“And now we’re mates.”
She grabbed his hand, lifted it to her lips and kissed the back of his claw. “And now we’re mates,” she agreed, with warmth in her gaze.
He swallowed against the lump in his throat and stared down at his Bride with all the love he felt in his two hearts.
After Daxon, his Bride and new brother-in-law broke their fast in his quarters, Daxon’s Bride expressed sudden weariness, saying she needed a nap. He understood her need for additional sleep—after all, she was now carrying their offspring. Daxon tucked his sleepy Bride into their bunk with a kiss upon her head.
Then he invited this new human member of his line into the holo deck. Daxon initiated a Xylan tavern setting. Now the two of them were comfortably sitting on ebony chairs, in front of a blazing fire hearth, talking and drinking tankards of Xylan ale.
This was turning into Daxon’s second full diurnal without work and it was the most time he’d taken off in his entire adult career. He was finding it strangely enjoyable. He’d heard that other beings took time off regularly and they called it “vacations.” He thought he might need to try this again in the future.
The male explained his original plans for his sister’s safety, how he’d known that Gurpreet Singh was an asshole in need of a Bride—and that Darcy fit his exact specifications. Hector had worried that Gurpreet might have scouting spies who could relay information to him about Darcy’s youth, beauty and virginity. So he’d planned to have her marry his best friend. This way he’d know that Darcy would be married to an honorable male and therefore safe from Gurpreet’s possible machinations. And he’d tried to keep her isolated on the farm and away from the eyes and ears of the Bridal Tour, only to have Darcy sneak into town and get swept up into the line-up for presentation.
“You did all you could,” Daxon said. “And in the end, you sent her to me. It was smart of you to send her off-planet with a Xylan warrior. Even if she hadn’t ended up with me, a Xylan would not have harmed her.”
“She told me you said that if she hadn’t been your Bride you would’ve put her in lockdown stasis.”
Daxon chuckled. “True. But I still would’ve delivered her to Omega 9.” Then he took another drink of golden ale and let out a large belch. “Where are you going after this is all over?” Daxon asked.
“I’m returning to our family farming unit. I’m needed there. I co-manage all farming operations with my father. I assume Darcy is staying with you.”
“She is. She is carrying the start of my line.”
The human crooked an eyebrow. “She is? I’m going to be an uncle?”
“You are.”
“Does Darcy know she’s going to be a mother?”
Daxon tilted his head. “No, she might not. We haven’t spoken of it. I still forget she is lacking in Xylan biology and customs. I will tell her this evening.”
“You should, women like to know things like that. Also, congratulations. If I’m going to be an uncle that means you’re going to be a father.”
Warmth blossomed in Daxon’s chest. It was true. He was going to be a father. He’d legally claimed his Bride and planted his seed in her womb.
16
Daxon spent hours with his new brother-in-law. The male was surprisingly easy to talk to, very much like Darcy, and he could handle Xylan ale as well as a miner. Daxon liked this human’s honor and his work ethic. Hector wanted nothing more than to be left alone by the powerful, corrupt idiots in charge so that he could do his job without harassment and provide for his line. Daxon understood this value to the bone. It was the Margol way.
“And then I bent on one knee and formally told Darcy of One that I was placing her honor before mine…” Daxon said, retelling Hector the story of what happened when he’d found his Bride in his bunk. The best day of his life. “And then she…”
“Vid message from Trax,” the computer cut in pleasantly.
Daxon slammed down his tankard and blew out a breath. “Not again.” Those two had the worst timing.
“Who is Trax?” Hector questioned.
“One of the Bounty Hunters who captured you off New Earth and brought you in.”
“Oh.” A muscle ticked in his brother-in-law’s jaw.
“I’m certain it’s both Trax and Rengeli. The two of them work together. Don’t worry, they aren’t here to recapture you…Computer, open vid in this location.”
“Affirmed.”
A small holo vid popped up in front of them and Trax came into view. “Aah, Daxon,” the Creekan hissed. “Just the male I wanted to see. We have another present for you.”
“Another present?”
“Yes. You will enjoy this one too. Where is your Bride?”
“My Bride? She is asleep in my quarters. I am drinking Xylan ale in the holo deck with my new human brother-in-law, Hector of One, the male you incorrectly targeted.”
“Ah yes. Well, tell Hector we’ve fixed that error. We found out the illegal bid was initiated by a Gurpreet Singh from New Earth. Hector will now be able to see what we do to individuals who think they can place faulty bids, trying to turn Bounty Hunters into mercenaries.”
“We do not…put up…with that shit.” A deep voice bellowed in the background, punctuating each statement with thuds, followed by sharp screams of pain.
Daxon chuckled with delight. He liked these males more.
Trax turned and looked behind him. “Push him onto the disk,” he yelled out. Then he glanced back at the screen. “Get ready. We’re on our way.” And then the vid went out.
“Well, sounds like our party is over.” Daxon stood, readying to leave.
“Do you think they’re going to…?” Hector asked.
“Oh yes, they are.” Daxon grinned, rubbing his claws together with eager anticipation. “Computer shut down holo deck.”
“Affirmed.”
The setting returned to plain black grid, with the doorway rimmed with light. The two of them walked out the lit door, turned down the hallway and went directly into the cargo bay. They arrived in time to see Gurpreet Singh standing bloodied and surprised on the transporter disk. Daxon walked up and yanked the male off as the machine began to hum with another arrival. Trax materialized on the disk and stepped off, then Rengeli arrived directly after him.
Daxon let go of the lazhul and stepped back, and the four of them now stood in a semi-circle in front of the human prisoner. The male’s head lifted. Blood dripped from his nose. The two Bounty Hunters had left him unrestrained. Good.
The lazhul looked around, his eyes landing on Hector and then on Daxon. He became visibly angered at the sight of Hector. “There,” he screamed, pointing at the other human. “That’s your target. That’s the man you should be delivering to me. And this other one is the asshole who stole my bride. Why am I being punished? These two are the ones who are criminals. And where is my bride? I want her back.”
Hadn’t this male learned his lesson yet? Apparently not.
Hector stepped forward. “My sister is not your bride,” he snarled. “You are under arrest for the murders of women and of children from your own loins. But after today you will never be allowed to hurt anyone else again.”
The lazhul’s face turned red. “Who do you think you are, you—” and Gurpreet rushed forward and took a swing at Hector. The human easily ducked the blow and Hector slammed a powerful fist into the other male’s midsection.
Gurpreet doubled over, groaning from the pain. “All of you will pay for this,” the lazhul spit out, blood spraying from his mouth. He managed to stand upright and raged, “My father will—”
“Your father will do nothing,” Daxon affirmed, placing a claw on Hector’s shoulder and moving him back. “You are now in the presence of Xylan judgement and you will pay for your lack of honor.”
And then Daxon stepped forward and swung a mighty fist which connected with Gurpreet’s face. He felt the crunch of bone underneath his claw. The male’s head bend back at a sharp angle lifting him off the
ground, then he crumpled to the floor of the cargo bay. It was most satisfying.
“Ooh, good one,” Trax cheered.
Rengeli let out a sharp whistle.
Daxon bent and checked on the lazhul, verifying that he was still breathing, because Daxon wasn’t finished. At all.
“Damn, I wish I had a swing like that,” Rengeli commented. “Did you see that fucking fist? His fist is the size of an asteroid. That target is going to be drinking out of a straw after Daxon’s done with him.”
The two males chuckled and clapped hands together in agreement.
“Daxon’s on my team. I want him with me whenever we try to—”
“Now we move to the next step,” Daxon growled, keeping the two Hunters on-task. “I will retrieve my beheading ax from my Cabul,” he said. “And I will return to the cargo bay to formally remove this lazhul’s head.”
“Ooh,” Rengeli breathed.
Trax smiled brightly. “While I love a good beheading as much as the next Bounty Hunter, actually you can’t do that because we have a better plan.”
“A better plan?” Daxon asked, confused. “What is better than a formal beheading?”
“I know…but we actually thought of something. We were going to kill this male as you originally requested, but then we decided that was the easy way out, so we brought him here first so you two could partake of some good old-fashioned retribution. And now, we’re going to make his life a living hell by sending him to the worst prison in the four sectors—Detention Center: Zeta 149. He will stay there for the rest of his life, or until he’s eaten by cannibals, whichever happens first.”
Daxon paused. He glanced over at Hector for his reaction. The male met his gaze and nodded with agreement. “Sounds pretty terrible to me,” he agreed.
“You’re certain this facility will be sufficiently cruel?” Daxon asked.
“Oh, we’re certain,” Trax smirked.
“We’ve been there before,” Rengeli said. “We know that place like the back of our hands. They will treat him with the care he deserves—none.”
Daxon crack his knuckles and nodded. “Sounds like a perfect plan.”
“We’ll make it happen.”
“Daxon?” Hector asked.
“Yes?”
“What is this ‘Cabul’ you were referring to? What is this exactly?”
“A Cabul is where a Xylan warrior keeps all of their ceremonial weapons.” He answered as he clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder.
Trax and Rengeli each took an arm of the passed-out lazhul and dragged him over to the transporter.
“I would be happy to show you how to correctly use these weapons,” he continued. “Now that we are of the same line and you will be in proximity to my future offspring you will need to learn essential Xylan customs.”
“Okay…”
“Hey…Human,” Trax shouted over the hum of the transporter.
Hector twisted to look back at the Creekan. “Huh?”
“Human…you were a difficult target to catch. You kept your head clear, told us important information and put up a good fight, despite your lack of weapons.”
“Yes,” Rengeli nodded in agreement. “This human was a worthy adversary.”
Daxon’s ridges lifted in surprise. This was the highest honor a Hunter could bestow on a civilian. He hadn’t expected this from these two. They’d both been in this profession for a long time and were as jaded as they came.
Trax stepped onto the disk, lifted his chin in acknowledgement and disappeared.
Rengeli stepped on after Trax left. “And human,” he said, “there will be zero retribution from the Singhs towards you or your family. But, if you ever find yourself in need of help ask Kayzon, your Xylan Ambassador, to alert us and we will take care of it immediately. We owe you one.”
And then he disappeared.
Hector turned back toward Daxon, surprise evident on his face. “Did they mean that?”
“Believe me, those two never say anything they don’t mean…Now, how about we go and check out that Cabul?”
Hector nodded, a smile on his face.
That night Daxon walked with his Bride to the med bay. “I have to show you something,” he told her.
“What? Are you sick? Am I sick? What’s going on?”
“No, no, you’re fine. You need to see something. You’ll like it,” he explained.
“I will?” she asked, skepticism in her tone.
He kissed the top of her head. “You will.”
And then they walked inside the tiny med bay with only one bed. It wasn’t fully stocked for every eventuality, but it would get him or his Bride healed enough to then go to the extensive medical facilities on the Hunter station. This room was definitely equipped to show his Bride the good news.
“Lay down,” Daxon ordered.
“Why? What is going on?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Like the surprise where I learned my brother had been captured by Bounty Hunters?”
He laughed. “Yes, like that.”
Darcy lay down on the white bed, her feet not reaching the end and her head barely touching the head rest.
“Computer, give Darcy of One a complete medical evaluation.”
“Affirmed.”
The bed whirred to life and then a wand moved up and down her body.
“This is so weird,” she whispered. “We don’t have stuff like this on New Earth. Well, we’re starting to, but as of right now only the rich can afford medical facilities like this. Computerized med bays are only in Singapore and Paris, not out in the country where I lived.”
“Examination complete,” the computer announced. “Darcy of One has been given the needed inoculations against cancer and diabetes and all other common viral human sicknesses.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Darcy commented. “Thank you for bringing me in here and making sure I got checked.”
The computer continued to list all of his Bride’s other healthy attributes and finished with…“Darcy of One is pregnant.”
“What? Computer, what did you say? Repeat.”
“Darcy of One is pregnant.”
She reached over and grabbed his claw. Her eyes started to water. “This is what you wanted to show me.”
He squeezed her hand. “Yes. Are you ready to see and hear our offspring?”
“Already? Daxon, we had sex for the first time only two diurnals ago, how is it possible that the computer can scan an embryo this quickly?”
“Our offspring will be half Xylan. The Xylan gestational period is different from that of humans.”
“Oh wow. Computer, what is the Xylan gestational period in comparison to a human’s?”
“Xylan gestational period is six moon cycles. Human gestation is nine moon cycles.”
“Computer, is it possible to scan a visible embryo with heartbeat this soon after conception?”
“Yes.”
She met Daxon’s gaze and gave him a watery smile.
“Are you ready to see our offspring?”
“Yes,” she answered. “So ready.”
“Computer, show visual of the offspring of Daxon of Seven and Darcy of One. Use a holo vid with audio.”
“Affirmed.”
And then a vid popped up in front of them and there was his child for him to view for the first time. A tiny embryo with two hearts swishing back and forth, just like his own.
“Oh my gosh. Oh honey, thank you for this. But you’re sure you’re okay with the fact that your offspring won’t be fully Xylan? Your offspring will be half human and might not have all the Xylan attributes. I know Xylan think humans are primitive…”
“Why would I care? I am thrilled to have offspring who look like their mother. You are my Be’Ih, I am honored to have my Bride and the start of my line.”
She turned to stare at him. “Thank you for this,” she whispered. “And I want you to know something…I love you. So much. You’re aren’t a male I was forced to
marry, you’re the male I wanted to marry.”
He placed claw over his hearts. “And I love you too. For all time.”
Epilogue
Eight moon cycles later…
“Mom, this coffee is great,” Darcy said with all sincerity.
Really, it was the best. Like, it could win awards. Darcy’s mom, Maria, grew her own coffee plants, using seeds brought from the original planet. She harvested them, ground them and ran them through a coffee press. The whole artisanal process took a great deal of time and patience, none of which Darcy possessed. Darcy knew she was a terrible gardener, but she was an excellent drinker and admirer of coffee. And she’d never admit this to Daxon, but her mom’s coffee was a thousand times better than that Traq he always made for them to drink in the mornings.
She took another sip of the warm liquid and sighed with happiness.
“I’m happy you love it, baby,” Maria answered.
They were both sitting together on the wide front porch of the main farmhouse, the building her family had lived in for generations. Great-grandfather Horatio had bought this land and their family had spread out to neighboring farms. Hector would one day take over the business. He was still single, but they all hoped he’d one day find someone to fall in love with and then his children would eventually continue their farming unit on into the future.
Thank gods for Hector, because without him she couldn’t have gotten off-planet to meet her own mate. And also, because he was the eldest son who stayed and genuinely wanted to farm this generational land, she was free to leave and live elsewhere with zero guilt. Well, she missed her family desperately, but she was able to contact them using a vid screen. Her parents had been able to take time off and visit her on the Hunter station, meeting her new husband and friends there and seeing where she lived. It had been wonderful being able to keep in contact. She missed their daily presence, but this daily contact was a reasonable replacement and made it easier for her to live off-planet.
Daxon's Hostage (Alien Bounty Hunters Book 6) Page 12