Claimed for the Alien Bride Lottery by Margo Collins (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📗

“It is,” I agreed. “But it needs to be one that I tell you later. Today, I need you to keep an eye on Josiah during the filming.”

Thorvid considered us all for a long moment before nodding. “And I assume you don’t want anyone else to know about him yet?”

“Please. That would make my life much easier.”

“For a minute,” Thorvid muttered.

“I’ve started the process of finalizing your divorce, even without Frank’s signature,” Eldron said quietly as we headed toward the Bride Games studios.

Hope flared in my chest. “How did you manage that?”

His smile made me want to sing. “I have connections. An Earther judge will sign off on it today—you won’t have to do anything.”

Tears welled up in my eyes again. But this time, they were happy tears, the result of a weight lifting from my heart. Reaching down, I wound my fingers through Eldron’s. “Thank you,” I said simply.

He paused outside the studio door and turned to face me. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I don’t even have words for how much this means to us.”

Leaning down, he gently kissed my lips. “There will be some other details we have to figure out, but I am certain everything will work out as it should.”

Before I entered the studio, I sent up a silent prayer that he was right to be so optimistic.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Eldron

As we made our way into the soundstage Vos had sent us directions to, Mia practically vibrated with happiness. I didn’t know exactly what kind of strings I would need to pull to get her out of her current marriage—though by all accounts, she had done everything she needed to in order to complete a divorce. Her ex-husband simply had refused to sign the paperwork.

And there would probably be some legal hurdles ahead to deal with custody and visitation.

For all that the Khanavai were a warrior race, we were gentle with our children—no Khanavai male who attempted to physically assault his own child would be welcome in anyone’s home.

Our legal system would support my attempt to gain custody of this Frank’s child.

He doesn’t deserve to call himself a father.

At most, I would arrange for Frank to have supervised visits with the boy, though even the thought of it made a growl rise in my throat.

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts about Josiah that it really didn’t dawn on me that the soundstage had been turned into a kitchen studio until the door shut behind me.

Cooking?

I was a terrible cook.

Also, I wasn’t at all sure how Mia was going to feel about traditional Khanavai dishes.

I had to snicker to myself, though. I was pretty certain I knew exactly how she would feel about traditional Khanavai dishes when I cooked them. If she had any sense at all, she’d feel horrified.

Mia, on the other hand, seemed to light up at the site of the kitchen.

“Am I going to get to cook?” There was a thrill in her tone that nothing else had put there before.

Not even Josiah. When she spoke to him, I heard love and devotion, even joy.

But apparently, excitement was reserved for cooking.

Good. One of us needs to enjoy it, at least.

“Shall we get going?” Vos asked, coming toward us with his hands out to welcome us.

Turning toward the camera, he officially introduced us to two worlds.

As Mia began cooking, my mouth fell open. She moved through the kitchen with the grace of a dancer, the joy that I had seen lighting her up earlier suffusing her every movement. She sang as she worked, alternating between vocalizing and humming under her breath. When I stepped closer to her, however, I recognized a few of the words as the names of Earth-style ingredients.

She was cooking from memory, something complicated and precise, and was singing the steps to herself.

It was not just a song, though—and not just a dance, either. Somehow it all blended together into some kind of glorious symphony of a performance. She lost herself in the joy of creating that meal.

After watching for a while, I retreated to a chair in the corner, content simply to see her happy.

I wondered how Josiah and Thorvid were doing back in my room, delighted at the thought of Josiah seeing his mother so content.

When Mia placed the dish in front of me at the table and then joined me herself, I leaned over to inhale the amazing aroma. “What is this?”

“Coq au vin.”

Chicken in wine? I thought chicken was a bland human food. Also…

“I thought you cooked breakfast at a meal dispensary,” I said.

My mate raised one eyebrow. “I do now.”

There was a story to be had there, as well. Who was this human female I had fallen in love with?

As I took a bite of the meat dish, though, I decided I didn’t care. “This is amazing,” I said with my mouth full.

Mia laughed aloud and clapped her hands before standing up and leaning over the table to plant a kiss on my lips, full mouth and all. For a moment, I completely forgot that the entire galaxy was watching us. I would have happily swept the food off the table and claimed Mia right there.

I glanced down at the dish in front of me.

Well. Maybe I would have carefully moved the food, anyway.

As it turned out, Vos didn’t require me to make a Khanavai dish. Apparently, the reports on his numbers were good enough that he was willing to let us simply come back the next day for the next Bride Game.

“Would you like to see the studio we’ll have our challenge in tomorrow?” I asked as we left the kitchen stage.

“Absolutely.” Mia practically glowed, her day in the kitchen combining with the knowledge that Josiah was safe in my room with Thorvid to leave her perfectly content—the first time I had seen her truly happy since we met.

I led her along the studio hallways until I got to the one I had