Epilogue

Two months later...

Calie leaned against the balcony railing, watching the Terran sun set behind the mountains on the far side of the valley. Its last rays speckled the surface of the teal-blue lake below her hillside home in gold and pink fractals, casting light on the surrounding homes, too, their walls and windows gleaming in brilliant silver and white.

It was a busy hour in her new neighborhood. Personal transports arrived and departed from landing pads situated at each home’s ground floor. Pedestrians meandered along paved pathways connecting the community to the lakeshore. Her next-door neighbor and the woman’s five-year-old waved at her. She waved back, smiling.

She’d never tire of the friendly neighborhood vibe, the killer view... A happy sigh escaped her. Or of playing house with a certain hunky cyborg.

Their time on Terra had been pretty great so far. Calie found volunteer work with a local kitty rescue, and Kaden was conducting top secret biz at the Interstellar Aurorae Coalition’s headquarters. When not working or spending heaps of time in the bedroom, they explored Terra on a super speedy little planetary transport—a gift from Captain Rex. Kaden promised they could visit the nearby cyborg home world soon, too. He wanted to show her his world and the home he hoped to share with her there. The possibility of splitting their time between two fascinating planets was fine by her. Ripped off one world, she now had two places to call home.

“I like it here,” Athena piped up from Calie’s bracelet.

“Me, too.” Calie slipped a hand in her jacket pocket, curling her fingers around the two rings Trace had fabricated, based on her design ideas.

Butterflies bounced around in her gut, and her grin widened.

Am I really doing this?

She pivoted and strode to the sliding doors.

Yes. Yes I am.

The entryway recognized her as she neared it and slid open.

Laughter burst out of her.

Kaden sat in the middle of their living room with their five foster kittens using his body as their own personal jungle gym. A gray tabby perched on each of his shoulders, pawing and batting at his hair, while the tuxedo was wrapped around one of his forearms, attempting to shred an imaginary enemy with his back paws and sharp baby teeth. The twin calicos peered out at her from the within the well of Kaden’s crossed legs then switched their attention to the petite ribbon toy her man dangled above their heads.

“They adore you.” Calie joined him on the floor, scooped up the calico babies, and cuddled their wiggly, purring bodies to her chest.

Kaden arched a brow. “I’m nothing more than a convenient tree.”

“Oh, c’mon, you know you’re their daddy.”

“I am no one’s parent.” He plucked a tabby off his head and returned her to his shoulder.

Calie bit her lip, resisting the urge to rub her belly. Not a parent, yet. “You’re a cat papa, and you should be proud of it. Cats are picky. They don’t like or trust just anybody.”

He nodded. “They are wise creatures, then. The universe is filled with danger.”

Too true, and that was why, though Terra seemed like a super safe place, she never left their home unarmed, and Kaden always wore his armor and weapons, as was the cyborg way. “We’ll protect them. We’re cat parents now.”

“You said we were fostering them, before they found their forever homes.”

“Well, the calicos are going to the family next door. And Trace says he wants the fancy man.” Aka the tuxedo cat. It had been love at first purr for Trace and the fluff ball. “But I thought we’d keep the brother and sister tabbies. On Earth, we call that a foster fail.” A happy failure, of course.

With the tuxedo still attached to his arm, Kaden plucked the two tabbies off his shoulders. They immediately declared war on his hands while he watched them in apparent approval. “They’re both fierce warriors. Good additions to our household.”

Calie chuckled, set aside the calicos, then activated the robot mouse by her foot. All five kitties sprang into action, chasing it across the slick floor and out of the room.

Then she crawled onto Kaden’s lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. “What would you think if we added two more?”

“Our home here is large. Our place on Elysium Prime is even larger. Add as many animals as you wish.” He paused, seemed to be reflecting on the many possibilities. “I would prefer more cats, although guard dogs would be a welcome addition, as well.”

“How about...people?”

His brow furrowed. “You wish my team to live with us? Our homes are large enough to accommodate them. However, we’d never again have a moment of peace.”

“Nope. Not them.” She waited a beat. Her man was smart. He would figure it out. Unable to resist helping him get there faster, she palmed her belly, flat now, but not for too much longer.

Kaden sucked in a breath. Gaped at her. Surged to his feet and whisked her to their massive sectional sofa, depositing her dead center.

Settled between her knees, he pressed an ear to her belly.

She stroked his hair. “You can’t possibly hear anything.”

“Not yet,” he murmured. “But soon.” He lifted his head, adoration beaming in his expression. “Babies. Two babies.”

“Twins,” she confirmed.

“You... I... My love—” He took her mouth in a fierce kiss, one she returned with gusto, but before they took this to the bedroom—or more likely ripped off each other’s clothes and did it right there on their comfy couch—she had one more, super important task to accomplish.

She patted him on the back and turned her head away from his seeking, sexy, distracting mouth. “I need to ask you something.”

“Now?”

His grumble made her grin. “Yes, now.” She thumped a spot to her left. “Sit, please.”

“As you wish, my little mate. Mother of my children. Our children...” Moisture gathered in her man’s eyes, and she almost lost it on the spot.

She scrambled to her knees beside him. “No, no, no, stop that. If you start the happy tears, then I’ll start, and then I’ll never get to ask you, because I swear our life is filled with interruptions. Fun ones, for the most part now, sure, but—”

He touched her lips, cutting off her rambling. Her heart raced. Wow, she hadn’t realized how tricky and nerve-wracking this might be. “What is it, Calie? Are you well? Are our children well?”

“Yes and yes.” She pulled the rings out of her jacket pocket, enclosing them in her fist. “Kaden. You stormed into my life when I was at the lowest of low points, sure I was about to die a horrible death after almost a whole year of unimaginable suffering, in a world I hadn’t even known existed.”

A chuckle escaped her. “You were the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. You were also bossy and stubborn, but I am, too, so I think we cancel out each other’s tendencies, in a good way.”

“A very good way,” he echoed, gaze cemented on her face, his expression patient and supportive.

She appreciated his laser focus because her nerves were starting to make her limbs shake. “Okay, speeding things up.” She cleared her throat. “You are kind, thoughtful, smart—”

“And strong.”

“D’uh, Captain Obvious.” She grinned. “I love you.”

“And I, you.”

“And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making babies, rescuing animals, and helping keep my galaxy and yours safe from assholes like the Zyphorrans.”

“Agreed.” He narrowed his eyes. “However, I will not allow you or my children to be put in harm’s way. I will crush anyone or anything daring to—”

“Yes, yes, my hot, hulky He-Man, I give you permission to smite all enemies. Of course.” She opened her fist to reveal the rings. “On Earth, we have a custom. When two people want to commit to each other, they often get engaged and then exchange rings and vows in a ceremony.”

“A wedding.”

“That’s right. You’ve heard of it?”

He nodded. “I may have studied some of your Earth customs.”

“Of course you did.” Her heart warmed. He continued to surprise and impress her with his thoughtfulness. For her part, she had been studying up on all things cyborg. They were a perfect match. “Well, okay, then. We’re going to have a truncated, smooshed up version of those two events, right now, if that’s okay by you.”

“As you wish, my love. Always.”

Oh, my heart. It was her turn to blink back tears as she handed him the ring. “Hold on to that for a sec.”

She took his free hand in hers. “Kaden, I love you, and I promise to be with you always, to work with you to make our lives as awesome as they can possibly be, every day for as long as I live. Will you marry me? Be my partner, my mate, now and forever?”

“Yes.”

Calie slipped the titanium band on his ring finger. Trace had embedded the metal with small gemstones, two blue and two amber. So pretty.

“Your turn, now,” she whispered through a throat tight with happy tears.

He pondered the ring on his finger for a few breaths then cleared his throat. “My Calie, my heart. You are my world. I vow to love, honor, and protect you and our children, for as long as we both exist. Which, by the way, is a very long time. Will you marry me, be my partner, my mate, from this moment forward and forevermore?”

“Yes. I do.” She nodded fast, like a bobble-headed doll as he slipped the band, a replica of his, on her ring finger. “I do, I do! And now we can kiss!”

“Is that all we can do?” Kaden’s eyes blazed.

Her girlie parts somersaulted in glee. “Nope. Not even close.”

“Good. I need to be inside you. Now.” Kaden’s arms blurred as he divested himself of his weapons and armor faster than her human eyes could track.

She tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it aside but stalled out on the pants as her mate, her husband, her partner, her universe, stood over her, in all his wonderful, naked glory, his cock hard and straight and aimed right at her.

He made cyborg-short work of her pants and undies, and then she was blissfully full of Kaden, his powerful thrusts racing her straight into ecstasy.

Sure, they still had some things to sort out. Like outfitting a nursery, deciding on a home or hospital birth, maybe a throw a wedding reception bash to end all bashes, and of course, unraveling the mystery of the Zyphorrans’ interest in her, and—

“Calie.” Kaden stilled, his dick throbbing inside her. “You’re thinking very hard, my love. Do you wish me to stop?”

“No. Absolutely not. This is basically our honeymoon moment.”

He arched a brow. “I recall there are gifts involved in marital unions. Would you like your gift now?”

“You mean you ravishing me until I forget my name isn’t my prezzie?”

“I’ve acquired provisional access to the Terran’s proprietary portal. For a visit to Earth. Tomorrow.”

“ Ohmigod , really?” She squealed and her vagina clamped down on his dick, making him groan.

“Yes. You can go home. For a visit, possibly more. There is much to negotiate with the Terrans...”

Tears, happy ones, leaked out of the corners of her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

“What about your pretty skin? They aren’t worried you’ll freak out everyone on Earth?”

“Camouflage technology will hide my true coloring.”

Calie laughed. “I should’ve known. You guys have a techie answer for everything. Your universe is pretty awesome like that.”

“It has its moments.”

I can go to Earth. Gratitude, hope, and love flowed through her. How had she gotten so lucky? Kidnapped and enslaved by aliens then abandoned to die or be taken by another evil alien race, instead she’d hit the jackpot when a big, beautiful cyborg soldier found her, fell in love with her, and formed a forever partnership with her. With babies...

Her parents would’ve loved him. I love him.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and lured him down for a long, deep kiss as he started to move inside her, whisking them both away on passion.

“Home is wherever you are, Kaden. Now and always.”

Wonderful words to live by, forever, with her cyborg.

* * *