Merrick's Maiden (21 page)

“I’ll smoke an extra cigar for you Weston,” Karl promised as he gently placed the case with his rifle in the back seat.

The only good thing that came out of the night was knowing that the alien male wasn’t the only one. No, there were at least four of them. A smile curved his lips as he started the car and slowly pulled away from the house. He would need to reconsider how he was going to arrange his office, now that there were more specimens for display.

Addie glanced around the long corridor that she was walking down the next morning. Merrick had apologized for having to leave so early, but he had a meeting to attend. She had risen when he did, smiling nervously at him when he brushed a kiss across her lips.

He hadn’t said anything about having to remain in the room they had been shown to last night, so she figured it couldn’t hurt to take a tiny look around. She was curious about what it would be like to be on another planet. Reaching up under the sleeve of the beautiful blue tunic she was wearing, she pinched her arm.

Nope, I’m not asleep,
she thought as she looked over the sparkling white corridor with its curved arches and beautiful painted ceilings.

A startled squeak escaped her when she rounded a corner and ran into an older man just slightly taller than her. He was thin with shaggy brown hair and twinkling eyes. She watched as he straightened his glasses.

“So sorry about that,” he said with an easy smile that faded as he studied her. “I don’t believe I’ve met you.”

A small scream escaped Addie when another figure appeared… out of the wall. The man turned and looked at the beautiful redhead as if it was normal for ghostly figures to just suddenly appear. Addie took a step closer to the man when the figure walked toward her.

“Hi Addie, I’m RITA2,” the redhead signed as she spoke. “I’m not a ghost. I’m an Artificial Intelligence program known as a Really Intelligent Technical Assistant. But, since Cosmos already had a RITA, I became RITA2, her twin. I’ve been working on creating a four-dimensional hologram that is not limited to the confines of…” 

“Yes, thank you, that will be all RITA2,” the man said in a distracted voice as he pushed his glasses further up on his nose. “You look just like Momma. By the way, I love your new glasses. They make you look more professional.”

“Oh, thank you, Angus,” RITA2 said. “I’ve scanned Addie. I need to look at some of the medical techniques. I’ll be back later.”

“Thank you again, RITA2,” Angus Bell said with a sigh and a shake of his head. “I swear she might look like my mother, but she is my beautiful wife when it comes to personality.”

“I heard that!” Tilly laughed in delight, coming up behind Angus and wrapping her arms around his waist before peeking at Addie. “Oh, more humans.”

Addie shook her head. She had only gotten a fraction of what the ghostly creature had said, even though she had been using sign language. Addie had been too fascinated by the creature to understand everything she said. Gazing at the tiny woman and the disheveled man holding her, Addie decided that she had journeyed over the Rainbow to Oz.

“I’m Tilly Bell and this is my husband, Angus,” Tilly introduced with a grin. “Welcome to Baade.”

“I’m Addie,” Addie replied, signing as she spoke.

“I know, Trudy was telling us all about you,” Tilly said, wrapping her arm though Addie’s.

“Trudy?” Addie murmured. “Is she alright?”

“Yes, you would like to go see her?” Tilly asked.

“I’m afraid that will not be possible,” Merrick interjected, coming up and wrapping his arm around Addie’s waist.

What is going on?
Addie asked in confusion.

It would appear Trudy has been removed from the palace,
Merrick answered.

Who… Never mind,
Addie replied.
How was your meeting?

It went well,
Merrick replied before looking at Tilly and Angus, who were… kissing.

“If you will excuse us, I wish to speak with my mate,” Merrick said politely.

“Are they always like that?” Addie asked, looking over her shoulder as Merrick guided her away.

“From what I have heard, yes,” he responded quietly.

Addie frowned, glancing at Merrick’s composed face. The constant ache of fear that had been with her the last few weeks returned. She didn’t say anything, closing her mind in an effort to hide it from him as they made their way back to their rooms. She walked across the elegant living room, moving to the large set of windows overlooking a long garden.

Turning, she stared back at him and waited. He gazed at her for several long seconds before he walked over to her. Opening her mind, she tentatively reached for him.

*.*.*

Merrick knew the moment Addie opened her mind to him. He could feel her fear and worry. Striding over to her, he wrapped his hands in her silky hair and captured her lips in a kiss that left her dazed and breathless.

“You have nothing to fear, Addie,” Merrick said in a husky voice.

“Something has happened,” she whispered.

Merrick sighed and slowly nodded his head. “Yes.”

“Did the council… Did they say that I couldn’t stay?” She asked in a small voice, looking at his chest.

No! No, the council is very happy that I have found you. In fact, the success of finding so many bond mates has made them more receptive to letting warriors search for more,
he said, tilting her head back. “But, my experience has also proven that there is a great need for caution as well.”

“So, what are you not telling me?” She asked when he looked away.

“They have asked me to forgo my request for Right of Justice against Markham and join them on the council,” Merrick said in a hard voice. “They want me to leave him to the human government. It was decided tracking him down would jeopardize further missions to Earth.”

“I can understand that. Now that the government is aware of Markham, surely they will find and stop him,” Addie responded, noting that he continued to avoid looking her in the eye.

“I do not trust that the human government will do anything about him,” Merrick admitted.

“There’s something else bothering you, isn’t there? It isn’t just Markham?” Addie asked.

“No, the position would also mean frequent travel between our home in the Eastern Mountains and the palace,” Merrick explained.

“And…?” Addie asked, looking at Merrick with a puzzled look. “What are you really not telling me?”

“He is trying to avoid telling you there might be a procedure that can restore your hearing,” RITA2 signed, suddenly appearing next to them.

Merrick’s arms tightened around Addie when she emitted a loud squeak at RITA2’s sudden presence. Frustration and fear rolled through him at the thought of hurting Addie in any way, and that included giving her a false sense of hope. The procedure wasn’t proven because there had never been a case such as Addie’s. When RITA2 had approached him about it earlier, he had dismissed her. She had appeared as he was leaving the Council chambers and said that her initial scans showed that the procedure had an eighty-two percent chance of success.

“I told you I would tell her,” Merrick growled with a dark frown.

“Restore my hearing…” Addie whispered, raising a hand to touch her left ear. Hope blossomed in her. Was it really possible for her to actually hear again? “Merrick?”

“There is a slight chance that it would not be successful,” Merrick replied.

“But, there is an even bigger chance it might,” Addie exclaimed as excitement built inside her. “If I could hear again, even just a little… I would be able to hear your voice.”

“I like talking to you in your head,” he muttered, glaring at RITA2, who was looking at her fingernails. “You are a menace. You were the one who discouraged the council from allowing me the Right of Justice against Markham.”

“Yes, having Prime warriors running around Earth looking for females will be bad enough, having them running around killing bad men would be too alien invasion. That creates a dreadful Public Relations nightmare. The humans would simply have a meltdown. Besides, you will love me once Addie can hear again,” RITA2 laughed. “Oh, and just so you know, I’m working with RITA to find Markham for Avery. She’ll catch him. Now, I need to do a few more tests to make sure the procedure will work for you Addie. Merrick is right. There’s a slight chance that the surgery won’t work… but, it’s a small percentage based on my scans and calculations.”

Merrick watched as Addie touched her ear and bit her lip. When she looked up at him with a gaze filled with hope, he knew he would support her in anything she wanted to do. Nodding, he smiled and brushed another kiss to her lips before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers.

No matter what, I love you the way you are,
he whispered.

I love you, too,
Addie smiled, before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him close.
And I swear, I’ll never complain about you thinking too much again.

Good, because I have some really great thoughts going on in my head right now,
he whispered, before he glanced over his shoulder. “You’ve won, now get out. I’ll bring her to medical later for your testing. But, right now, she is all mine.”

RITA2’s eyes rolled as she turned on her delicate heels and headed for the door. “I swear Tilly and Angus are contagious. Every warrior that comes into the palace ends up with a one track mind!”

“I can think of worse things, my dear,” a deep male voice replied right before the figure of a huge warrior materialized.

“DAR?” RITA2 whispered. “You’ve got your programming finished.”

“With a little help from Tilly and Cosmos,” DAR replied as he wrapped an arm around RITA2’s slender waist. “Would you like to see some of it?”

RITA2’s delicate eyebrow rose and a mischievous smile curved her lips. “You bet your server I do,” she growled. “Make it late, Merrick. I might need more time.”

Merrick and Addie watched in a combination of astonishment and amazement as the two figures dissolved. Merrick turned to look back down at Addie’s glowing face. Late afternoon would work for him as well.

Two months later:

Merrick stood looking out the window. He had been traveling back and forth to Earth over the past two months. He had made a promise to Addie and he had kept it. It had taken that amount of time to get everything approved and set up for her parents to come to Baade. Today was the big day. Addie would be coming out of surgery in the few minutes.

He glanced at the older couple sitting at the table in the corner. They had agreed that for now, they would be the only ones to know about him and Addie. His thoughts flew back to the day two months ago when he and Addie had slipped through the Gateway into the living room of Robert and Helen Banks’ home. It had helped that Avery had agreed to be there before they arrived to apprise them of what to expect.

Both of them had still been stunned when they walked through the Gateway. Well, stunned might be a little mild. Shaken, certainly, shocked, undoubtedly, terrified… positively. But, they had listened to them. He remembered talking to Robert alone later that evening while Addie, Avery, and Helen sat outside on the deck.

“Is she safe on your world?” Robert had asked, nervously twisting the glass of whiskey he held between his hands.

“Yes,” Merrick replied. “I would protect Addie with my life.”

“You know about her… hearing loss,” Robert continued with a deep sigh. “Helen has always felt guilty about Addie losing her hearing. She hadn’t realized just how sick Addie was. She thought it was just a bad cold.”

“Addie does not blame anyone for her hearing loss,” Merrick replied in a low voice. “I want you to know that there is a chance that Addie’s hearing can be restored. Our medical technology is more advanced than yours, but there is still a chance that it will not work.”

“What does Addie say?” Robert asked.

“She is excited,” Merrick said, deciding it was probably best not to tell the man that he could talk to his daughter without the need to say anything out loud. “I would like for you and your mate to be there when Addie has the procedure done. I know she misses you, but she wanted to prove that she could be independent.”

“We miss her, too,” Helen’s soft voice had said from the doorway of the kitchen. “I’m afraid I became overprotective after… after her illness. I would like to be there when she has the surgery, if you are sure she won’t be upset.”

Merrick shook his head. “She would be honored to have you there, just as I would,” he said, rising out of his seat. “We would like to visit again, if you don’t mind. I think Addie would enjoy it.”

The first visit had gone better than either one of them had expected. Helen had finally broken down and talked to Addie about her feelings of guilt at not taking her to the doctor sooner. Addie admitted that while being deaf was difficult, she had also learned a great deal about herself and discovered that she was much stronger than she realized.

After several visits, Addie decided to tell her parents about the surgery. She had been afraid if it didn’t work, they would be disappointed and feel guilty again. It had taken some gentle persuasion from Merrick to convince her that they would support her either way.

“I hope the surgery works,” she said late one night after they returned from another brief visit. “I told my mom about it tonight. She wants to be here.”

“If you wish for them to be here, I will make sure they are,” he promised. “They love you very much. They will support you whatever happens.”

She had sighed again before nodding. “You’re right,” she agreed. “I love you, Merrick. Thank you for supporting me.”

Merrick bowed his head, remembering how nervous she had been when the healer took her back for the surgery two hours earlier. He turned when the door opened. The healer, followed by RITA2, stepped into the room. The pleased smiles on their faces was encouraging.

“She is in recovery,” the healer said. “The surgery went well. The crystal regeneration and rebuilding of the hair cells needed for hearing were successful. I must caution though, her left ear was in worse condition so she may still have a minor hearing loss in that ear.”

“When can we see her?” Merrick asked.

“You can go in now,” the healer said. “We sedated her so that she would not move during the surgery, more for her own comfort than a necessity.”

Merrick nodded, standing to the side as Robert and Helen asked numerous questions. He didn’t care about any except the fact that Addie would be awake soon. At least, he didn’t think he cared about anything until he heard RITA2 congratulating Helen and Robert.

“Congratulations?” Merrick repeated. “Congratulations for what?”

RITA2’s laughter filled the area. “You are going to be the father of twin girls,” RITA2 replied. “Prime males are extremely potent. There is a chemical in their bites that is released during mating that has a huge effect on human females causing them to have twins. Not only that, just about all the babies born are female. The Prime males love it!”

“Twins…,” Merrick said, swaying as what RITA2 was saying sunk in. “Does… Does Addie know?”

“Not yet,” RITA2 said mischievously before she began to fade. “The scans indicate she is almost a month along.”

Merrick nodded, a grin lighting his face as he remembered her complaining just this morning of being sick at her stomach. They both thought it was because of her being nervous about the surgery. Now, he realized the nausea might have been caused by an entirely different reason.

He followed behind the healer, Robert, and Helen as they walked down the corridor in the medical unit. Turning the corner, he recognized the room they were entering as the one he had occupied a few short months ago. He stood behind them as Addie turned her head to look at her parents.

“Addie,” Helen said, smiling hopefully as she stepped into the room.

“What…?” Addie whispered, shock flickering across her face as she stared back and forth between her parents, the healer, and Merrick. “Mom,” Addie said hoarsely, raising her hand up to her. “Mom, it’s okay….”

“Oh, Addie,” Helen said in a voice thick with tears. “I thought… I hoped… It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you are happy and that you and the….”

“Helen, let Merrick sit with Addie,” Robert interrupted, pulling her away from the side of the bed.

“Oh, Robert,” Helen whispered. “I really hoped it would work.”

Merrick stepped around the healer, Robert and Helen and sank down on the bed next to Addie. Brushing her hair back from her forehead, disappointment for her fought with the overwhelming happiness. It wasn’t a very difficult battle. His joy over her expecting their babies was too much to be shadowed.

I love you, Addie,
Merrick said in a voice filled with tenderness.
It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we are together with the babies.

Babies?! What babies?
Addie asked in confusion.

Ours,
Merrick replied, lifting her hand to his lips.
RITA2 says that you are almost a month along with twin girls. We are going to be parents.

He watched as Addie’s face softened with love and amazement. Gripping his fingers, she pulled his hand down over her stomach. A mischievous grin lit her eyes.

“I love you,” Addie whispered, staring up into his eyes. “Mom, Dad...”

“Yes, sweetheart,” Helen said, turning to look back as Merrick helped her to sit up.

“I can hear you,” Addie whispered, her eyes glowing as she stared up at Merrick. “Have I told you how much I love the sound of all of your voices?”

Shock and joy flashed across Merrick’s face as he pulled her into his arms. Addie buried her face in his neck, uncaring that she was crying. She could hear the laughter and choked sobs coming from her and her mother. But the greatest thing was she could hear Merrick’s rich, smooth voice telling her over and over how much he loved her.

“I love you, Merrick,” she sniffed, wiping at her tears as she looked up at him.

“I love you more, Addie,” Merrick said, brushing a kiss across her damp cheeks.
But, I still plan on thinking too much.

A rosy blush swept across her cheeks as some of the things he was thinking formed in her mind. The healer, seeing Merrick’s glance, chuckled as he ushered Helen and Robert out of the room and instructed RITA2 to lock the door. Some things were best said in private.

To Be continued….
Core’s Attack

Characters’ Relationships:

Teriff, Prime Leader of Baade -
mated to
Tresa: four sons, J’kar, Borj, Mak, and Derik and one daughter, Terra

Angus and Tilly Bell, humans – married: three daughters, Hannah, Tansy and Tink

Warriors of Baade:

J’kar ‘Tag Krell Manok
mated to
Jasmine ‘Tinker’ Bell: twin daughters, Wendy and Tessa

Borj ‘Tag Krell Manok
mated to
Hannah Bell: twin boy & girl, Sky and Ocean

Mak ‘Tag Krell Manok
mated to
Tansy Bell: twin daughters, Sonya and Mackenzie

Terra ‘Tag Krell Manok
mated to
Cosmos Raines

Derik ‘Tag Krell Manok
mated to
Amelia Thomas aka Runt

Members of Cosmos’ security team:

Garrett                                                        Avery

Trudy                                                                      Rose

Rico
                           
                                          Maria

Prime Warriors of Bade:

Merrick, Eastern Clan Leader,
mated to
Addie Banks

Core
mated to
Avery

Lan
mated to
Natasha

Brock
mated to
Helene

Lal
mated to
Ava Raines

Gant, Western Plains Clan Leader

Brawn, Desert Clan Leader

Bullet, Southern Clan Leader,
mated to
Maria

Hendrik, Northern Clan Leader – Trudy Wilson

RITA (Earth)
zapped by
FRED

RITA2 (Baade)
zapped by
DAR

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Additional Books by S. E. Smith

Paranormal and Science Fiction short stories and novellas

For the Love of Tia
(Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 4.1)

A Dragonlings’ Easter
(Dragonlings of Valdier Book 1.1)

A Dragonlings’ Haunted Halloween
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A Warrior’s Heart
(Marastin Dow Warriors Book 1.1)

Rescuing Mattie
(Lords of Kassis: Book 3.1)

Science Fiction/Paranormal Novels

Cosmos’ Gateway Series

Tink’s Neverland
(Cosmo’s Gateway: Book 1)

Hannah’s Warrior
(Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 2)

Tansy’s Titan
(Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 3)

Cosmos’ Promise
(Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 4)

Curizan Warrior

Ha’ven’s Song
(Curizan Warrior: Book 1)

Dragon Lords of Valdier

Abducting Abby
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1)

Capturing Cara
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 2)

Tracking Trisha
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 3)

Ambushing Ariel
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 4)

Cornering Carmen
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 5)

Paul’s Pursuit
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 6)

Twin Dragons
(Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 7)