Boss Me Hard

by R. R. Banks

  "We will keep working on it from here," Loralia said, hoping that that would comfort Lynx in some way, "If we think of anything, we will get in touch with you."

  "I have you and the baby with me, Eden," Pyra said, pulling a pendant out from under his shirt.

  Loralia watched as he held the pendant in his hand and rubbed it with his thumb. Behind her she heard Eden sigh.

  "Keep it with you," she said, "I love you."

  The rest of the women repeated her words to their mates, and the men returned them. Finally she was looking at Bannack again.

  "We'll do everything we can," she told him.

  "I know you will."

  "I miss you."

  "I miss you, too."

  Loralia closed the compact and looped it back around her neck. As she was turning toward the rest of the women, she felt a sudden wave of worry and when she looked at Eden, she watched the color drain from her already pale face.

  Chapter Six

  "Eden?"

  Loralia's voice sounded like it was coming through water toward her. She could hear her, but the words were muffled and indistinct. Far more distinct was the strange pain coursing through her belly and tightening in her lower back. She felt dizzy and her vision blurred slightly.

  "Eden?" Zuri said

  Eden felt the other woman's hand come to her back and she pressed back into it, hoping to find some strength and balance in the support.

  "I don't feel right," she managed to say, though the words sounded just as warped coming into her ears as the ones that the others had spoken.

  "What do you mean you don't feel right? What's wrong?" Leia asked and Eden felt her come up to her other side.

  "I'm dizzy and I have a pain in my belly."

  "Oh, no," Zuri said.

  "We need to get her to the midwives," Elianna said urgently.

  Eden looked at Loralia and saw her serene face gazing back at her. She knew that the five of them had not done very well making her feel like she was part of the clan. Even though they truly wanted to, the five of them were still hesitant and unsure of anyone outside of their tightknit little group. The reality was that the five of them were intrinsically connected. Eden had been the first to come and was there to be an anchor within the compound for the other women to come. She had watched Elianna come and go through her brutal attack from the Klimnu, which bonded them. Elianna had discovered Leia in the prison, which connected the three of them. When Zuri came, she already knew Leia from the university, and then Zuri herself brought Samira back to Uoria after her brief visit back to Earth.

  Loralia was an outlier, something that none of them understood. It was not that she was another species. They had all learned that that didn't matter. It was more that she was inexplicable and came without connection to any of them. Eden hoped very much that they would soon all mesh together.

  At that moment, Loralia was a source of focus for Eden. Her lavender eyes were startling enough to keep her concentrating on them as Zuri, Leia, and Elianna supported her, and Samira held the door to make it easier for them to guide Eden out of the shop. She lost sight of Loralia as the others turned her to move her out of the shop and Eden glanced back over her shoulder. Loralia was hesitating inside the building, not following the other women.

  "Loralia," Eden called, "Please come with us."

  It was difficult to explain, but right then, as new waves of dizziness and pain washed over her, she knew that she wanted to have all of the women there with her.

  A few minutes later the women helped her into the home of the elder midwife of the tribe. The tremendous Denynso woman, more feminine but nearly as large as her male counterparts, rushed into the room still drying her hands from washing them in the sink in the back room. Her eyes were wide and worried.

  "Eden?" she asked, coming up to the women, "What's wrong?"

  "She says she's feeling strange," Zuri told her.

  "I'm dizzy," Eden said, "I feel like I can't see straight."

  "Are you having pain?" the midwife, Adela, asked.

  Eden nodded, not wanting to actually admit what she was going through because she felt like if she gave voice to it, it would be too real and she would have to really confront what might be happening.

  "Bring her into the back," Adela said, gesturing toward the curtains that covered the large doorway leading from the main room in the front of the house to the small examination room in the back.

  The women helped her toward the back of the house and Eden glanced back to make sure that Loralia was following. She laid down on the bed and closed her eyes, willing the strange feeling to pass and the pain to ease. As she lay there she felt the comfort of Pyra's presence near her and she began to relax.

  "Tell me what happened," Adela said, rubbing her hands together to warm them before lifting Eden's dress out of the way and resting her palms on her belly.

  "I don’t know," Eden said, "Everything was fine, and then I felt a little tinge of pain in my lower belly, and then it moved around to my back. It started getting worse, and then I started feeling really dizzy and lightheaded."

  As the midwife examined her, Eden rested her head back and closed her eyes again. She concentrated on the feeling of Pyra's presence, the thought of him being close to her. It was as if he were there, cradling her head and touching her belly as Adela checked her carefully for all of the signs of labor.

  "It doesn't look like you are in labor right now, Adela said and relief washed over Eden, but the stern look on the midwife's face brought her back into the sense of nervousness, "But I need you to remember that we aren't entirely sure how this pregnancy is going to go. Pyra is the first of this generation to reproduce, but the problem is that you were once human."

  "Ciyrs says that I am Denynso now, though. He says that my DNA has completely changed and that I am now as much Denynso as you are."

  Eden was feeling slightly defensive, but she knew that it was mostly fear that was making her sound angry and sharp with the midwife who had been nothing but kind and encouraging to her since she discovered that she was pregnant.

  "I know that, Eden, but we've talked about this before. You are the first person to ever be changed like that. No one else, ever, has been changed from another species to a Denynso. We didn't even know that was possible, so we have no idea what it actually means. It is entirely possible that while you are technically one of us, your body still maintains some of the traits of humans. That means that we don't know if this pregnancy will go as long as a normal human pregnancy or if it will be closer to a Denynso pregnancy. That makes it really difficult for us to tell where you may be in the process."

  "What is the difference between the pregnancies of the two species?" Loralia asked from her place several feet away from the bed where Eden lay.

  "Two months or more. If she is carrying like a human, she still has some time to go. If she is carrying like a Denynso, though, this little one will be ready to come into the world very soon. There is simply no way of knowing."

  Eden slid her eyes over to Loralia, catching her gaze and holding it meaningfully, hoping that she could tell her what she was thinking just through that one glance. It seemed to take a moment, and then Loralia gave a single subtle nod. Eden looked back up at Adela.

  "I am starting to feel much better," she told her, "I think I just overreacted. I've never done this before, you know."

  "I know," Adela said with a warm, understanding smile, "I completely understand. I am the only one that still remembers the last generation being born, and I can tell you that there was not one first time mother who did not get nervous close to the end. The dizziness and pains are not uncommon. I can't tell you for sure, but they make me think that you may be carrying more like a Denynso. Those are common symptoms for a mother that is drawing close to labor."

  "If it's alright with you, I'm just going to go home now. Some rest will probably do me good."

  "Of course, but prepare yourself. This child could make an appearance when you
least expect it, and it is important that you are ready."

  Eden nodded and looked toward the other women.

  "The girls will help me get the house ready and make sure that I'm alright until Pyra comes home."

  "Good."

  Eden let Adela help her sit before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing carefully. The pain had subsided and she was feeling stronger, but she longed for the feeling of Pyra being close to her. The sense of his presence had dissipated and she reached out with her mind for the link with him. As it had been for the last few days, though, she could not make the connection. She remembered him holding the pendant in his hand when they spoke through the mirror and realized that somehow it was connecting them. When he touched the hearts that represented her and their baby, she could feel his energy pulsing toward her. The thought calmed and comforted her, giving her the strength to move forward.

  "Come on," Zuri said, "We'll help you get home."

  With Zuri on one side and Samira on the other, the women made their way carefully out of the midwife's home and toward Eden's. Adela watched them from the door, calling out reminders to Eden about the things she needed to be doing to take care of herself until the baby arrived.

  Eden waited until they got to her house to turn to Loralia again.

  "Can you help me?" she asked nervously.

  Loralia hesitated and then walked over to Eden, leading her with a gentle hand on her back over to the sofa.

  "I can try," she said, "Lay down." Loralia knelt down beside the sofa and took her compact from around her neck, "I don't know if I'll be able to tell you anything that I didn't tell you the last time."

  "Just try."

  Loralia opened the compact in her palm and brought it up to rest against the side of Eden's belly, placing her other hand on top of the swell. Eden could feel her hand pressing down as if trying to reach the baby and ease it closer to the mirror. She was quiet for several long seconds and Eden started to feel worried, then Loralia's mouth twitched into the hint of a smile.

  "This baby is very perceptive," she said.

  "Is it still a boy?" Eden asked.

  Loralia laughed and looked into Eden's eyes.

  "If he was before, he still is now. I don't think that changes," she said and Eden laughed, the moment relieving some of the tension she was feeling.

  "What do you mean he's perceptive?"

  "He knows that you are upset, and he doesn't want you to be."

  Eden rubbed the side of her belly.

  "It's alright, little one," she whispered, "I'm fine. I just want you to be healthy and strong, and I want your Papa to be here when you're born."

  "He's calmer now, but he is nearly ready to come into the world and meet you."

  "How nearly ready?"

  "I can't tell you that. Remember, I am not positive about anything that I tell you about him. I can only tell you what I feel. I would say, though, that becoming a Denynso definitely changed how you will carry this baby and any future children you may have. I do not think that he is going to stay cuddle up inside you for another two months."

  Chapter Seven

  The sound of a sharp knock on the door startled Zuri and she turned away from watching Loralia and Eden. She looked around the room to make sure that all of the women were there, and then looked back toward the door. There was another hard, sharp rap on the door and she heard a deep but feminine voice come through the door toward them.

  "It's Zsilvia."

  Zuri crossed the room and opened the door to allow the Denynso woman in. With the exception of Samira, who was nearly as tall as she was, the Denynso women were the only females anywhere around that could rival Zuri in size. They were actually taller than she was and slightly larger, which was not something that Zuri was accustomed to. On Earth she was always made to feel extremely large and ungainly, particularly when compared to the other women who worked in the university. It had been the lingering feelings of discomfort about her size and how she compared to the other women that made her nearly walk away from the love of her mate, Ero. On Uoria, though, she felt like she fit in. In fact, it was the tiny, delicate-looking other human women who looked far more out of place that she and Samira did. Fortunately, they were never made to feel the shame and self-doubt that she had.

  "Hi," Zuri said, "Is everything alright?"

  Though the Denynso women were nice enough and all of the women spent time together occasionally, the women born into the tribe tended to be quieter and preferred to keep to themselves. It was unusual for one of them to show up at one of the human women's homes without there being a specific reason.

  "Creia and Theia sent me to retrieve you."

  "Is something wrong?" Zuri felt a sudden surge of panic. "Is there something wrong with the men? Did they hear from them?"

  She didn't realize it until she was within a few inches of her that she had been advancing toward Zsilvia. She stopped and took a step back, trying to calm the suddenly frantic pounding of her heart.

  "No," Zsilvia said, "They said nothing about the warriors. They didn't seem upset, but they did say that they would like for you to get to them as quickly as possible."

  "Eden, do you feel up to going?" Zuri asked.

  Eden shook her head.

  "I think that I should stay here and get some more rest if that's ok."

  "I'll let the king and queen know. I'm sure they won't mind."

  "I'll stay here with Eden," Loralia offered, "I can't imagine they need to see me."

  Zuri nodded and the other three women came toward her so that they could follow Zsilvia toward the meeting hall where the king and queen lived and held court. This kept them close to their people at all times, whether they were eating in the banquet hall or needed to speak with them in their meeting hall.

  The four women followed closely behind Zsilvia as they made their way toward the meeting hall. Not for the first time since she had been on Uoria, Zuri longed for the convenience of the vehicles on Earth. While there certainly weren't as many individual vehicles as there had been in past generations, the availability of many different kinds of public transportation virtually everywhere made it easy to get anywhere you needed to go without having to resort to walking. This seemed especially important when even her long legs were having difficulty keeping up with the impressive stride of the Denynso woman leading their way. Zuri could only imagine how much more difficult it was for the smaller human women to keep themselves up to pace.

  When they finally made it to the meeting hall Zuri noticed that again Creia and Theia were standing out on the front steps rather than waiting inside for the women to come to them when beckoned. They had eaten their meals at home rather than in the banquet hall since the men left, and this was the second time that the king and queen had greeted them from the front steps instead of inside. It was almost as if without the warriors Creia didn't have the heart to have anyone in the hall. Zuri sometimes had to remind herself that these two sweet and gentle people were not just the beloved monarchs of the Denynso compound. They were also the parents of many of the warriors. This ensured that they were suffering an extra level of pain and worry now that the men were gone.

  "Hello," Zuri said as she approached the steps.

  Creia looked down at her with his customary smile, but she could see how the worry was impacting him. He seemed worn and tired in a way that Zuri hadn't seen him before.

  "Ah, Zuri," he said, coming down the first few steps to greet her, "Thank you for bringing her to me, Zsilvia." Zsilvia nodded and stepped to the side so that Creia and the women didn't have to look over her. "I know that there is a still a bit of time left, but I wanted you to get here early so that there was no rushing when the shuttle arrives."

  "The shuttle?" Zuri asked. Creia's face darkened and it suddenly hit her. "The shuttle! That is coming today!"

  "What's going on, Zuri?" Samira asked.

  Zuri turned to her.

  "The professor from the university is arriving
today."

  "I thought that the shuttle was still a couple of days off," Samira said.

  Zuri shook her head.

  "Creia told me last night that he got another communication confirming the arrival and that it would be a day earlier than anticipated. Apparently they are not using the same shuttle after the incident with the flight attendant, and the new one is going through testing for the university Design and Engineering program. It is faster and more efficient than the older ones."

  "Apparently."

  "I'm so sorry that I forgot," Zuri said, looking back at the king, "I didn't mean to." She stopped just short of telling him what was happening with the men. It didn't feel like the right time to include him in the situation. "Eden hasn't been feeling well."

  The slight angry expression dissipated from his face only to be replaced by worry.

  "Eden? Is she alright? Is the baby alright?"

  "Everything is fine," Zuri reassured him, "We were visiting with Loralia and Eden started feeling strange and having a few pains so we brought her to the midwife. Adela examined her thoroughly and says that everything looks good."

  "Does she think the baby will be coming soon?"

  "She doesn't know. She says there is still no way to know whether she will carry to a Denynso term or a human term."

  Creia nodded.

  "At least she is well now. Is Loralia with her?"

  "Yes. She stayed home just to be safe."

  "That's good."

  The king looked off into the distance for a moment and then back at Zuri.

  "Sir."

  Creia looked like he was about to say something, but Zsilvia's voice stopped him before the words could come out. Zuri watched him turn to the Denynso woman.

  "Yes?"

  Zsilvia pointed into the distance and Zuri followed her hand to see plumes of white smoke appearing over the crest at the edge of the compound.