Unexpected Mates (Sons of Heaven)

by Lyons, Brenna

  “I don’t have a mate,” she reminded him bitterly.

  He straightened at the rebuke. “Of course. Should I summon...your daughter’s sire?”

  She shook her head. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the fact that their daughter was winged. The last thing she needed was Rietin’s excitement about it.

  “Would you like me to call for Sakku?”

  Jo nodded and managed a shaky “Thank you.”

  “As you wish, Ms. Williams.”

  He went to the comm board and relayed the message that Jo wanted to see her cousin. She didn’t understand everything he said; her grasp of the Sakk language was still weak.

  It didn’t take Amy long to arrive. She rushed through the door, looking harried. “Is something wrong?” she asked urgently.

  Dravil shook his head, then went back to packing his tools. “They are both healthy and strong, Sakku.” He slid a sideward look at Jo. “Your cousin is...upset, I believe.”

  Amy dismissed him, and Dravil left Jo’s room.

  He’s probably off to report to Sakkra that the baby has wings. It seemed the entire ship was on pins and needles, waiting to hear if her daughter would be winged.

  Amy went to the tray of frozen juices in sealed containers and poured herself a glass of the frozen lemonade. “Want one?” she offered.

  Jo pushed up from the bed, sighing at the size of her womb already. “The berry punch?”

  Her cousin poured one for her, then held it out for Jo. She took it; they went to the sitting area and took two of the soft chairs.

  “It’s the fact that the baby is winged. Isn’t it?” Amy asked bluntly.

  “It’s everything.”

  Her cousin shot her a knowing look, one eyebrow raised for effect.

  Jo sighed. “Okay, the fact that the baby is winged does limit my choices.”

  Amy took a drink of her lemonade. “In what way?”

  Putting it into words was difficult. At last she grasped on a concrete example she could use. “When I’m trying to start my career, she’ll be starting school.”

  Amy nodded. “So will mine.”

  “Well, I’d always planned to teach at the school my kids attend for preschool and elementary school, if possible.”

  “Who says you can’t?”

  “What? Of course I can’t. She’ll be bullied. Someone might break her wing without even really meaning to. I’ve heard they are very easy to break.” Dravil had been answering her questions about the particulars of dealing with a winged child, just in case Jo’s daughter was winged.

  Amy smiled. “General Lea is setting up the first two colony compounds while we’re gone.”

  Jo took her time, drinking down a quarter of the glass of berry freeze before she answered. “I heard about the plans, but I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”

  “Assuming at least a woman or two each year wants to stay on Earth, we will need a school system soon.”

  “I could teach there?” Jo hadn’t considered it before.

  “I was actually thinking of you running the program. You could teach, of course, especially while there are only a few children to deal with. Later on, when you would naturally move into an administrative position, you could give up the classroom and do that.”

  “Amy, I’m not even a licensed teacher yet.” And her heart ached at the idea of leaving her baby to go to school every day. “I might not be for a long time,” she admitted.

  “The Sakk government decides what makes someone a licensed teacher. We’ll be on Sakk for a full six months. We’ll have three more months on the trip back and as much time as we need afterward to have you trained.”

  “As a Sakk teacher?”

  Amy swallowed another sip of her drink. “More a melding of Sakk teaching methods and European, I would think. If we got a retired master teacher from Sakk, we could have you qualified to teach within a year of returning home to Earth. You’ve already got two years of college for a teaching degree in that would license you in the state of Virginia...which you don’t need to teach in a consulate school, of course, but it will allow you to handle a cross-cultural program. You could take some additional college classes if you think you need them, but you would be a foreign graduate student, for all intents and purposes. We have the benefit of being able to accept all of your existing credits.”

  “Wow.” Jo set her glass down, her head spinning in new possibilities.

  “You and the Sakk master teacher would set up the program together.”

  “Me? I’ve never done anything like that before.”

  “There’s a first time for everything. This is the first time we’ve ever set up a school system on Earth.”

  “Wow.” It seemed all Jo was capable of verbalizing.

  Amy laughed. “Think of the other plus-side.”

  “Which is?” Jo continued on without letting her answer. “I’ll have to teach both Sakk subjects and the usual ones we do on Earth.” It was a lot to teach a child.

  “It won’t be as difficult as you think. Remember that the parents can teach both languages at home. The consulate already has software designed to teach other Earth languages, which children could use for home study. Children could be trilingual or even more before they reach high school. Not to mention, you’ll be able to take the best field trips in the world.”

  “We will?”

  Amy motioned around at the room. “You can bring children aboard Sakk ships. The ships can do weekend trips through the solar system. The children won’t be able to go to the surface, but they can see high definition live video of the surface or the atmosphere.”

  Jo considered that. “Can I see the ship?”

  “Now?” Amy seemed shocked by the question.

  “Can I?”

  Amy pushed to her feet and retrieved her glass. “We can go anywhere we want, as long as we take my guards. Well...anywhere but the engine rooms and other machine areas. Too hazardous for pregnant women.”

  Jo vaulted to her feet and grabbed her own glass, already making plans for field trips to come.

  ****

  The comm board toned, and Rietin tensed. Damn Dravil for noting that Jo was more relaxed when I’m not hovering. It wasn’t simply the fact that the healer had banned Rietin from attending checks on his daughter that upset him. The fact that Rietin made Jo nervous, after all this time, stung more than he wanted to admit.

  Sakkra invited whoever was contacting him to speak. Rietin’s heart went into overdrive at the sound of Dravil’s voice.

  “Ms. Williams requests an audience with Sakku.”

  Amy made it to her feet and slipped on a pair of flat shoes. “I’m on my way.”

  “Do you need me?” Sakkra asked.

  Dravil continued. “No, Sakkra. I believe this is...a female request.”

  “Very well.”

  Amy was already halfway out the door. Rietin rose, intending to follow her.

  Sakkra intercepted him halfway. “Dravil will come directly here. Whatever it is, you will know as soon as possible.”

  “What if Jo needs me?”

  “She will decide if she needs you, when she needs you, and if she wants you.”

  Rietin wanted to argue it, but there was no winning an argument against a prince. He stalked back to the chair he’d abandoned and dropped into it with a series of grumbled curses.

  The wait was nerve wracking, and a light knock at the door sent Rietin to his feet again.

  “Enter,” Sakkra called out.

  The healer strode into the room as if he owned it, tipped his head to Sakkra, and offered his report smartly. “Ms. Williams and her daughter are healthy and strong.” He slid a glance at Rietin. “The babe is also winged. Fully or nearly so.”

  Rietin smiled. A laugh bubbled up from inside him. They’d done it. He, a ‘genetically inferior’ male, had produced a fully-winged daughter.

  “Why did Jo ask to see Amy?” the prince inquired.

  “I do not underst
and it, Sakkra. Ms. Williams seemed distressed by the news that the babe was winged.”

  Rietin’s smile disappeared that quickly. She was upset that their daughter was winged. Perhaps Jo wouldn’t want a winged child. Would his daughter be enough, if Jo decided to deliver the baby and walk away?

  No. He wanted Jo in his life. His daughter would be special, but not as special as having Jo’s love.

  Worse, after his misstep with Jo, he wasn’t sure Sakkra would let him keep his daughter, if Jo rejected them both. Would they place her in the care of one of the adopted families that took in surrendered children?

  Dravil and Sakkra continued speaking, but Rietin didn’t hear any of it. The only thing that mattered was finding a way to convince Jo to choose him, their daughter, everything they could have together.

  He rose, dimly noting that Dravil had left.

  “Where are you going?” Sakkra asked.

  “To see Jo.”

  “You’ll have to wait.”

  Rietin glared at him, wagering his life on the chance that the prince would understand his frustration. “Why?” What roadblocks were being erected between them now?

  Sakkra smiled. “Apparently, Jo and my Sakku have decided to tour the ship. They are well guarded, but I guarantee they need the time alone to discuss...female matters.”

  He nodded. “They tend to do that often.”

  “Females with decisions to make talk to other females. Smart males allow them privacy to do so.”

  I suppose I should be a smart male. But the idea of Jo making decisions without him made Rietin distinctly nervous.

  “Yes. They do. I’m glad that my mate has her mother and cousin along. Females thrive in the company of other females.”

  ****

  Jo handled the tiny outfit, trying to follow the directions Dravil had given her. The winged doll and outfits were supposed to prepare her for dressing her daughter in all manner of Sakk clothing without harming her tiny wings.

  She tried the simplest form of infant cazta again and managed a sloppy wrap. Not nearly as well as Amy does it. Then again, her cousin had been practicing it for three months, and Jo had been at it for a little more than an hour.

  Jo practiced it twice more and then decided to take a break. Her mind was on dozens of other things, not the least of which was what she was going to name her daughter.

  Why she’d chosen to wait until she knew if the baby had wings or not to name her was a mystery to her, but she had. Jo had looked up baby names and made a full list of names, separated by babies with no wings and those with wings.

  She went to the bedroom and pulled the tablet she’d made notes in from her backpack. Jo ripped out the page of baby names for babies with no wings, crumpled it, and tossed it at the trash can. She poured a glass of frozen lemonade, took it to the bed, and curled onto the mattress with the second page of baby names written on it.

  The first few names held no appeal for her at all. I honestly thought those were good? Why? Jo scratched off one after another, whittling the list down to five names in a single pass.

  Working it down from there was more difficult. In the end, one name stood out from the rest. Daya Arianne. She smiled and circled it, then set the tablet aside.

  Jo took a drink of her lemonade and settled back into the pillows, content that she’d accomplished something important. I’ve named my daughter.

  Speaking of the little angel, she started kicking. Jo set her lemonade on the bedside table and started rubbing the sides of her womb.

  She actively tried to avoid rubbing the front, but—as per usual—she managed to hit the sensitive line that ran from just beneath her breasts to the top of her pubic curls. Jo winced at the sharp influx of sensation. It wasn’t that it was painful, but it put her nerves on edge.

  How many times had she considered asking Dravil about it and chickened out? Too many to count. If it was something to worry about, she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear it. If it was nothing to worry about, she wasn’t comfortable wasting the master healer’s time with it.

  Maybe I should ask Amy. Why hadn’t she considered that before? It was too simple an answer. Her cousin could tell her if this was something related to Sakk pregnancy Jo didn’t know about. At the very least, she could ask Sakkra, without raising alarm. God forbid it was something to worry about, Amy could get Dravil involved before whatever it was got worse.

  She levered herself up off the bed and made her way to the comm board. They’d arranged a direct line to Amy and Sakkra for her, and Sakkra responded promptly.

  “Good evening, Jo. Do you need any assistance?”

  “Is Amy around?”

  “She’s napping. Is it something I can help with?”

  The words stuck in her throat. “Just a question for Amy. It can wait.”

  “Are you certain? You sound distressed. Can I summon Dravil for you?”

  “There’s no need to bother him.” I hope.

  “Still, you sound as if you should have someone check on you. I’ll send Rietin.”

  “That’s not—”

  “Dravil or Rietin.” His voice held a note of warning.

  Jo debated that. Though she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to Rietin about this, she really didn’t want to bother Dravil unless it proved to be an emergency. “Rietin.”

  “He will be there promptly.”

  The comm connection closed, and Jo sighed. Rietin had been inside her room many times, usually to deliver food and drinks to her or to help her move boxes, but she’d avoided talking to him about her plans for the baby so far.

  That’s because I didn’t know what my plans were. She conceded that she still didn’t. Not entirely. But she was closer than she’d ever been to a concrete plan.

  Rietin knocked and was through the door before she got an entire word out in answer. He closed the door and made his way to her, scanning his gaze up and down as if searching for some injury she’d managed.

  “I’m not hurt,” she informed him.

  “Sakkra said you were in need of me.”

  “Sakkra warned that he was either going to send you or Dravil here. It was my choice which.”

  A smile flirted with the corners of his lips. “At least I am the lesser of the two evils.”

  She sank into the closest chair. “I didn’t really need either of you, but there was no reason to bother Dravil for nothing.”

  His smile widened.

  Jo re-ran her comment, coming up at a loss for what would amuse him. “What?”

  “I don’t mind you calling me for no reason. If it means I get to spend time with you, call anytime.”

  Her heart raced, and her cheeks flooded with heat.

  Rietin didn’t comment on it. He ambled to the closer of the two chairs left and sat. His gaze strayed to the winged doll, and he lifted it gently from the table, cradling it like an expert.

  “You’ve been around babies before,” she guessed.

  “Only the ones surrendered at the consulate. There haven’t been many. After the initial influx, there have only been four.”

  The next question fought emerging and finally escaped as a comment instead of a question. “You like babies.”

  He met her eyes. “Yes. I always have. I considered being a teacher once.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  His smile faded a notch, and he didn’t answer it.

  She worked her way to one possibility. “Because you thought you couldn’t have children?”

  Rietin nodded. “I thought it might kill me to care for the children of others as a profession, so I chose the other skills I possessed instead.”

  “Tracking.”

  “Tracking. Fighting. Using my wingless state to liaise for the Sakk.” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

  “I think you would make a good teacher.” Something about the way he held the doll told her he possessed a gentleness that some children required. The way he handled problems told her he had the grit to keep order in a classro
om.

  His smile returned. “Perhaps I should. Perhaps we could teach together.”

  She hadn’t considered that. “Maybe. It’s possible. Amy is arranging for a master teacher to work with me on Sakk and return with us to Earth. We’ll need more than one teacher on Earth, even when we have only a few children to teach.”

  He shot her a look of disbelief, then returned to his examination of the doll. “I suppose so. I wasn’t aware that Sakku Amy had arranged that.”

  “We decided it today.”

  Rietin unwrapped the doll and rewrapped the cazta one-handed. The wrap was smooth and even.

  Inspiration struck. “That’s one thing you can teach me.”

  He shook his head slowly. “What is?”

  “How to wrap one of those things.” Jo motioned to the doll.

  “It’s not as hard as it seems at first.” Rietin moved his chair closer to hers and demonstrated how to wrap the clothing. He offered the doll to Jo.

  She took it and tried to do it. The results surpassed previous attempts, but it wasn’t even.

  “Try again,” he suggested.

  Jo unwrapped the doll and started wrapping the cloth.

  “Looser there.” He pointed out the left shoulder.

  She did as he’d suggested and moved on to the next step.

  “A little more to the right.”

  The instructions went on. In the end, her wrap was nearly as perfect as his.

  “Do you want to learn the other wraps?” he offered.

  She set the doll aside. “Maybe another time. I should practice that one first.”

  His smile widened.

  “What?”

  “If I’m going to teach you—”

  “That means I’m inviting you back to teach me.” She stared at him for a moment. “I guess I am.” That wasn’t such a hardship.

  ****

  Rietin bit back a wider smile. He was making progress.

  Jo started to rise, and he waved her back.

  “What do you need?”

  “I left my lemonade in the bedroom.”

  He nodded and made his way to it, plucking the glass from the table. The open tablet on the bed caught his attention, and Rietin stopped to look at it.