“We’re perfectionists by nature. While we honor our ancestors, our attention is primarily on our children and the future. We want to pass only the best on to them. Our belief is that we are caretakers for our progeny. Everything we have, we hold only for them.”
“Which is why your yaya gave you this house before she died.”
He nodded. “She also thought that Dariana would honor her pledge and we’d have more children to fill it.”
Sumi turned to face him. “I’m a bit confused though. If everything is about the children, why was Dariana so mean to Darice? For that matter, your mother so vicious to you?”
“They’re trying to make us the best and strongest males that they can. They, as females, are the guardians of our lineage. We, as males, are the carriers of the future. And if we’re not worthy, they would rather we be removed from the lineage than have us taint it.”
“You know, I can never be that mother.”
He kissed her slowly. “I know, Sumi. You will be a far better mother than either of them. Mu mia shames all those who have come before her. And I live for the chance to return your daughter to you.”
Sumi frowned at his word choice and what it implied. “Our daughter, you mean.”
A strange look crossed his features. One that stabbed her hard until he spoke to explain it. “You would share your precious Kalea with me? Allow her to call me Father?”
Tears choked her at his earnest, bashful questions. It was as if he couldn’t believe she’d allow him to claim Kalea as his. “Of course I would. How could you doubt that, Dancer?”
He looked at her incredulously. “Andarion females rarely share their children with males other than the blood father. While the mother may adopt, the father cannot.”
“Never?”
He shook his head. “Unless we are the blood father, we can only mentor the children of our females, and we have no rights to them. Fatherhood, blood or adopted, can only be bestowed on our males by the mother of the child.”
Sumi struggled to breathe as she finally understood exactly what Thia had been trying to tell her about Darice and his insults for Dancer. It wasn’t just that Dariana didn’t want to marry Dancer, it was that even if she did, she would never allow Dancer to be called Father by Darice. Not unless she judged him worthy of fatherhood.
That was why Dancer had never been allowed to spend time with Darice. It had been another stab to him that he didn’t deserve.
Blinking back her tears, she cupped Dancer’s face in her hands. “In my heart, you are Kalea’s only father. The only one I would trust to be there for her and to protect her. I don’t ever want her to know she had any father, but you.”
Hauk savored words he’d never thought to hear from any female. “You would accept children from me?”
Sumi winced at his question as she finally understood why Fain had sterilized himself for Omira. Their entire culture was built on the female accepting the male as fathers for their children. And since her sister had been afraid of an Andarion baby…
“You have to ask? I told you, Dancer, nothing would ever give me more happiness than to hold your child in my arms. I meant every word of that.”
Hauk pulled her against his chest and held her close as love and happiness choked him. “I will tear this universe apart to find our daughter and bring her home.” But even as he said those words, he was terrified of not being able to fulfill them.
Of losing Sumi forever. While she might be a daughter of Cairistiona’s, she still had to get through Dariana. And Dariana was one of the best warriors in the Andarion military services. Worse, Andarions didn’t fight the way humans did. Sumi would have to learn their tactics.
And the rules of their ring.
If she didn’t, Dariana would kill her without mercy.
What have I done? He knew that Sumi was an incredible fighter. A trained assassin. But it wasn’t the same. Andarions came out of the womb fighting.
Fear poured through him as he realized that no matter how much he might wish it, Sumi would never be able to defeat Dariana.
Their love was as doomed as Fain’s and Omira’s.
Humans and Andarions didn’t mix. He knew that. Look at Nykyrian’s parents. They truly did love and adore each other. Yet they’d never been able to stay together. They lived entirely separate lives.
His heart pounding, he held on to Sumi, knowing that death was going to come for them.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
CHAPTER 26
Sumi followed Dancer up the stark white spiral stairs that led to an upper floor. His bedroom was at the end of the hall and looked out over the sea.
Once more, she was stunned by the beauty. Looking down on the other side, she smiled as she saw in and around the giant pool area where a little girl and Devyn floated on rings, while their mothers pushed and pulled them.
She turned back toward Dancer. “Your bedroom is larger than my entire apartment was.” Never mind the tiny room that had been her League quarters. His bed alone was bigger than that.
He didn’t comment as he waved his hand over an ornate burgundy lighted panel. The wall opened and formed a desk.
Gaping at the handiness, she watched in fascination. “What have we here?”
He moved his hands about to show her a 3-D monitor. “I’m checking on Syn’s search for Kalea.”
She walked over to see the same strange letters that had been on his PD. “Is that Andarion?”
“Yes.” He made several hand gestures and it changed over to Universal for her. Then he opened another monitor. “This one is the search on my chip.”
Wow… “Did you build this system?”
“Yeah.”
She stared up at him in awe. “Dancer,” she said breathlessly. “It’s amazing! I had no idea you could do all this.”
Sheepish, he shrugged. “I always liked electronics. I started wiring the house in my teens for my paran to help him when he became ill. He had a lot of mobility issues from all the years he’d been in the military. Since my yaya couldn’t move him on her own, I did what I could for them to make their lives easier.”
“No wonder your grandmother gave it to you. No one else would know how to work it all.”
He smiled with that boyish grin that warmed and charmed her completely. It was such a strange incongruity to see the playful side of such a fierce soldier. “It’s not that hard.”
“Umm-hmmm.” Then she couldn’t help teasing him about something that really did irritate her. “By the way, was Eleron so scantily clothed while your yaya lived here?”
An extremely attractive blush crawled over his face. “That’s normal Andarion fashion.”
Yeah, right. “I’m sure it is.”
His blush darkened. “I normally change it out when I know humans are coming over.”
“And I hope you change it out whenever Darice visits.”
That killed the humor in his eyes instantly.
Sumi wanted to kick herself as it occurred to her that Dariana had most likely never allowed Darice to visit him at home.
His gaze still sad, he pulled her to stand in front of him. “This is how you access a monitor.” Taking her hand in his, he showed her the gesture. “You can either type like this…” He moved her hands to the desk. “Or use voice commands.”
She leaned back in his arms to look up at him. “I knew you were intelligent, but damn. Dancer, this is… beyond.”
“Mmm.”
Sumi smiled as she realized he wasn’t listening to her. Rather he was nuzzling her neck and staring down her cleavage while he held her against his body. “Dancer?”