by Zoey Draven
His words sobered her. She remembered what Bruxilia had told her, about how a few Luxirians in the outposts were rebelling. It wasn’t the right time to bring it up, however, no matter how much she wanted to. She trusted Vaxa to tell her if things got really bad. She could see how tired he was. The last thing she wanted to do was to stress him out further.
So, Kate swallowed her questions and they lay together in silence for a few moments, just enjoying being close to each other. She loved this alien male with everything in her. But a part of her was beginning to wonder if this kind of happiness could be sustained. With the knowledge that there was unrest brewing on Luxiria, she wondered if this kind of happiness was only temporary.
Stop, she ordered herself, feeling tears sting her eyes. Vaxa lifted his head and frowned when he saw them.
“Why this?” he murmured, kissing one off her cheek, so sweetly and gently that it made more tears rush into her eyes.
“Just hormones,” she said, sniffing.
“Ah,” he said, not too suspicious, stroking her hair. Even as early along as she was, it seemed like she cried every single day. A few days ago, she’d broken down into tears when she’d accidentally knocked over a stack of books at the archives. Strange, alien pregnancy hormones…
“Come on,” she said, patting his arm. “Let’s go wash all this sweat and blood off you.”
He purred, “You like it when I am sweaty and bloody.”
“Yes,” she whispered, gazing up at him. He was holding most of his weight off her with his forearms. “But I like bath time even better.”
Kate gave a delighted laugh as he hauled her up with one single, swift motion, making long strides to their bathroom as she wrapped her legs around his taut middle. His cock was already hard between them and she gasped as it nudged her clit.
He rasped, “In this, we agree, luxiva.”
THREE
Vaxa announced Kate's pregnancy the very next morning.
She was at work, going through the scrolls that Bruxilia had found, when the woman summoned her to the central archives. There, on the silver pad that she'd seen in almost every location on Luxiria, her handsome mate filled the screen, a video of him being played.
“What's going on?” she asked, her brows furrowing when she saw him. She'd never seen him use the silver pads like this before. He was speaking in Luxirian, the language too complex and quick for her to understand fully quite yet. She recognized some words, like luxiva, its meaning obvious enough, and ravraxia, which was the Luxirian word for the mating ceremony.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was talking about her, but even when Bruxilia said the words, it still took her breath away and made tears spring into her eyes for the second time that morning.
“He is telling Luxiria that you are pregnant,” the older woman translated. “That your offspring brings hope and a new beginning for us all. More or less.”
Kate would’ve laughed had her throat not closed up with a strong emotion that she couldn’t even place…a mixture of love and pride and nervousness and excitement.
The moment Bruxilia finished her words, Kate started when she heard loud cheers and cries coming from outside. She hurried to the window, Bruxilia close on her heels, and peered out, only to see small groups of Luxirians huddled around the silver pads that were embedded into tall, stone columns that dotted the entire city. She heard similar cries echo throughout the mountain as she continued to listen to her mate’s deep, husky voice as he spoke in his native tongue. Whatever he was saying was making some people very, very happy, judging from the looks on the Luxirians’ faced just outside the archives.
“You see, Kat?” Bruxilia murmured next to her. Luxirians couldn’t pronounce her name properly, but Kate knew that it went both ways. She didn’t mind the little nickname, especially when Vaxa said it. “Do not let this knowledge of uprisings mar your view of how all Luxirians feel about you. You represent hope for many of us. Remember this.”
Kate was touched by the words and she laid her palm on Bruxilia’s shoulder, squeezing softly. Vaxa was right. It was a new beginning, for them all.
It didn’t surprise her when, perhaps thirty minutes after Vaxa finished his announcement, he appeared inside the archives, striding through the door with that confident gait of his. Kate had just finished scanning and uploading a batch of scrolls into the archive database and she smiled, her heart fluttering, when she saw him approach.
She abandoned her work to greet him. Usually, he came to retrieve her during the afternoon so they could have lunch—or the second meal, as Luxirians called it—together. That day, however, instead of going to the meal hall, he told her that they would be going to the marketplace for lunch. Kate had been to the marketplace once, but it had been early in the morning so not many Luxirians had been milling around. In broad daylight, it would be packed, so she knew that they were going because of the news that Vaxa had just shared with his people. Still, she felt a little flutter of nerves in the pit of her stomach.
Then she straightened her spine. Kate was the mate of the Prime Leader. He hadn’t asked anything of her that she couldn’t handle.
Bruxilia waved them off and Kate promised her that she would be back to finish the remaining scrolls she’d put aside for that day. Vaxa’s arm circled around her waist as they stepped onto his hovercraft. He pulled her close and she leaned into his bare arm, running her fingertips across his scaled skin.
He looked down at her, his fingers flexing against her side. “You will not be back to finish your work this span. I plan on keeping you in our quarters for the rest of the night.”
Kate grinned through her nerves. “A promise is a promise. I don’t have that much more to do. You can wait.” Vaxa didn’t respond, just shot her a look that told her he would be stubborn about this, and maneuvered the hovercraft up and away.
The afternoon was hot. The two suns were merciless but Kate had become used to the heat, partially because Vaxa’s blood helped her body adapt to the climate. Otherwise, she would be a sweaty mess right now. As the hovercraft hurtled down, towards the marketplace, which was low on the mountainside, the warm breeze felt good on her face and she closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air.
When she opened them, Vaxa was looking down at her. Their blood bond told her of his affection, his need for her, and she murmured, “You announced the baby today.”
“Tev, I did,” was his response. “It was time. I had hoped to selfishly keep it just ours a little while longer…but you are growing more each span.”
Vaxa may not verbally express his emotion to her often, but when he said things like that, she melted and it had nothing to do with the heat.
Just as she thought, the marketplace was crowded. For a moment, she was overwhelmed as Vaxa landed their hovercraft—in a large, dusty space specifically for the hovercrafts—and they were immediately met with cries of delight, of lavrix’an and Vaxa’s formal title of xrivix’an.
The Luxirian people, from what Kate had observed, were an interesting study. Most of the time, Luxirians seemed efficient, almost clinical, in their dealings with others. They hardly expressed strong emotions—damn Vulcans, the lot of them—but they revered intimate bonds between family and friends, they loved their food, and they loved mating. Vaxa had told her that it wasn’t an uncommon sight—especially when there were more Luxirian women—to see couples having sex in public. It had shocked her, given what she had witnessed around the city, but they were a people of contradictions.
So, it didn’t surprise her when the normally subdued species suddenly swarmed towards the pair of them with loud cries of happiness and prayers to the Fates. Vaxa snagged her quickly, pulling her in front of his chest, and draping his arms in front of her body, like a shield. He was calm, however, his heartbeat steady against her back. It was just a precautionary measure.
He walked them through the impossibly loud crowd. Luxirians reached out to touch her belly, which made her jump at first. But Vaxa w
asn’t alarmed, so she figured she had no reason to be. Gradually, she relaxed, keeping an even pace as they approached the market stalls lining the terrace.
Smells swarmed her. Delicious, smoky smells that made her stomach rumble. She was eating for two now and one of them was a future Luxirian. She knew how much they ate, how much her mate ate.
Kate smiled at the Luxirians around her, feeling their hands sliding across her belly, brushing against Vaxa’s strong arms.
She told herself that this was her life now. As the Prime Leader’s mate, she had a responsibility. And even though it wasn’t a responsibility she had ever thought would be hers, she wouldn’t give it up for anything, not if it meant giving up Vaxa.
“Are you hungry?” Vaxa asked her, his voice rumbling in her ear. “There are many choices here.”
Kate’s appetite had faded somewhat due to her nerves, but she nodded so she didn’t worry him. He always made sure that she didn’t skip meals, especially when she was working at the archives. She could get a little too caught up in her work sometimes.
“Yes, I’m not picky. I’ve liked everything you’ve made me try so far.”
He nodded, steering them towards a small stall at the end of the narrow terrace. People packed them in on all sides and Kate was suddenly glad that she had never had a problem with claustrophobia.
They passed stalls of many kinds. Clothing—mostly men’s clothing, to be fair—and weapons—blades and daggers gleaming and glinting in the sunlight—and tapestries and cushions—just like the ones in their own home—and colorful glass vials that held a liquid that looked like oil.
She cocked her head to look at her mate. “What is that?”
Vaxa turned his gaze to the side, pausing briefly to regard the bottles, before he gave her a small, almost secretive grin and a heated look.
He maneuvered her to the edge of the stall and the man there, a younger Luxirian, with bright blue robes that were frayed at the edges and hems, greeted them with a wide smile.
Vaxa spoke to him in Luxirian—she really needed to be better about listening to the language instead of trying to read it—and then her mate fished perfectly square, thin, light blue crystals from this pocket. It was their currency. Vaxa had paid for things with it before. There were three different types of crystals that possessed different values, or at least, she had only seen three types.
Vaxa handed over the money and Kate was aware that every eye in the marketplace was on them. People were talking to one another, looking at the pair of them, looking at her stomach, studying Vaxa’s face. She felt like she was display but she realized that perhaps, that was the whole point. She was sure that Vaxa made regular appearances in public, so he must be used to his people’s scrutiny.
In exchange for the crystals, the vendor handed over a small bright cerulean vile of oil. Vaxa said something to him and then led her away. He slipped the vile into his pocket, and when she repeated her question to him, he simply purred, “I will show you later, female.”
Something in his tone told her that they’d just bought some form of magical alien lube, witnessed by an entire market full of people.
Terrific.
They continued towards the last stall, which she could clearly see was a food stall. Dried meats and fruits hung from the roof. This vendor was hunched over a fire, cooking, not paying any attention to the market around him.
Before they reached him, however, Kate heard a familiar voice.
Vaxa turned and Kate saw Keriva approach. Keriva was one of the most well-known seamstresses in all of Luxiria. She had been away to one of the outposts for the past week—apparently an elderly woman there wanted to create an entirely new wardrobe—so Kate hadn’t seen her until just now.
Even though Vaxa had told her once that Keriva had held strong, romantic feelings for him, Kate knew that that was in the past. She didn’t feel threatened by the Luxirian woman’s presence, no matter how beautiful she was. Rather, she considered her a good friend.
“Go,” Vaxa said. “I will get us our meal and come find you.”
Kate anxiously looked out at the crowd, which Keriva was currently trying to push her way through, but then nodded. “Don’t be too long. I may get mauled,” she joked.
Vaxa frowned, not understanding her humor. “I would never let that happen.”
Kate bit back a smile, knowing that some things were a lost cause when it came to her mate, or just Luxirians in general, and she stepped away from him. He left, although he kept a close eye on her, just as Keriva managed to break her way through the crowd.
“Hi,” Kate said with a wide, pleased smile, reaching out to touch her friend’s arm. She’d learned that Luxirians didn’t really do the whole hugging thing. “I didn’t know you were coming back today.”
“I was not supposed to,” Keriva started, tossing her dark, silky hair down her back. Some of the men nearby stared. “I needed to get some supplies,” she explained, pointing over to a stall that was filled to the brim with silks and the light, airy material that Luxirians loved. “I return this evening.”
Kate was a little disappointed by that and her shoulders dropped. But she understood. Keriva didn’t get many female clients anymore and she’d once told Kate how much she missed crafting their traditional dresses. This job meant a lot to her.
“But do not distract me…” Keriva said, swinging accusative eyes on her. “You are with child and you did not tell me!”
“I—I know, I’m sorry,” Kate said, fumbling with the edges of her dress. “But we wanted to keep it quiet for a while. Vaxa’s been dealing with some problems with the council, so we thought it best…”
“The uprisings?”
“Well…” Kate felt her face burn. “Yes, although he doesn’t know that I know.”
“Ah, I do love secrets,” Keriva said, a small smile on her features. “I suppose I can forgive you.”
Truth be told, Kate hadn’t told her right before she left for the outpost because she didn’t know how her friend would react. How would Kate feel if she was left infertile and some strange alien came to her planet and stole their king and was shortly impregnated by him? Kate didn’t know. It was a tricky subject, so she’d taken the coward’s way out and simply left the topic for another time.
“Come help me pick out some colors,” Keriva said, ushering her over to the stall, pushing through the crowd with confidence and ease. A tiny part of Kate thought that Keriva was so much better suited to take on the responsibilities as Vaxa’s mate. A tiny part of her wondered that if there had been no virus attack, if she could give him heirs…would Vaxa have chosen Keriva?
Kate shook her head, feeling an ugly burn of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. They reached the stall and the vendor eyed her with excitement. Then he said something in Luxirian, the only word she recognized of which was lavrix’an.
Keriva mumbled, almost unconsciously, as she looked through the silks piled high on the stall, “He says he is most honored that you are visiting him and that you may choose any material. A gift from him.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Kate murmured, smiling up at the man.
“You will insult him if you do not,” Keriva said, frowning at her. “Besides, I can finally craft you a formal dress for the Lunar Celebration. Here. This one is perfect.”
Keriva reached past her to snag a beautiful midnight blue cloth. Kate reached out to touch it. It was silky and cool under her fingertips.
Keriva said something in Luxirian and the man nodded, eagerly thrusting a large swath of the material at Kate.
“Krixtava,” Kate said, a grateful, somewhat shy, smile crossing over her features. The word meant ‘thank you’ in Luxirian, but she was sure she butchered the pronunciation. Turning to Keriva, she said, “Please tell him that it’s beautiful and that I will wear it gladly.”
Keriva translated her words and the man seemed pleased enough. Her friend finished purchasing her materials and soon they left the stall with armfuls and bundle
s of cloths, trying to push back towards the stall that Vaxa had ventured to.
Kate had just caught sight of her mate when her arm was grabbed, hard enough for her to gasp in alarm. Her eyes swung to a Luxirian male who towered over her. He had a warrior’s build, strong and broad, but his lips were twisted into a scowl and his eyes bled an emotion that Kate could only describe as disgust.
“Human whore,” he spat quietly, in English, pinching and twisting the flesh around her wrist. And then he released her before her mind even had time to understand what was happening, before the sharp, burning pain even registered.
After one last sneer, the man quickly fled, disappearing into the crowd so fast that Kate wondered for a brief moment if she’d imagined it.
But the flesh near her wrist was red and it ached where he’d cruelly twisted. She was suddenly dizzy and the market seemed to slow around her. Kate’s breaths shallowed, her eyes swinging around, wondering if anyone had seen. Unbelievably, it seemed no one had. Keriva’s back was to her, trying to make a path through the swarms of people. And it was so crowded that no one would’ve thought the man’s proximity was suspicious.
Immediately, she looked for Vaxa but saw that he was exchanging money with the food vendor. He hadn’t seen.
“Kat,” Keriva called over her shoulder when she saw her lagging behind. When her friend saw her face, she stopped and immediately made her way back. “You look ill,” Keriva murmured, touching her arm. “Are you sick? Is it the child?”
“I—I…” Kate choked out, shaking her head, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. The encounter had shaken her. Her eyes looked out into the crowd once more, searching for the man, but she couldn’t find him. She looked at Keriva. “I just got a little lightheaded. The heat and all the people, I think.”
Keriva’s pretty face pulled into an expression of concern. “Come. Vaxa will take you back to your dwelling.”
Kate allowed Keriva to act as her guide, her mind reeling.
Human whore. Human whore. Human whore.