Page 14 of Kian

“Well, Idolike my privacy,” the deputy said sadly, looking up from his place at the table, where he appeared to be cleaning the sheriff’s boots, which looked tiny in his massive, furry hands. “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

“You came to a frontier moon, Chigum,” the sheriff said importantly, polishing his already gleaming badge with his sleeve and leaning back slightly. “You’re lucky a night in a longhouse is the worst thing you’ve suffered.”

He smiled a smug smile, and it was clear that he meant his statement to sound foreboding.

But the effect was diminished by the fluffy red and white striped socks he must have been wearing under his boots, which were now on full display. They were all Kinsley could look at.

“Do you need me to see you to your bed, sweetheart?” the sheriff asked when he spotted her staring.

“Uh, no, I can find it myself,” she said, wandering past him and looking for the bed with the milk cell and diaper.

She passed several bunks, but hers was the last one in the corner. It had a window so tiny only the barest amount of light or breeze could possibly pass through it.

The bed between hers and the rest of the longhouse had a leather scabbard on it.

“I guess he wants to keep us safe,” she muttered to the baby.

She might have almost been insulted that he didn’t trust her even with the other members of the convoy. But after the way the sheriff had been looking at her just now, she was honestly kind of glad that someone would have to literally walk past an Invicta guard to get to her.

She grabbed the baby’s cell and placed it under her arm to heat it. The agency had shown her that trick as a way to heat milk when there was no replicator available.

A few minutes later, the little one woke up as Kinsley was trying to open the cell. She made a sound so sad and small it almost brought tears to Kinsley’s eyes.

“I’m trying, baby,” she said. “Just try to be patient for one more minute.”

Back on Terra-17, real milk was a luxury very few families could enjoy. Kinsley had zero experience opening a cell like this, especially such a tiny one.

Biting her lip, and focusing with everything she had, she tried again to open it.

“May I?” Hank, the younger of the two hired hands, offered.

She glanced up and saw the tall, lanky boy smiling down at her.

“I was the family cook back home,” he explained. “Including for my baby brother.”

“Thank you,” she told him, handing over the cell.

“She’s a cutie,” Hank said, smiling at the baby before deftly opening the cell. “What’s her name?”

Kinsley opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t know.

“Kinsley is going to name the whelp as soon as she has a moment to herself,” Kian’s deep voice boomed.

She was stunned to see the dragon warrior standing over her. She hadn’t even heard his approach. Big as he was, there was a certain grace to his movements.

And right now, there was a decidedly annoyed look on his face.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Hank said, handing her back the cell. “I’m going to help Deputy Chigum rustle up something for the rest of us. He fancies himself a chef, and I like to mess around in the kitchen some.”

“Sounds great,” Kinsley said. “Thank you.”

Kian let out a begrudging growl, as if the boy’s offering of food had softened the dragon in him.

“Dinner’s the way to your heart, hm?” Kinsley teased.

But Kian only frowned.

“So, what were you calling the baby?” Kinsley asked. “You’ve been with her since she came out of her pod. I know you didn’t just call herwhelp.”