Brida Pact

by Leora Gonzales

  After talking about what might be needed for the women’s visits, Poppy realized it was getting late. Tamin and Rodin had finished up their paperwork, or in their case, tablet work. While she had been taking inventory, there had been a couple warriors who had come in to be treated for various sparring injuries. During both of those occasions, Poppy had been shielded from the warriors’ questioning glances, and the men were moved quickly through the med center. It was obvious that the doctors took her protection very seriously.

  Stretching from where she sat on the floor organizing a low shelf, she stood and swung her arms over her head to get her blood moving again. Her bracelet caught her eye as she moved. It was blinking! She scurried over to the wall to check the system for a message. How the hell had she missed it flashing?

  “Poppy, I apologize for today. I spoke with Dathrow earlier and he said that you were going to the med center to work…I am glad you are staying busy.” Wheaton’s voice paused on the recording as if he were unsure how to continue. “It seems that my work with the Council will prevent me from joining you for our normal evening meal. I am sorry but will speak with you as soon as I am able to. Just remember what I told you when we were last together.”

  Poppy realized she was on the verge of crying as the message ended. Why the hell was she so weepy? When she’d been in previous relationships, going a couple days without seeing her boyfriend had never been an issue. She wondered if the fact Hannah was taking her place in the apartment was bothering her more than she’d originally thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Wheaton. Over the last couple weeks she’d felt closer to Wheaton than she’d ever felt toward a man. He had become an anchor in her strange new home and she felt somewhat lost without him. It didn’t help that he had acted possessively toward her and she hadn’t learned much about her new surroundings before this whole mess started. She could see his point. She was one of a few women on a ship of a couple thousand men. Men who didn’t have female companionship. She would have been an idiot to not see the danger in that situation. But now that Wheaton wasn’t here by her side, she felt as if she’d lost her life preserver. Leaning on Dathrow and now Tamin and Rodin had been a little hard since she hadn’t really had much contact with any of them prior to a few days ago. Lucky for everyone that she made friends quickly, she thought.

  Deciding she should get back and figure out dinner and maybe a movie, she spoke with Tamin about getting an escort to her quarters. It was at that moment Rodin came in with a couple bleeding warriors. Apparently sparring sessions were pretty intense on this ship. The men appeared as if they’d been in an ultimate fighting championship and she figured they’d need a bit of time in the regen beds. Grimacing at the angle of one of the men’s arms hanging limply at his side, she quickly got out of their way.

  Rodin tried messaging Dathrow for an escort but had no luck. It seemed as if she would be stuck in the med center for a while. Poppy was getting comfortable when she heard Rodin say her name.

  “Poppy, this is Behyr,” he said, gesturing at the tall, grim-faced man beside him.

  Behyr was an extremely large warrior, mighty fierce with his long dreadlocks and somber face. He was actually very striking in appearance. If she could compare him to anyone, it would be that guy from Game of Thrones who married the dragon lady. He was big, with long hair and piercing eyes and didn’t crack a smile or soften his face at all during their introduction. The only thing he was missing was the war paint and naked chest. Both of which, she was honest enough to admit, she wouldn’t mind seeing.

  “Bear, as in the animal?” she asked. Sticking her hand out for a handshake, she was surprised to be met with a gentle grasp.

  “It is spelled differently in your alphabet but pronounced the same,” he said in a deep voice that fit the packaging perfectly.

  “Nice to meet you, Behyr.” Poppy smiled up at the big guy, then over at Rodin. Why was he choosing now to introduce her to another warrior when he had seemed to act as a barrier to the ones who had come in all day long?

  “Behyr has consented to walk you back to your quarters. He is a senior Skrammon warrior and has guarded Wheaton on missions when needed. Is this acceptable?” Rodin asked.

  “Ummm sure,” she said with a slight hesitation. If Rodin trusted this guy then she should too, right? Maybe his being so much bigger was throwing her off. She had seen some Skrammon warriors in passing but this was the first time she’d actually talked to one and she could see why this was the warrior breed. Behyr was intimidating as hell.

  “I already contacted Dathrow and he explained he was caught up in a meeting and unable to leave. He is the one who sent Behyr for your escort,” Rodin said with a reassuring smile when he noticed Poppy staring at the large man.

  “If you would rather wait for me to be available, I should be able to walk you back in the next hour or so. We have a couple warriors with broken bones we need to get started in the regen beds.”

  “Yeah, I saw the guy with the hanging arm. Don’t mind me, I’ve just never met a Skrammon before and was taken off guard by the differences between the warriors.” She glanced up at Behyr and smiled. “Come on, big guy. I’m starving and my back hurts from organizing those shelves. I haven’t been this sore since I decided I was going to start a garden. Now I remember why my plants died.” Rubbing her back to ease some of the stiffness, Poppy gathered her stuff.

  Waving to her friends, she promised them she’d be back the next day as soon as she finished breakfast. Following Behyr out of the door, Poppy took a good look at her new companion and his outfit. His suit was similar to Wheaton’s everyday wear but was a dark red-brown instead of the black that Wheaton wore. Wondering if it was a warrior class uniform, she asked him questions and was surprised when he answered patiently. Behyr explained that certain colors designated different tiers in the Phaeton class system. Behyr’s red leather designated his status as a senior Skrammon warrior. The Brakkens wore shades of blue leather while most Healson warriors wore black.

  The short walk back to her quarters seemed much quicker since they spoke almost the entire way.

  “Thank you for allowing me to escort you, Poppy. Dathrow said he may need me to escort you when either he or Councilor Wheaton is not available.” With a short bow, Behry turned to leave.

  “Behyr?”

  “Yes, Poppy?”

  “Thank you for walking me back and also for answering my questions,” she said with a friendly smile. For someone so big, he was actually very quiet and gentle.

  “Have a nice evening meal, Poppy. I may see you tomorrow.” Bowing to her once again, he walked quietly down the hallway.

  She might be smitten with Wheaton but she had to appreciate the way Behyr filled out his combat outfit. That man was a beast. He was a beast in the best way possible, if you could judge by the way he filled out his leather pants. Damn these warriors were mighty fine.

  After making herself a pizza and finding a movie, she rattled around her apartment. Having the time to herself, she couldn’t stop thinking. How exactly was she going to break the news of the pregnancy to Wheaton when she saw him? Was she actually going to see him tomorrow? She hoped but with her luck he would be busy again. Maybe she should do a couple runs of saying she was pregnant so she didn’t stutter when she finally had the opportunity. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she practiced a couple times using different phrases. No matter how silly she felt doing it, she did feel better. After ten different times she smiled widely. She. Was. Pregnant. And not only was she pregnant, she was really happy about it.

  “Wheaton, you’re going to be a daddy.” Yep, that sounded perfect.

  Chapter Twenty

  The next few days were awful. Absolutely awful. After having such high hopes the day she’d found out she was pregnant, she was now not so happy with her circumstances. One call after another with excuses from Wheaton was getting really fucking annoying. First it was back-to-back meetings he absolutely had to attend. Then, when he had sought
her out, she’d been in the med center and he didn’t have time in his break to find her. She’d started relying more and more on the new friends she’d made to keep her company. Her daily schedule seemed to keep her busy.

  She spent most of her day joking with Tamin and Rodin in the med center. Meals were usually eaten in her new quarters with Behyr and Dathrow. She was slowly starting to feel less lonely every day. The men often laughed at her antics and requested she play her music whenever they were around. It was often playing in the background now when she was present. She couldn’t imagine having a life without music or art. From what she was able to find out, their society had been very staid and all the men absorbed human culture like sponges. Big, strong, delicious-looking sponges.

  Dathrow had kept her up-to-date on the Council proceedings but there had been no new developments regarding her bridal status. Whenever she asked about Hannah the Hellhound, he would close up and change the subject. Of course that made her worry Hannah was fitting in better with Wheaton’s way of life than she ever did. Behyr was a superb sounding board. He was still very quiet and she had yet to make him smile but he had laughed a couple of times at something she’d said before covering the sound with a cough. Her new mission was to make him smile and loosen up a little bit.

  During one of their afternoon discussions, she had her mind blown when they described their childhoods. Apparently warriors were raised in what she would describe as an orphanage. The men who ran the schools were older warriors who were no longer able to serve in active warrior society. They took warrior babies and raised them in cold, sterile housing to be trained in the ways of their breeds. There were no art classes, music appreciation or hugs and smiles from their teachers. The warriors were raising the next generation the way they were raised. It all seemed so sad to Poppy and she actually teared up when they explained it all.

  None of them seemed upset about it. Why would they be? They didn’t know any other way. Rodin and Tamin had rushed to get her tissues when she started crying, staring at her as if she were losing her mind. Of course that was when Behyr had come to pick her up and decided to flip out. Apparently, seeing her crying made him angry, especially when Tamin and Rodin were unable to explain what had upset her so much.

  After she’d dried her tears and stopped hugging the men in a round-robin hug fest, she told them as plainly as she could why she had broken down.

  “That’s just soooooo sad!” she blubbered, crying all over again.

  Behyr, who was still in the dark about why she was crying in the first place, decided to give her his first unsolicited hug. Judging by his face, he was extremely uncomfortable but perhaps thought that since she had needed to hug them to calm down then this was the way to do it again.

  “Why are you crying, little one?” he asked, awkwardly patting her back. Over the top of her head he was shooting death glares at the other two men.

  “We did not do anything to her but talk, so please stop acting like you want to kill me, Behyr,” Rodin said, his voice dry.

  “Well, one of you made her cry! She was smiling when I escorted her to the med center this morning,” he said angrily.

  “No no no…they didn’t do anything,” Poppy said, her words muffled into his leather shirt.

  “Please explain,” Behyr requested, handing her a tissue.

  “The boys were explaining to me how you were raised in the warrior houses. I can’t imagine it, Behyr. You didn’t have anyone to kiss your boo-boos, or sing you songs when you were sad…or give you hugs when you needed them.” Poppy’s voice still sounded teary but she had stopped crying enough that Behyr felt comfortable stepping back.

  “And?” he prompted, perplexed as to why she was upset still.

  “Don’t you guys get it?” By this time, she was becoming upset with them for not understanding how fucked-up their childhoods had been.

  “Children need love and attention,” she said, pointing at the men. “Not barracks and classes to train them to be warriors when they’re only kids.”

  “But, Poppy, this is our way,” Tamin explained with his eyebrow raised in confusion.

  “No. No! I will not let Wheaton Jr. be raised like that. This shit needs to be figured out before my baby gets here.” Cuddling her belly, she was in such a tizzy she didn’t realize what she’d blurted out. Behyr’s mouth dropped open. He turned to Rodin and Tamin in disbelief.

  “She is carrying a child?” he yelled.

  Tamin and Rodin both held their hands up to calm him down. As the men argued about her pregnancy being a secret, she sat down while her mind whirled.

  How was this baby going to be raised? Her apartment on the ship was small and could only accommodate a couple. Were there bigger apartments on the ship that could house a family? She would never turn her defenseless baby over to be raised in an orphanage. Was that what the Council expected? Did Wheaton just expect them to hand over their baby when the time came for it to be raised, and then start on another one? So many questions filled her head. So few answers seemed available.

  The men stopped their chatter and stared at her.

  “Poppy? Are you okay?” Behyr asked, concern evident in his voice.

  “Guys, what’s going to happen once I have my baby? Will they expect me to just turn him over to your warrior houses?” Seeing the men glance at each other, she realized they had no clue what step two of the plan was either. Fuck. That didn’t help her at all. Propping her hands on her hips, she stared them down until they at least faked an answer for her.

  “Honestly, Poppy, we are unsure what the plan is for the new generation of children,” Tamin said with a grimace.

  “The ship would not be ideal for raising a small warrior either,” Rodin agreed, shooting a glance at Behyr as if hoping he might have something to add.

  “We know no other way, little one,” he admitted.

  “Well, guys, we need to get on the ball because we are on a deadline now and they are not taking my baby away to raise it to be a cold warrior,” she said in a voice that invited no argument and then continued, “I can tell you right now, the other brides are going to be on my side on this.”

  As they all sat down to try to figure out possible solutions, they came to a conclusion. The men explained that most warriors traveled on ships a majority of their lives, so the ships would have to be retrofitted to allow for family quarters instead of couples’ quarters. Another thing discussed was the extensive baby proofing of the ships that would be needed. That issue would be a huge project by itself. Warriors on the home planet apparently resided in barracks, so family homes would need to be constructed there when the babies started coming. According to the men, only high-ranking Council members had their own areas in the barracks but they served as office spaces as well as living quarters.

  As the list of “things to do” kept getting longer and longer, Poppy yawned widely. She had not realized how tired she was getting.

  “Behyr, I am assuming the whole reason you arrived an hour ago was to escort me back to the apartment.” At his nod she admitted, “I’m getting tired and hungry. How about we all think on this tonight and we can talk more tomorrow?”

  The men realized they’d kept her well past her normal time and jumped up to help her gather her things.

  “Poppy, tomorrow we want to perform another scan and check the progress of the pregnancy. Can you arrive early so we can make sure no other warriors are present?” Tamin asked.

  “Of course I can. I’ll let Dath know to come earlier for breakfast so we can get here maybe twenty minutes earlier. Would that be enough time for you to run the tests you need?”

  “That is more than enough time,” he agreed.

  “And if you can bring those muffs again, we would appreciate it,” Rodin chimed in.

  “You mean muffins, Rodin, and yes, I will bring more tomorrow,” she replied with a smile.

  Walking back to her apartment, she noticed Behyr was standing even closer to her than normal. He acted as if he w
ere on guard, like something was going to jump out and get her. Linking her arm through his, she smiled up at the big man beside her.

  “Behyr, are you okay? You seem more tense than usual,” she asked.

  He gave her an uncomfortable look. “I am nervous, Poppy. Before this afternoon, I was responsible for just you. Now I am responsible for you and also the first of a new line for our entire race,” he admitted. “What if you fall? What if you do not get enough food to eat? What if you have a problem in the middle of the night and no one is there for you?” he asked.

  Reaching her door, she patted his hand and turned to face him.

  “I’m tougher than you think. And, yes, I might be a klutz but unless it’s a really bad fall I should be okay. I have food at my fingertips whenever I’m hungry, and I can call for help whenever I need it almost immediately, thanks to my nifty bracelet.”

  “But…” he continued, still concerned.

  “Behyr, I’m scared enough for both of us, believe me. I think about it every day. I don’t have Wheaton here to talk to about it and that makes it worse. He doesn’t even know there is a baby yet because I wanted to tell him in person and now with everything I found out today, I’m really freaking out,” she admitted, tired of the situation she had been forced into.

  “Don’t freak, Poppy. All will be well,” he assured her in a serious voice.

  Poppy began giggling. Apparently hearing the tone of his voice along with him telling her not to “freak” tickled her funny bone enough to make her start laughing. Pretty soon his face added to the hilarity when he appeared so completely confused and she laughed even harder. Obviously having a case of the giggles was contagious, because for the first time since she’d met him, Behyr started smiling. And it wasn’t a small smile that he covered up with his hand. No, it was a full-on, teeth-showing smile accompanied by a booming laugh. That was when she noticed something that made her gasp.

  Behyr had fangs. Fangs. Not gigantic vampire fangs, but they were definitely there. And they were sexy as hell. Before he knew what she was going to do, she reached up and touched his cheek. Her manners were the only thing holding her back from prying his lips open to investigate further. That and the knowledge that if a hug made him stiffen up, then checking his teeth as if he were a horse would totally scare the shit out of him.