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“It means a special honor.”
“Tommy, what did I tell you?”
Ida appeared in the doorway, tiny tendrils of hair curling around her flushed face and looking far too appealing for his peace of mind.
“You said I could ‘splore.”
“This isn’t exploring. It’s interrupting Temel while he’s working.”
“I don’t mind,” he said quickly. “And the door was open.”
She shot him a look he couldn’t read, but held out her hand to her son.
“Come along now.”
Tommy gave a sigh that seemed too big for his small body and climbed down from the chair looking so dejected that he started to insist the boy could stay. He caught her amused head shake just in time.
“I know. It’s a hard, hard life.” Her hand brushed across the dark curls. “But maybe helping me with the apples will make you feel better.”
The boy’s dejection magically disappeared and he grinned up at his mother before racing off to the kitchen.
“He was acting?”
She laughed. “Let’s just say he was exaggerating because he didn’t want to leave. I think he likes being around another male since he’s usually surrounded by girls.”
“Was he close to his father?”
The question popped out before he had a chance to reconsider, and he immediately regretted it when her laughter vanished.
“No,” she said quietly, then followed her son.
What kind of male would not appreciate such a bright, engaging child? Despite his own father’s many flaws, they had spent a considerable amount of time together—although not for his benefit as it turned out.
He was still pondering the matter when he heard a familiar icy voice in the kitchen.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my kitchen?”
CHAPTER 8
Ida stared up at the big, angry alien who’d just stormed into the kitchen, her pulse racing. He was as tall as Temel, although not as broad, and his skin was pale lavender. She’d always thought of it as a soft, pretty color, but there was nothing soft about the male glowering at her. He was dressed all in black and his dark purple hair was cut military short, revealing sharp pointed ears.
Behind her, Dora gasped and Angel let out a soft whimper. The stranger flicked a quick glance in their direction with eyes that glowed an eerie white before looking back at her.
“Well?” he snapped.
Refusing to let him intimidate her, she straightened her shoulders and returned his glare.
“I am cooking dinner, and if I were you I’d be ashamed to call this my kitchen considering the state it was in.”
Those eerie eyes flicked around the kitchen before returning to her.
“Perhaps I liked it that way.”
“Or perhaps you simply didn’t like cleaning it, Kalpar.”
Temel’s deep voice came as a welcome relief, but she did her best to hide her reaction.
“And I suspect you know exactly who they are considering you were the one who told me they were missing,” Temel continued. “Now step back.”
