“Vick has some amazing talents for one so young. That snow woman is sensitive. Any hint of danger we will know about it. To answer your question, Paige, I want children with you when the time is right.”
“I want children, too.”
They walked down the street hand in hand until they came to a large store front with beautiful paintings on one side and majestic sculptures on the other.
“Cal, look at this! It’s magnificent.” In the window was a sculpture of a woman with her head turned up like she was bathing in the glow of the moon that hung over-head. “Is that Selma?”
“Yes. Do you like it?”
“I love it, it’s beautiful.”
“Victor refuses to let me sell it. It protects the store and scares the Sudir’s.”
“Why does it scare the Sudir?”
“Someone may have started the rumor that Selma has the ability to hide in her own likeness and she waits hoping to find a Sudir alone to take apart.”
She shook her head and followed him into the gallery.
The paintings were amazing and made her feel like she was actually there. The statues were so life-like she expected one to say hello at any moment.
“Who did all of these paintings and what statues did you do?”
“I did all of them and Victor did all the paintings.”
“How could he do so many? How could you?”
“We had years to work while we were in hiding.”
The gallery consisted of two floors. She stopped in the middle of the stairs.
“Why were you in hiding?”
“The earth was a very different place when we first arrived. We were all males and most of us younger than Vick. We wanted to go unnoticed, but the size of the males protecting us brought challenges. They took us to a place we could be safe without the threat of unwanted challenges.”
“How long have you been here, Cal?”
“Ask me again when you really want to know, Paige.” She nodded her head and continued upstairs, she really didn’t want to think he was any older than thirty although he already told her centuries.
The upstairs was even more breathtaking. She was amazed at the talent he and his brother displayed. It must take years to make something this amazing. She walked over to a sculpture that was covered up. Pulling off the sheet she saw herself, it was half done but it was definitely her.
She was beautiful, she blinked her eyes fast trying not to cry.
“I want you to see what I see every time I look at you, Paige.”
She gave him a watery smile and threw her arms around him. She felt her heart soften as he whispered in her ear, “Let’s go home.”
They walked out the gallery hand in hand starting back in the direction of their home.
“Cal, why do the Sudir’s want the mates of the Arbrin’s?”
“Remember how I told you they bombarded our planet and many of them stayed behind thinking they would be unharmed?”
She nodded her head and waited.
“The Sudir’s developed some type of link to our kind that makes them crave as well as need what we need. We need our mates. The Sudir’s need our mates because they will feed on them for centuries or more especially if one is mated before they capture them.”
“So a Sudir waits for us to bond then captures us.”
“No. They wait for you to get close to bonding. Capturing a bonded female is almost impossible and extremely dangerous to attempt. They want you to have use of your powers but to have a focus. A mate always serves as a focus. Also, no bonded male is willing to give up the most important thing in his world. I will not let him have you, Paige.”
They walked the rest of the way lost in their thoughts.
Chapter Fifteen
Home wasn’t to her room, it was to his. His suite of rooms was decorated in black and silver. The couch in the living area was massive and sturdy. She looked over to see stray hairs on it.
“Does your Matra sit on the couch also?” His Matra was much bigger than his more human form; she could see why he would need something sturdy.
“Yes, we switch forms all the time when we’re alone. There is no reason for one form to be dominant. When we are in the public eye or a space where we might be spotted I always stay in this form.”
“Is it like two different people sharing one body?”
“No we are one, think of it more like right and left brain activity. With one side of your brain you do one thing, with the other you do something completely different. It’s just on a more developed level. I’m still me no matter what form I take and my Matra is still my Matra even in this form. Confusing?”
She shook her head yes and walked around. “I like your space, although it is a bit dark.”