My legs trembling from fear, I stood with Sabrina in my arms and ran through the forest to our vehicle.
* * *
“My King.”
I continued to sit next to the bed, holding Sabrina’s hand and studying her face. Galan squeezed my shoulder before sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed.
“How is she?” Galan asked.
“She will not wake up.” Even I could hear the plaintive sound in my voice, but I was powerless to control it. “Why will she not wake up, Galan?”
“It has only been a couple of hours, Quill. The humans are weaker than us. She needs time to heal.”
I studied the bag of clear liquid that was hooked up to Sabrina’s arm. “Sigan is giving her gallberry serum. Why is it not working? He said it would and it is not. If she dies, I will banish Sigan from the planet!”
“My King, Sigan is an excellent kadana. I am sure the serum is working,” Galan said. “Her colour has returned and her skin is warmer.”
“Humans have died from hypothermia,” I whispered.
“She is not going to die. Her heartbeat is steady as is the baby’s. Your mate is strong. She will live.”
I glanced at him. “How do you feel, Galan?”
“Completely healed, my King.”
“And Teo?”
“He is almost healed as well. Sigan has just allowed him to return to his own quarters. He wanted to see you and your mate, but Sigan said he needed to rest.”
“I am glad to hear it.” I leaned forward and brushed my lips across Sabrina’s mouth before resting my forehead against hers and closing my eyes.
“I love you, sadora,” I whispered. “I love you. Please wake up.”
“I love you too.”
Her croaked reply made me sit up in a hurry. I stared at her and she blinked sleepily before smiling at me. “Hi.”
“Sadora.” I pressed my lips against hers. “How do you feel?”
“Good.” She shifted under the bedcovers. “Quill, Teo said I’m pregnant. The baby…”
“The baby is fine,” I said immediately. “I heard its heartbeat earlier.”
“Are you sure?” She was starting to cry, and I wiped away the tears.
“Yes, my sadora. Our baby is fine.”
She took a deep breath before saying, “Galan and Teo?”
“They both live. Galan is here.”
I leaned back so she could see Galan. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Hello, my Queen.”
“Galan, I’m sorry.”
He frowned at her. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It is me who should be apologizing to you. I failed to keep you safe and -”
“No,” Sabrina said. “You didn’t know. It isn’t your fault.”
Galan smiled at her before kissing her forehead. “I am glad you are awake, my Queen. I will leave you alone with your mate.”
He stood and left the room as Sabrina stared at her surroundings. “Where am I?”
“The medical bay,” I replied. “Sigan – he is the kadana – thought it best to keep you here for now.”
“Kadana – that’s like a doctor, right?”
“Yes. I love you, my sadora. Are you sure you feel all right?”
“I do. All things considered, I feel pretty damn good actually. My nausea is gone, and I feel so much warmer and stronger.”
“You are receiving gallberry serum directly into your system,” I said.
She studied the bag hanging above her. “I thought it only came in drinkable form.”
I shook my head before taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. “I love you.”
She smiled at me. “You have no idea how adorable you are with your constant ‘I love you’s’, Quill.”
I squeezed her hand again. “I should never have sent you away. I am sorry, sweet sadora.”
“You didn’t know I was pregnant. Hell, I didn’t know, and it’s my body. My cycle was a few days late, but I thought it was the stress. Honestly, I still don’t know how it even happened. I don’t carry the gene. I guess they could have made a mistake in the testing, but I’ve never heard of that happening before.”
I shrugged. Honestly, I didn’t care why or what had happened. My mate carried my child, that was all I cared about. “Sigan is looking into it. He took some of your blood earlier. Perhaps he will find out the reason.”
“Okay.” She hesitated before clearing her throat. “Quill, you and the other Draax keep referring to me as your queen. Does that mean...”
I rubbed my thumb over the palm of her hand. “You are my mate. As soon as you are healed, we will perform the mating ritual and you will become Queen of the Western Province.”
“That’s, um, really sweet, but you’re forgetting about Evelyn and my nanny contract,” she said. “If I break the contract, I’ll be sent to prison on earth.”
“No one will take you from me ever again. You are my mate and you belong with me.”
“Again, that’s very sweet,” she said, “but I’m breaking a law if I stay with you.”
“I am the King of the Western Province. What I say is law. I will tell the farmer you belong to me and that is that. I am his king, he will obey me.”
“Quill, that isn’t -”
“I will arrange for him to have a new nanny. Do not worry, my sadora.”
“What about Evelyn?” She asked. “She is expecting to be mated to you.”
I shrugged carelessly. “I will find her a new mate, or I will give her a lifetime supply of gallberry juice and let her return to earth. Whatever she wants.”
“I think we should wait to get married,” Sabrina said.
Panic tinged with anger coursed through me. “No! You are my mate and you carry my child. You will do what I say and be mated to me, little human.”
My fear abated a bit when Sabrina rolled her eyes and gave me the look of exasperation that I had, admittedly, grown to love. “Calm down, honey. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to marry you, I just said I think we should wait until after we talk to Evelyn.”
“There is no need,” I said. “She is not my mate. You are. She does not carry my child. You do.”
“I know.” Sabrina squeezed my hand reassuringly. “But Evelyn is expecting to be your queen. It doesn’t feel right to me to just show up and be all, ‘Oh, hey, sorry but I’m his queen now, not you’.”
“But you are my queen,” I said. “Talking to Evelyn will not change that.”
“I know,” she repeated. “It’s hard to explain, honey. I would feel better if we waited until after we talked to Evelyn. Okay?”
“I love you and you will be mated to me, no matter what happens with this Evelyn. But if you wish to wait, we will wait.”
“Thank you.” She yawned, and I leaned forward and kissed her.
“You need more rest, sadora. I will leave and -”
“No,” she said. “Don’t leave me. Crawl into the bed with me, please?”
I immediately kicked off my boots and removed my pants and shirt before climbing in behind her. It was a tight fit – the beds in the medical unit were meant for one – but I could not deny my mate anything she wanted.
I curled up behind her and put my arm around her, cupping her breast before kissing the back of her neck. “Sleep, my sadora. I love you.”
“I love you too, Quill.”
* * *
Sabrina
“Good morning, my Queen. How are you feeling?”
“Hello, Sigan. Much better, thank you.” I was dressed and sitting on the hospital bed, impatiently swinging my legs as I waited for Quill to return. “Um, I’m not your queen though.”
“You will be soon enough,” Sigan said absently. He took my wrist and felt my pulse. Despite having an IV in my hand yesterday, there was no mark or bruise on my hand. Probably because after removing the IV last night, Sigan had made me drink what felt like a gallon of gallberry juice. Not that I minded. My craving for it was back.
“Sigan? I’m really crav
ing the gallberry juice. Is that normal?”
“Yes. It is because you carry the king’s baby. When our human females are pregnant, they require a great deal of gallberry juice to keep them healthy enough to carry the baby.”
I gave him a startled look. “Is this considered a high-risk pregnancy?”
“No, my Queen.” He dropped my wrist and patted my arm. “Human females do just fine carrying our babies, as long as they drink the gallberry juice. It is harder on their systems to carry our young than it is to carry the young of their own species, but most of the time there are no problems.”
“Most of the time,” I said.
He patted my arm again. “We will monitor you very closely during the entire pregnancy. You are young and strong and very healthy, my Queen. I do not anticipate any problems with you carrying the king’s baby.”
“Do you even know how this is possible?” I asked as the door opened and Quill walked into the room.
Sigan bowed and Quill clapped him on the back before standing next to me. He kissed me and stroked my dark hair. “How do you feel, my mate? Is there something wrong? I should not have left you.”
He gave Sigan an anxious look as I said, “I’m fine, honey. You’ve only been gone half an hour.”
“Your queen is right,” Sigan said. “She is very healthy. I was just about to explain how it is possible that she carries your child.”
Quill put his arm around me and I leaned against his solid warmth before saying, “Let me guess - mistake in the testing?”
“No,” Sigan said, “I repeated the gene testing yesterday and the humans did not make an error in the testing process. As you know, a human female must carry a certain gene that allows her to become pregnant with a Draax baby.”
“Right,” I said, “and I don’t carry that gene.”
“Actually, you do,” Sigan said. “Only, it is a different genetic variant of the gene. The test we use looks for the actual gene sequence. Because you have a variant of it, the normal test came back negative. I could not understand why you were pregnant, but there was no denying that you were, is there?”
I shook my head as Sigan gave Quill an excited look. “I thought about it for a while and came up with the theory that perhaps she carried a variant of the gene. I adjusted the test and discovered I was correct. Your queen carries a variant of the gene – one that allows her to become pregnant with your baby.”
“Well done, Sigan,” Quill said.
“Thank you, my King.”
“Wait, so does that mean that a bunch of other women who tested incompatible might actually be compatible?” I asked.
“I am not certain, my Queen. I will share news of my discovery with the humans and they will adjust their testing methods. With your permission of course, my King.”
Quill nodded and Sigan started for the door. “Excellent.”
“Sigan, can the queen travel?” Quill asked.
Sigan paused at the door. “Yes, but make sure to take plenty of gallberry juice with you. It will help combat the nausea and weariness she will be feeling.”
As the kadana left the room, Quill kissed me again before helping me off the bed. “Come, my mate. We leave for the farmer’s home immediately.”
“Have you heard from him?” I asked as we left the hospital ward. Quill wrapped his tail around my waist as he moved me quickly down the hallways.
“No,” he said.
“That’s weird, right?” I said. “The storm ended yesterday morning, the transmission would have gone through by now.”
“Perhaps,” Quill replied as we turned another corner.
“So, why hasn’t he replied?”
Quill shrugged. “I do not know.”
“You are being really blasé about this,” I said.
“What does blasé mean?” He asked curiously.
“Not worried.”
“Why would I be worried?” He asked as we walked into the great foyer. “You are my mate and you carry my child. The farmer cannot have you.”
I trailed to a stop and stared in disbelief at the dozen Draax standing in the foyer. Galan was with them as were the three who had protected me from the Gokmards yesterday.
“If you’re not worried, why so many men?” I asked.
“It is not the farmer I’m worried about, but the Gokmards. In fact, I would feel much better, sadora, if you stayed here in the palace where you are safe.”
I shook my head as Galan and another Draax walked toward us. “No. I’m going with you, Quill. I need to talk to Evelyn and try to explain. Besides, I’m safest with you.”
I smiled my thanks at Galan when he wrapped a heavy cloak around me before stepping back. “My Queen, this is Krey.”
The Draax standing with him bowed before smiling at me. “It is an honour to meet you, my Queen.”
I stared up at him. I hadn’t gotten a good look at him yesterday, but I supposed dying of hypothermia made a person a little less observant. His skin was the same shade of green as the other Draax, but his eyes were a shockingly light blue. I had never seen a Draax with light blue eyes before, they were either copper or silver or a very dark brown and I blushed a little when Krey gave me a small grin.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m being rude, I just have never seen a Draax with blue eyes before.”
“It is rare, my Queen,” Krey said.
“It’s very nice to meet you. Thank you for saving my life yesterday.”
He bowed again. “My life is yours, my Queen.”
I glanced at Quill who leaned down and pressed a kiss against my head. “All of the King’s Guard have sworn an oath to protect you with their lives.”
“They know that we’re not actually mated yet, right?” I said.
“They know. But they also know you are my queen,” he said dismissively. “Come, let us go to this farmer’s home and inform him that you are mine.”
He picked me up and carried me outside. Three large land vehicles, their tires taller than me, were parked in a row, and the Draax divided themselves equally among the vehicles as Quill carried me to the middle vehicle. Krey climbed into the driver’s seat as another Draax joined him on the passenger’s side. Galan had hurried ahead of us and was already in the back seat.
“I can climb in,” I protested when Galan leaned down and held out his arms.
Quill ignored me and set me on my feet before cupping my waist through the cloak. He lifted me up and Galan hooked his hands under my armpits and boosted me into the vehicle. He sat me in the middle of the seat as Quill climbed in nimbly and slammed the door shut.
“Ready, my King?”
“Yes,” Quill said.
The Draax sitting in the passenger seat turned and made a somewhat awkward bow. “My Queen, I am Laos.”
“Hello, Laos,” I said. “You were there yesterday with the Gokmards.”
“I was.”
“Thank you for helping me.”
“My life is yours, my Queen,” he replied before swinging around to face the front.
Quill put his arm around me and I snuggled up against him. I felt unbelievably safe and protected between him and Galan. Despite what had happened yesterday, I didn’t feel any fear of the Gokmards. Even if more showed up, they didn’t stand a chance against my King and his warriors.
The land vehicles rumbled to life. As we drove through the city, Quill pointed out different buildings and landmarks to me, but I was barely listening. My stomach was a little nauseated and I couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen when we arrived at my actual employer’s. What if he insisted that I fulfill my contract. What if he tried to take me from Quill? I didn’t want anyone dying or getting hurt because of me, but I knew without a doubt that Quill would kill the farmer if he tried to take me.
I swallowed heavily, and I must have looked pale because Quill was suddenly nudging a flask into my hand. “Drink, my sadora.”
I drank nearly half of the gallberry juice before handing it back to Quill. “Thank yo
u.”
“Better?”
“Yes, much better.” The juice had taken away my nausea but hadn’t done much for my emotional state. “Quill, promise me that no one will get hurt.”
He gave me a puzzled look. “Why would anyone be hurt, sadora? I am the king, and the farmer is bound by law to do as I command.” He leaned down and nuzzled my throat. “Be calm, my mate. There is nothing to worry about, I promise.”
I leaned against him and looked out the window as his big hand rubbed my thigh. After half an hour, we were at the edge of the city and I tensed a little when we drove down the same road we had driven yesterday.
“Do not fear, sadora,” Quill said. “You are safe with me.”
“I know.” I put my arm around him and leaned my head against his chest. I stared out the window again and tried not to worry. It took another hour to get to the farmer’s home and, surprisingly, I was almost dozing when the vehicle slowed to a stop.
“We are here, Quill,” Krey said.
I sat up in a hurry, blinking away the sleepiness as Krey shut off the vehicle. I peered out the window. There was a large stone home in front of us. If I hadn’t just spent the last month living in a freaking palace, the farmer’s home would have seemed like a mansion to me after living in the tiny two-bedroom apartment with Carrie and Josh. There was a slightly smaller building made of wood about a hundred feet behind the stone home with a path shoveled in the snow between the two of them. A land vehicle was parked next to the wooden building but was nearly buried under the snow.
“Come, my mate.” Quill opened the door and jumped down. I slid to the edge and Galan lowered me into Quill’s arms.
“Put me down,” I said when Quill held me like I was a baby. “I can walk, Quill.”
He frowned at me and I poked him lightly in the chest. “I don’t want to be carried.”
He sighed but set me on my feet. He held my hand tightly as the rest of the Draax jumped out of the vehicles. Galan stood on my other side and Krey stood next to him, as Laos moved into position next to Quill. The others stood closely behind us.
“Isn’t this a little overkill?” I muttered as we walked toward the front door of the home.
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