by Laurel Night
Todd and Emily thanked him and walked through the door, allowing it to close behind them.
I watched them disappear, then turned back to continue following Mick only to discover him watching me intently. His bottle-green eyes, glowing in the moderate light of the half-lit hallway, were intense. He ran a hand through his hair, breaking our eye contact in the process and clenching his jaw.
“Your room is just up here,” he said softly, gripping the strap of the bag slung across his wide shoulders. Ten feet further down the hallway, we reached another door. When I stayed here previously, I had never ventured past my door, the one that now led to Todd and Emily’s room. There was no reason to, and I didn’t want to be nosey. Mick never invited me to his bedroom, and I didn’t want to push myself somewhere I wasn’t wanted.
Mick opened the door and the room lit in response to our entry. Where the previous room was decorated in a similar white and grey minimalist style to the rest of the house with a few bronze accents, this room had color. Not a blazing rainbow of color, it was much more subtle. However, it was decidedly feminine. The white furnishings were similar, with the light grey crystal walls that glowed with a subtle warmth. Instead of all white, this room had a comforter and plush pillows in a light aquamarine shade, and the metallic accents were rose gold instead of bronze. The rug on the floor had the same aquamarine hue, a blue so light you could almost mistake it for off-white if you glanced quickly enough. However, compared to the white and grey palette in the rest of the house it was a brilliant splash of color and gave the warmly lit room the feeling of a Mediterranean beach on a sunny day.
“Is it okay?” Mick’s voice was low and surprisingly nervous. “I have another guest room…”
“No, it’s perfect,” I replied quickly. “It’s beautiful, truly. Thank you,” I turned to meet his gaze, his eyes once again enigmatically gleaming.
“I asked Shanii to make some updates, for you. I hoped you would like it,” he breathed, his tone warming in response to my praise.
“For me? Why?” I didn’t recall ever having a conversation with him about my decorating style, but he had gotten it exactly right.
“Don’t you remember? One time you told me about a trip you took with Emily where you ended up on an unnamed beach in Greece. I swear you spent at least ten minutes describing the exact color of the water, it was so vivid I couldn’t get it out of my head. I hoped to evoke that feeling for you here. You were so passionate about it.” Mick’s voice was rough now, a hint of emotion leaking through his carefully cultivated indifference.
“Mick, I… I’m amazed, and surpised you remembered that so well. I recall the conversation now; I thought I was boring you to tears droning on about it, to be honest.” The depth of thought behind this surprise made tears prickle in my eyes.
“You could never bore me, Lucy.” The intensity of his gaze, paired with his words, caught my breath in my throat. Heat radiated from his body mere inches away. His eyes dipped to my lips while he leaned closer, and I was certain he was about to kiss me. My eyelids fell in response, anticipating the sensation of his warm mouth on mine.
Abruptly he cleared his throat and my eyes flew open. Mick was suddenly two feet away, half-turned as if in preparation to run. “Okay, well, have a good rest. I’ll see you tonight,” he finished awkwardly, then retreated the remaining ten feet of the hallway before disappearing behind his door at the end.
I stood in shock after his door closed. What the hell just happened? We had connected, electrically, just like before. And just like before, he ran away. I didn’t understand it.
Eventually, I closed my door and gazed around the sanctuary he prepared for me. It was breathtaking; honestly, I was blown away he had redecorated this entire suite based on one conversation we had months ago. The bathroom was decorated with pearlescent glass tiles of the beautiful aquamarine color and was stocked with towels in the same shade.
After a hot shower, I tucked into the crisp white sheets and stroked the satiny cotton of the light blue comforter thoughtfully. His actions, while confusing, still lead me to believe he held a deep affection for me. There was just some obstacle, real or imagined, in our way.
The warm lights in the walls dimmed, and I drifted off to sleep determined to figure out what it was.
***
LUCY
After a restless day of sleep, we rose and prepared to meet Mick’s family in the caverns. Mick remained cooly neutral. Solicitous of my needs, but not affectionate. Close, but not touching. The energy that radiated from him was confusing—there was an awkwardness I couldn’t place, didn’t understand why it existed. I was certain it was worse here, in Austria, than it had been back in Philly, so I suspected it had to do with the proximity of his family. Somehow his odd behavior tied to them.
Mick and I rose earlier than Todd and Emily, and we worked together quietly to prepare an American-style breakfast. The scent of brewing coffee and pancakes served its purpose in drawing the lovebirds from bed, and after a hearty meal, we made our way to the caves.
The secret entrance amazed me every time I passed through it, and it had been dozens of trips during our last stay here. I admired the hidden panel that slid out from the wall, its stainless steel opening creating a doorway complete with solid stone stairs that descended to another door. This one appeared to be solid salt, but when Mick spoke a few words in his native Vimpiri, it slid into the wall revealing the entrance to the caves.
We waited for Todd and Emily to catch up and passed through the glowing crystal into the enormous room carved out of salt. Palace was the only word I could use to describe it; More ornate than any czar’s castle, the tiniest details carved into the solid salt walls, it was polished and sparkling like a palace made of diamonds. We didn’t pause to look around, but I couldn’t help taking in the vaulted ceilings and chandeliers as we bustled through the cavern.
Once in the passageway beyond, Mick’s steps slowed. It seemed he was less enthusiastic about seeing his family than he ought to be. We reached the same room where I had first met them, and Mick paused outside the closed door.
Pulling in a deep breath, Mick muttered something that sounded like, “Here goes nothing,” before pushing open the door and walking inside.
***
MICK
They were arranged just as I expected: All in white, my mother and father were sitting on the smaller couch to the left and rose immediately when we entered. Mother’s blue eyes were dark with concern, and my father watched her anxiously with his golden gaze. My sister, Shanii, and her mate Drake were sitting in the two chairs on the right. They schooled their faces to neutral expressions quickly, but not before I noticed the look of concern on Shanii’s face and the anger in Drake’s green eyes. My sister also rose upon our entrance, but Drake, I noticed, did not.
“Welcome,” my mother greeted us warmly. Her eyes drifted to Todd and Emily, resting momentarily on Lucy, then back to me. “I trust you had a pleasant trip?” She asked lightly, brushing her blonde locks over her shoulder as she strode forward to greet us properly.
“Yes, very pleasant, thank you,” I answered formally. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and I didn’t know what to make of it. My mother embraced me gently and kissed my cheeks, then greeted Lucy with equal warmth before shaking Todd and Emily’s hands and gesturing that we should enter.
I led the way into the main space of the room, greeting my father and sister. Shanii’s ice-blond locks fell forward as she hugged me, and she tucked a strand behind her ear while giving a subtle glare to Drake, who had yet to rise from his seat.
Looking as if he would rather not, Drake stood and greeted me stiffly. “Welcome back, Brother,” he said, gripping my arm.
“Thank you,” I answered, unsure if his discomfort was about us or something else entirely.
If the greeting I received from him was cool, the welcome he gave the others could have been chipped from an iceberg. Drake shoved his hands in his pockets and said a low ‘hi
’ to Lucy. After exchanging kisses with Shanii she reached forward to shake Drake’s hand and, left without a reason to have it extended let it drop awkwardly by her side. Instinctively I reached out and slid my fingers between hers, pressing our palms together in reassurance. If the sudden gesture surprised her she didn’t betray it, just squeezed my hand in return.
Drake refused to speak to Todd and Emily, merely nodding in their direction before reclaiming his seat and staring at the wall, his jaw working visibly. I tugged Lucy to one half of the large couch and we sat, leading Todd and Emily to occupy the other half. Shanii stared at Drake, reproach in her crystal-blue eyes, but said nothing as she sat. My parents didn’t speak to him either, but the look my mother gave him was puzzling: She didn’t look angry. Rather, she looked worried; whether about him or for him I couldn’t be sure.
“So,” my mother began, “Mick announced your arrival rather suddenly. He did not inform us of the reason for your visit, but I assume it has to do with the young pair since they are with you?” She spoke to everyone but directed the question to me. I nodded. “What can we do for you, Todd and Emily?”
Todd glanced my way nervously. “My queen,” he inclined his head, “I’m uncertain where to begin-”
“Mother,” I interrupted, “Might I suggest that Todd and Emily speak to you alone first?”
Shanii’s expression immediately changed to one of shock. Drake’s eyes cut to me and his face was nothing short of furious.
“Son,” my mother reminded me gently, “that is not our way. The current and future queen work side by side, and we keep no secrets from our mates.”
“I understand, Mother, but given the… issues surrounding this pair, I thought it might be wise to consult you alone, for advice, before opening a discussion on the subject.” My words were carefully chosen; any vimpiri could request a private audience with the queen for advice. This allowed a way to get around the ubiquitous quartet of leadership and judgment—requests for advice were private and not open to discussion with anyone.
“I see,” she nodded slowly. “Shanii, Benjamin, and Drake, I must ask that you please leave and allow them to seek my advice,” her voice was soft, but with an edge of command. There would be no argument allowed.
Shanii rose immediately, as did my father, and calmly bid us goodbye. Drake shoved up from his chair and marched from the room without saying a word, his eyes traveling above our heads to avoid eye contact.
When they exited the room, and the door closed behind them, I turned to my mother. “What is wrong with Drake? I have never seen him behave so rudely.”
She shook her head slowly. “He has been spending too many evenings drinking vishut with Jakob.”
“I don’t understand. What’s wrong with Jakob? He has always been a friend of the family,” I replied.
“Yes, well… he has become one of the leaders in the group opposed to the pairing of Lost Bachelors with humans.”
“Are you certain? That seems so contrary to Jakob’s character,” I remarked, surprised.
“No one is more confused than I am. However, that is the current state of affairs. Jakob has quite a following and has been arguing actively against allowing any more vimpiri/human pairings.”
So it was Jakob I had to thank for the current uncomfortable state of affairs with Lucy. I would remember that the next time I saw him.
“Now,” my mother began, “I understand you wished to seek my advice?”
Now that Drake was no longer in the room, the atmosphere was much friendlier. Todd spoke up immediately.
“Yes, my queen. New information has come to light that we believe merits further investigation into the effects of vimpiri pairing with humans.”
“What new information? Has something happened to you, Todd?” My mother’s cool blue eyes regarded him with curiosity.
“Actually, ma’am,” Emily spoke up, “it’s me.”
A smile curled across Mother’s lips. She was pleased that Emily wished to speak for herself—it was not the Vimpiri way for a female to allow her mate to speak for her. While the circumstances were understandable, given Emily’s lack of knowledge about our culture, this reflected well on her and earned her a modicum of respect from our leader.
“What has happened to you, Emily?” Mother asked.
Emily sucked in a deep breath, then let it out and began. “I have recently discovered that I have some physiological abilities that I did not possess before Todd and I paired. I now have speed and strength far above a human level.”
My mother’s reaction was minimal. “Yes, we were curious if the commingling of DNA would affect you,” she confessed. “Since you didn’t exhibit any signs of feeling different or enhanced abilities, we figured it was just an errant suspicion.”
Well, that went better than expected. As I glanced toward my friends, I could tell everyone was encouraged by this response. They had worried it would be problematic, as I had.
“We will have to run some tests on your blood to see if you have vimpiri-level abilities or something higher or lower than normal for us.”
“Thank you,” Emily replied, relieved. “There is one other thing, but I’m not sure what it means.”
“Go on,” my mother encouraged curiously.
Emily’s eyes darted between Mother’s face and the floor, glancing periodically at Todd for support. “I, um, I don’t know how it works for female vimpiri, but for humans, we have a regular fertility cycle that occurs monthly. For some women, like myself, it is unreliable, and can skip a month because of stress or other things that impact our health negatively.” She swallowed and glanced at Mother again, who waited patiently for her to continue. “My cycle has been disrupted for the last several months. Given that Todd and I mated the vimpiri way several times before completing our pairing, and then recently have begun… um… mating… the human way, I have grown concerned that perhaps there is a reason my cycle has been interrupted.”
Mother’s eyebrows raised. “Are you saying you believe you may be carrying offspring?”
Emily rushed to explain further. “I have medication I take that should prevent pregnancy, and with a normal human, it is very effective. However, I have no idea how it would work once my body changed. We have tests we can take, but the results are not as expected, and so we don’t understand if it means I’m pregnant or just that my body’s chemical makeup has changed enough that the test is no longer effective.”
I had to commend Emily on her clarity, remembering that Mother was not human when she explained these things to her. However, she also apparently forgot that Mother had lived on this planet for four-hundred-odd years and had seen the development of all these products she was describing.
Emily glanced nervously between Mother and Todd. She had done a fair job of remaining calm through the trip and meeting with my family, but now, having told the extent of her secrets to our queen, it appeared the nerves caught up with her. Todd gripped her hand tightly and raised it to his lips, then smiled reassuringly. Lucy’s fingers were still intertwined with mine, and she squeezed my hand again. I reached over to cup her hand between both of mine, and we waited.
After a few more moments, Mother sighed. “All right. It is definitely a compelling mystery, and I can appreciate why you sought my advice before announcing this… subject in front of the others.” Her eyes rose to meet Emily’s gaze. “For now, we will not mention this to Shanii, Benjamin, or Drake. I will speak privately to the physician who will test your enhanced abilities and ask him to inform me, and only me, if he sees anything that might indicate offspring.”
Emily relaxed visibly, sagging against Todd in her relief. Todd, however, was still concerned. “Can we count on this physician to be discreet?”
“Of course,” Mother smiled kindly, but when she spoke again, there was an edge of steel in her voice. “My people know to whom they owe their allegiance. It will be as I request. That is all you need to know.”
Returning her gaze to Emily, Mother�
�s voice was gentler. “Emily, I understand that there are many ways this would frighten to you, and I admire your courage in facing it head on. Please understand that it is equally strange and confusing to us, and yet… the possibility that our Lost Bachelors may pair, and even have offspring of any kind, is truly wonderful.” The light in her eyes rose to a glow, hope spreading across her features like the rising sun. I appreciated at that moment just how few times I’d seen my mother smile with true happiness. “I hope,” she continued, “that whatever comes to pass, you know I will do everything in my power to protect you, your mate, and your offspring, should that be the case.” She rose and Emily followed suit immediately. Mother crossed to the sofa in three steps and wrapped Emily in a tight embrace, then stepped back with her hands on Emily’s shoulders and smiled warmly at Emily again. “Truly, a miracle,” she breathed.
We had all risen a half-second after Mother, and so she made her way down the line, embracing us all and whispering something to each of us. I didn’t hear what she said to Todd, but to me, she simply said, “Welcome home,” before moving on to embrace Lucy. She spoke to Lucy for far longer than she had spoken to me, and when she backed away, there was a light in Lucy’s eyes that I hadn’t seen in weeks. I hoped it was good news, for us.
Mother gestured that we should exit the room, and said cheerfully, “Todd, Emily, we will send notice to you about when and where to turn up for testing. There are some… arrangements that need to be made first. I will see to them myself. Please, enjoy yourselves until then.” With one more beaming smile, she turned and headed down the hallway towards the ship. We turned in the opposite direction, heading back to the salt palace and exit to the apartments above.
We walked in silence for a few minutes, but once we passed through the crystal door that only opened for spoken Vimpiri and we were safely climbing the stairs, Todd heaved a sigh of relief.