Page 2 of Draevan

Perhaps that was what he needed to look for when he signed up for VAMOB. He could stipulate that his future mate be willing to help care for Meela, explaining from the beginning that the little girl would be part of their family. He would still provide for them and ensure they wanted for nothing, but his human mate could give Meela the daily care and affection he feared he wasn’t entirely capable of providing.

It seemed a reasonable arrangement.

More importantly, it would give Draevan’s niece the stable, loving home that she deserved.

At last, the sun rose over the mountains, and golden light streamed through the window, bathing Meela’s tiny face in a warm glow.

He glanced at his wrist comm, checking the time, and sighed. He hated to wake his little niece when she was sleeping so peacefully. But he was already late for warrior training in the arena, and he’d been late more often than not recently. He couldn’t continue to neglect his duties as a commander.

He leaned over Meela’s crib and brushed her hair from her face. As she stirred in her sleep, he endeavored to wear a gentle expression. A fatherly expression. He thought of his brother and how wonderful he’d been with Meela, just how much the child had adored him, and another ache pierced his chest. Would his little niece ever view him as a father figure? Would she ever love him half as much as she’d loved his brother?

Meela finally opened her eyes and stretched with an overly dramatic groan that belied her youth. It was the sort of weary sound a seasoned warrior might make as he woke up for an early patrol shift. To Draevan’s surprise, he found himself smiling again. Yes, he loved Meela with all his heart. If only he knew how to show her. If only he had the disposition of his late brother. Harvat had completed the requisite warrior training and had fought the Irrcons during the war, but he’d been a healer among their people, a natural talent that had helped him save lives and had given him a gentler temperament than Draevan’s.

As Draevan recalled how brightly Meela’s face used to light up whenever his brother walked into the room, his confidence in his own abilities as a caregiver plummeted even more.

“Good morning, Meela,” he said. “It’s time to wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast. We’re running late and we must leave as soon as possible.” Did she understand what he was saying? Most Vaxxlian babies could speak in short sentences by the time they were eight months old, though Meela wasn’t doing so yet, and Draevan wasn’t quite sure how much of what he said she could actually understand.

He also couldn’t help but notice how much smaller she was compared to most babies her age, though a healer had recently told him that she was developing normally; she simply happened to be on the small side. Despite what the healer had told him, he couldn’t help but worry about her delayed speech and slight build. What if she wasn’t thriving because he wasn’t an adequate caregiver for her?

Meela glanced around the room, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. “Mama. Daddy,” she whispered. Her bottom lip trembled.

Draevan lifted her out of the crib. He held her close as he stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, little star, but your mother and father aren’t here. But you are safe with me. I will take care of you. I promise. I am your Uncle Draevan, and I love you very much.” He said the same thing to her almost every morning when she awoke, and each time it shattered his heart anew.

After comforting Meela for a while, he changed her diaper, got her dressed, and fed her breakfast. He watched as she devoured a bowl of berries, a large muffin, and a bottle of yukuna milk. At least she was eating more these days. When he’d first started taking care of her, getting her to eat or drink anything had been a challenge.

The windows were open, and voices drifted in from the street along with a cool breeze. The residents of Starzzia were waking up and starting their day, heading to work, walking their children to school, or simply out for a morning stroll.

A few moon cycles ago, when Vaxxlia was destroyed, it felt as though life had ended. Draevan hadn’t been able to imagine how his people might go on, especially with most of their females and too many children gone. And yet they’d found a habitable planet to settle on, built a city, and started mating with human women.

His people had found a new way to move forward.

A way to survive and continue to grow their numbers.

All Vaxxlian warriors were expected to claim a human woman, attempt to procreate, and raise a family on New Vaxx. In the aftermath of the war, it was important that they try to increase their population as quickly as possible.

It was only a matter of time before one of Draevan’s superiors started asking questions about why he hadn’t signed up for the VAMOB program yet.

Of course, his main reason for wanting to procure a human female was for Meela’s benefit. The child clearly needed a mother, someone who was a gentler and more nurturing caregiver than he was.

As he carried Meela toward the daycare facility near the training arena, he considered how to fill out the VAMOB application to ensure he received a human female who would be suited to caring for the eight-month-old baby.

The human women who signed up for the VAMOB program did so because they were usually desperate to escape Earth. Though Draevan had never visited Earth, he’d heard the planet was failing. Apparently, many countries were at war or experiencing famines and droughts, and most areas of the planet were considered unsafe. He’d also heard about plagues that were spreading and decimating entire towns.

And so, he decided he could afford to be rather selective when he signed up for the VAMOB program. Though the Intergalactic Dating Agency ran the program and made the matches, he hoped they would accommodate his special circumstances. When he filled out the application, he would make it very clear that he was more interested in a mating union of convenience, one in which the human female would devote herself to caring for Meela while he provided for them both. He would be providing a woman who was desperate to escape Earth with a safe refuge, and in return she would help raise his baby niece.

He tried not to think about whether he would feel any attraction to the woman. For her protection, they would have to consummate their mating union immediately, no matter his feelings for her. If he failed to claim her and cover her in his scent, unmated males in Starzzia would undoubtedly notice and try to steal away with her.

But the most important aspect of the arrangement would be the nurturing care Meela would receive. He made a mental note to include his desire for a woman who adored children, especially babies, on the VAMOB application.

Suddenly, he felt lighter. More hopeful.

His plan would work. He hugged Meela tighter to his chest, then smiled down at her as she peered at him with large green eyes that were so much like his brother’s. Yes, his plan would work. It had to. He would not fail his sweet baby niece.

To his relief, Meela didn’t fuss when he dropped her off at daycare. She brightened at the sight of the colorful room where the other babies and toddlers were looked after, and he handed her off to one of the workers, a young human woman named Veronica who was mated to a warrior in his unit.

As Draevan headed for the training arena, Feral rushed out of the gates toward him. The Vaxxlian warrior was one of his oldest comrades and one of his people’s most skilled assassins. Draevan considered himself fortunate to call Feral a friend and have him as one of the warriors in his unit.

“Good morning,” Draevan said.