined just how much Cora would change his own life. She had somehow slipped into their little family as though she had always belonged there. She fit so naturally into their routines, their home, and their lives that Draevan sometimes found it difficult to remember what their days had been like before she’d come to New Vaxx. It was as though Cora had been the missing piece in their family all along.

And she made everything better. Since her arrival, their lives had become fuller and happier. Even the quiet moments felt different with her there. He enjoyed returning home after a long day of training to find her with Meela, whether they were playing in the nursery, walking through the gardens, or simply sitting together while Cora sang softly to the baby.

He’d grown fond of such moments, and he looked forward to coming home each day, since every day was slightly different depending upon what time he stepped through the door. Every day, he discovered a new way Cora brought happiness to their lives. A moment here. A moment there. It all added up and eased the loneliness that had once darkened his heart.

His thoughts returned to Cora’s beautiful singing voice. He had never heard anything quite like it. Soft and sweet when she sang to Meela, but powerful when she allowed herself to truly sing. He’d heard recordings of her music from Earth, and he was still somewhat astonished that his mate had once been famous enough for millions of people to recognize her.

He’d known she was a singer, of course, but he hadn’t understood what that meant on Earth. Apparently, she’d been a pop star. A very famous one.

The first time they’d walked through the main outdoor market in Starzzia and a human female had suddenly called out Cora’s name, Draevan had instinctively stepped between them, prepared to protect his mate from a potential threat. Instead, the woman had simply stared at Cora with wide eyes before excitedly telling her how much she loved her music.

Cora had laughed and thanked her, though at the time, Draevan had been baffled by the encounter.

Since then, it had happened several more times. People occasionally approached Cora on the streets of Starzzia, eager to tell her how much they loved her songs.

It was still strange to him, but he was proud of her. He was even proud to discover she’d started composing music again. Sometimes when Meela was napping, he found her in her music room, furiously scribbling into a notebook or writing on sheet music, a guitar slung across her middle. He’d promised to build her something called a recording studio in one of the spare rooms, and plans were already underway to make it happen. If she wanted to continue sharing her songs with others, he wanted to help her in any way he could. She was his precious mate, and her happiness meant the universe to him.

Now that he knew more about her, he understood just how hard she’d worked to achieve everything she had on Earth, and now that he understood more about her career, he could appreciate just how remarkable her accomplishments had been.

And truly, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Anyone who heard Cora sing would understand why others were drawn to her voice.

He certainly was.

Meela loved it when Cora sang to her, too. The baby would often grow quiet and stare at her new mother with wide, fascinated eyes, as though she had never heard anything so beautiful and calming.

Draevan understood the feeling.

During the past month, he and Cora had also begun sharing the parts of their lives they had once kept guarded, revealing the secrets once held tightly to their hearts.