by Regine Abel
“Is there anything else?” Anton asked.
“No, that will be all,” Lee said. “Thank you for your time and assistance.”
“No problem. Before you go, there are a couple of things I would like to discuss with you,” Anton said as we began to rise.
We sat back down as he reached for the com device on his desk.
“Grace, could you bring Gavin to meet our guests?” Anton spoke into the com.
“Yes, honey,” a sultry voice replied.
I raised an inquisitive brow at our host when he ended the communication.
“Gavin is my firstborn son. He recently turned five. About a month ago, he began talking about an imaginary friend named Zhara and drawing pictures of her.”
Mercy gasped. Lee and I tensed. A million questions raced through my mind. I forced myself to focus on his words, wanting to see where this was leading.
“Two days ago, he told me Uncle Ghan was coming to see me and made me promise I would let him come say hi. I didn’t know what to make of it until you walked in, perfectly matching the description he made of you.”
“Is your son a Seer then?” Lee asked, tension still audible in her voice, although discreet.
Anton shook his head. “No. Braxians do not have psi abilities. Not like Korletheans or Veredians,” he said, staring at Lee before glancing at Mercy.
The way he had said that only increased my unease.
“That is, if you exclude the berserker ability some of us possess. You’d love having a few berserkers in your army,” Anton said, smiling teasingly at me.
A soft knock echoed from the door before it pushed open. A stunning Terran female with reddish brown hair, amber eyes, and a luminescent white skin like the most perfect pearl, walked into the room. Dressed in a colorful sarong that stopped mid-thigh, exposing endless legs that’d put even Kamala’s to shame, she walked on impossibly high heels. Holding her by the hand, a young boy, with the same black hair as his father and golden eyes of his mother, all but dragged her into the room in his eagerness to see us… or rather me.
Despite his undeniable Braxian heritage with the lion nose and strong forehead, the boy had inherited the harmonious beauty of his mother’s features. He would grow into an exotically handsome male, a word rarely associated with Braxians.
Eyes shining with excitement, the boy beamed at me and pressed a little gift box to his chest.
“Hello, Uncle Ghan!” he said, barely able to contain his happiness. “You see, Mama? I told you he was real!”
She ruffled his hair, then left her hand on top of his head, the bright red of her painted nails resting on his forehead.
“You did. I should have believed you. I’m sorry,” she said with an apologetic look.
Gavin shrugged and gave his mother a loving look. “It’s okay. Now you know.”
“Hello, Gavin,” I said, intrigued. “How do you know me?”
“Zhara told me about you.”
The wistfulness in his voice when he said her name alleviated some of my concerns. Whatever was going on, this boy seemed to genuinely care for my little princess.
“She said you were big, and strong, and all muscles. I told her you couldn’t be bigger than a Braxian. But you’re as big as Papa!”
“Gavin,” his mother admonished.
“It’s true, Mama!” he said looking up at her. “He’s big and Zhara says he’s the strongest Xelixian in the world!”
Mercy snorted and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I don’t know about that.”
The boy shrugged again.
“And she said you were the same color as her, with that cree… creene… hmm, I don’t remember how you call it,” he said pointing at his own forehead.
“The crihnin,” I said.
“Yes! That’s it. She has it, too!”
“Yes, she does,” I said. “But tell me, little one, how do you speak with Zhara?”
“In my dreams,” he said as if it was self-evident. “Zhara said it’s too hard for her to reach me when we’re awake.”
I made a mental note to question Eryon about this.
“But how did she find you?” I asked. “How did you start talking?”
“She says my light called her. I’m not sure what the light is but she says everyone alive has one. And that mine is identical to hers. That’s why we’re going to marry when we’re older.”
This time, Lee was the one to gasp, while Mercy and I just stared at the boy, mouth gaping.
“That’s a huge assumption to make,” Lee argued. “You’re a little young to think about that already.”
“Zhara saw it,” Gavin said, taking on a mulish expression. “She says I will become a great warrior when I’m older and we will meet during a rescue mission, and then we’ll get married.”
“She saw it?” Lee asked. “As in she sees the future?”
“Yes. She does sometimes. But she says it just comes when it wants, but it’s not often.”
Goddess!
Was Zhara an Oracle or did she have an ability similar to Amalia’s? No, my sister could only see the next five to twenty minutes into the future, while her daughter appeared to be looking years, maybe even a couple of decades into the future; because if her vision was accurate and she married the boy, there is no way Khel, Lhor and I—yes I—would let her marry before her twenties, even if Xelixian law permitted her to do so at eighteen.
Either way, Zhara had earned herself a stern scolding for talking to complete strangers and telling them about the family. How many other strangers had she reached out to?
“I made this for Zhara. Could you give it to her?” Gavin asked, extending the gift box in his hands toward me.
I hesitated but didn’t want to offend our host by refusing.
“Thank you. I will,” I said, accepting the package.
“Open it,” Anton said.
My eyes snapped in his direction.
“You will anyway once onboard your ship, like any responsible parent would if some stranger gave them a mysterious box for their baby daughter.”
He smiled without malice. Like me, Anton would never qualify as a handsome male. At first glance, intimidating, cold, and ruthless were the first words to come to mind. And yet, in the short time since our arrival, he’d been everything but the cutthroat deal-maker I’d expected.
Because I’m not seeing the business shark, but the family male.
Nodding in gratitude at his understanding, I carefully opened the golden box with a pretty black and gold bow. The box hadn’t been sealed to make it easier for us to inspect its content. A thoughtful gesture from responsible parents.
Inside, rolled up paper—something I hadn’t seen in a while—revealed drawings clearly made by a child with promising talent. Beside them, a beautiful golden hair ribbon with green sparkles sat neatly folded. It looked fancy but not outrageously expensive.
“I bought it with my allowance,” Gavin said proudly when I ran my thumb over it. “It’s the same color as her eyes.”
I raised an impressed brow at the boy. It did resemble Zhara’s yellowish eyes dotted with green specks, like her mother. Like my mate’s beautiful eyes.
“That is very thoughtful,” I said. “I’m sure Zharina will love it.”
He beamed at me then cast a look at his father, seeking his approval. Anton smiled and winked at his son who puffed his chest. Once more, this soft side of the male I’d been so worried about meeting threw me.
Anton was growing on me.
I picked up the last item, a holocard. Pressing my thumb at the bottom corner, I activated the card which projected a 3D hologram of Gavin smiling.
“Those are very charming presents, little warrior. I will make sure to get them safely to her.”
“Thank you, Uncle Ghan.”
It felt strange to have this boy I didn’t know address me that way, and yet, I didn’t doubt our paths would cross again—often—in the future.
“My pleasure.”
“All right, Gavin. We’ve disturbed Papa and his guests enough,” Grace said.
“Okay, Mama. Goodbye Uncle Ghan. Goodbye sir. Goodbye pretty lady.”
We chuckled and waved back at the boy, relieved he didn’t seem to know Lee’s true identity.
“My love,” Anton called out, as his mate was about to head out the door with their son, “could you take Ms. Vrok to our cellar so that she can choose a wine bottle from our private reserve for Zhara’s parents? If you don’t mind, of course,” Anton added looking at Mercy this time.
Surprised, we all exchanged confused looks, although we couldn’t see Lee’s expression due to her helmet.
“Not at all,” Mercy said before rising to her feet and quietly following Grace out of the room.
I turned a questioning look toward our host.
“If not for your nose,” Anton said. “You could almost pass for a Braxian half-breed like me.”
I blinked, taken aback by the randomness of that comment.
“Except, our noses aren’t just a way for us to stand out,” he said in self-derision. “They are also extremely sensitive. For example, it allowed me to know that the Admiral and Ms. Vrok are siblings. By the spicy edge of the scent, I would speculate you share the same mother.”
Lee stiffened and my stomach dropped as I struggled to maintain a neutral expression on my face.
“You are also drowning in each other’s scent, which tells me you’re a couple. I know homosexuality and bisexuality are commonplace on Xelix Prime. However, your scent,” Anton said turning to Lee, “gives you away as a female, although it was a little tricky to be sure with that celesium armor dampening it. Plus, being a half-breed, my nose isn’t as sensitive as a pureblood.”
“Those are a lot of wild assumptions, Mr. Aldriss,” Lee said in a clipped tone while my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. “Is there a point to this?”
“Under different circumstances, I would have kept that knowledge to myself, but it would be unconscionable for me to do so. I do not know if you’re aware, but you are pregnant, Admiral. And by the woodsy scent, you’re carrying a male.”
My heart skipped a beat and Aleina’s hand flew to her stomach. Before I could process the shock, the sympathetic expression descending on Anton’s face made the smalls hairs at the back of my neck stand on ends.
“I am sorry to say that he’s not healthy. I do not know what’s wrong with him, but he needs immediate medical assistance.”
While still holding her stomach with one hand, Aleina sought mine with the other. I took her hand. She squeezed mine painfully, her strength heightened by her celesium armor. Despite the fog threatening to rob me of coherent thoughts, I leveled a warning stare on Anton.
“Relax, Xelixian. Your secret is safe with me. However, there are other Braxians on this space station. I cannot speak for them. They are purebloods and will recognize the scent of pregnancy much faster than I did.”
“How do we know you won’t talk?” Lee whispered, sorrow and anger seeping through her synthetic voice.
“Because I give you my word of honor, and Braxians do not play with honor. And because, according to my son, we are to become family. There is only one thing I put above honor, and that’s my family. I gave up much, including my clan for the right to marry my wife and to keep my children safe. There’s nothing I won’t do to ensure their happiness.”
Anton rose from his chair. We followed suit.
“I have excellent doctors here, but I doubt they will be able to assist in your particular case. Nevertheless, if there is anything I can do, anything you need, ask and it will be yours.”
“Thank you for everything, Mr. Aldriss,” Aleina said. “We—”
“Anton,” he interrupted.
“Anton,” Lee repeated. “Thank you, but we must depart now.”
“Of course, you both take care.”
* * *
We didn’t speak the whole way back to the ship, both lost in our own thoughts. Disbelief and confusion dominated mine. I’d just had that conversation with Minh about how I couldn’t give Aleina a child because I produced too little DMT, so how in Gharah’s name was she pregnant? I knew beyond any doubt that she hadn’t cheated on me. Yet, things didn’t add up. Even Varrek’s own experiments had failed to get non-Geminate Xelixians to impregnate Veredians. So what had changed?
Aleina dropped her armor. I pulled her onto my lap and she curled up against me. My arms tightened their embrace, both giving and seeking comfort.
As soon as we boarded the Tempest, we went straight to the medical bay where Kamala and the healer Imelda awaited us. Without a word, Aleina lay down on the examination table and lifted the hem of her tank top. Imelda, a skinny brunette in her early fifties, took Aleina’s hand and pricked the tip of her index finger with a small stylus which she then stuck into an analyzer on the counter behind her. Turning back toward Aleina, she ran a scan over her stomach and pelvic area. After a quick glance at the results, she put it down on the counter next to the analyser then placed her palms on my mate’s exposed belly.
Imelda’s pointy chin dropped as her thin lips parted in what I could only interpret as shock. I didn’t dare ask her what was wrong. Aleina was already under enough stress. The healer would tell us in due time what we needed to know.
“He’s already so big,” Imelda whispered as if to herself. “He’s at least six weeks. That’s a record!”
She smiled at Aleina in encouragement, then looked back to her hands resting on my mate’s abdomen. An air of deep concentration descended upon her features while she performed whatever healing magic her ability allowed.
I held Aleina’s hand, and rested my other palm on her head, my thumb caressing her forehead. Eyes connected, I let mine express all the love I felt for her.
Six weeks…
By my calculation, that fell in the first week of Aleina’s season. We would have conceived him during that sex marathon in the meeting hall. But more importantly, it was two weeks longer than any previous pregnancies had lasted before the miscarriage of a male Korlethean hybrid. From what Aleina had told me, the mothers had shown severe signs of sickness from the beginning of the pregnancy, somewhat similar to what Valena had experienced before Zhul and she lost their first son.
Aleina had shown no signs of sickness.
Yes, she had been an emotional wreck and fairly needy, both of which were common in her condition due to hormonal imbalance. Part of me wanted to believe the Goddess had a plan for us. She wouldn’t have allowed this had she not intended for us to have this miracle. She had given us too many blessings to abandon us now.
Leaning down, I kissed Aleina’s lips. She caressed my cheek, her eyes flicking between mine.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“And I, you, my mate.”
We both looked at Imelda’s delicate hands roaming over Aleina’s belly. She gave us a reassuring smile, although we could still see the concern lurking beneath.
“It is a blessing of the Goddess that this male warned you when he did. I am almost done healing your son, but it is only temporary, Aleina. Over time, my healing will become less and less effective unless we find the cause of his illness.”
“Yes, I understand,” Aleina answered in a tired voice.
Imelda pursued her ministration for a few more minutes before releasing my mate. She looked at the blood test results from the analyser but found nothing notable. Aleina asked her to send the analysis to Minh.
We returned to our quarters where Aleina sent a rather vitriolic message to Minh asking him what in Gharah’s name was going on. With our great distance from Xelix Prime, it would take at least an hour before the message reached him and another hour to get back to us, plus however long he takes to record his message. Considering he would want to examine the report and analysis performed by Imelda, we probably wouldn’t hear from him for three hours.
While Aleina finished her message, I went to fetch a full crate of
ryspak to keep in our room. The news had spread like wildfire. Both the Sisters and Xelixians I met along on my way there and back struggled as to how to react. Sympathy and hope warred in their eyes. Veredians knew well enough that a sick male fetus always resulted in a miscarriage. However, those fetuses had all be Korlethean half-breeds. So what did that mean for us? Furthermore, that Aleina, a first generation Veredian, had managed to conceive a male with a non-Geminate Xelixian implied every other Sister mated with any Xelixian might succeed as well. This translated as a real future for the survival of the Veredians.
The question was why had it worked for us?
“Where were you?” Aleina asked the minute I stepped back inside our quarters.
She stood in the middle of the room, hugging herself, as if she had been pacing around while awaiting my return.
“I went to get you some ryspak,” I said showing her the crate.
“Oh, right… Good idea. It just took you a really long time.”
I put the crate down next to the breakfast table then pulled her into my embrace.
“I was gone less than ten minutes, my love. Probably closer to five or six minutes to be honest.”
She snuggled into me and nuzzled my neck.
“Really?” she asked, genuinely surprised. “It felt like forever. I’m sorry to be so needy, but I really missed you. Goddess, I’m feeling like an addict going through withdrawal every time you step away.”
I stilled, understanding finally dawning on me.
“Gharah’s teeth,” I whispered. “Of course, you would.”
“What?” she asked, lifting her head to look up at me.
She squealed in surprise when I picked her up in my arms and carried her over to the reading nook. Sitting down in one of the chairs, I settled her on my lap, and she once more curled up against me.
“You are not being needy. This clinginess doesn’t come from you but from our son.”
Our son… I loved the sound of that and addressed a silent prayer to the Goddess to please keep him safe.
Aleina stared at me wide-eyed, her lips parted in shock. I placed my hand on her stomach and gently caressed it with my thumb. She covered my hand with hers and smiled, although her eyes questioned my last statement.