Earth-Ground (Genetically Altered Humans, #2)

by Rena Marks

  “I think we all are,” Irina whispered.

  “Your mother’s still here, Robyn,” Amanda said. “Maybe Steele should take the baby back to your suite while you deal with her? Pretend it was a miscarriage long enough to send her on her way?”

  “Did she hear the cries?” Robyn asked.

  “There’s no way,” Dr. Eric rumbled. “His voice isn’t very loud and all doors were closed.”

  Robyn nodded and then sunk back into the bed. She’d have to keep her cool. She’d have to pretend to be sad.

  Then she’d have to get rid of her mother.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I’ll have Beast wait five minutes after we leave and then escort her in,” Amanda said. She and Irina began to hurriedly clean up around the room. Drs. Sam and Eric had just finished checking over the baby and wrapped him securely before nodding, again declaring him not a preemie needing a growth unit, and leaving the room, still looking shell-shocked.

  Robyn handed him carefully to Steele.

  The baby may have fit in one of his hands, but he still cradled him to his chest. He leaned over her. “I love you, Robyn. I’ll be waiting nearby.”

  “I shouldn’t be long,” Robyn said.

  Amanda handed her a set of scrubs to cover up with, helping her wriggle into them before he, Amanda, and Irina left.

  It seemed like forever before Blaze and Beast entered, her mother and her manservant in tow between them.

  “Robbie! My sweet, sweet girl.” Ever the actress, her mother ran to her even as she ran her fingers through her own hair enough to muss it attractively, a smooth move that looked practiced. One had to have a slight disarray to look worried, after all.

  Blaze and Beast stood near the door, dwarfing it with their massive size. They crossed their arms. Biceps bulged and the short sleeves of the shirts looked like they strained across the muscles, threatening to rip.

  “Mother.” Robyn tried to keep this as short as possible. “As you can imagine, this isn’t the best time for a visit. I’ll have the guards escort you out to the gate.”

  “Leave? I can’t possibly leave my daughter in this condition. You’ve just miscarried.” More than likely, she couldn’t possibly receive another pass to enter Xenia.

  “Yes, I’m well aware of that,” Robyn said drily. “Which is why I need some healing rest.”

  “I need to stay a few weeks and care for you,” Lady Saraven declared. “Besides, I want to explore Xenia. My own daughter’s creation.” She waved her arm about the room. “All of this! I had no idea you had this much in savings all this time.”

  Robyn fought against wincing. She couldn’t imagine what kind of care her mother would provide but felt it had something to do with wanting to know how much more money she had access to. “Mother, I have the best care. And frankly, I’m depressed. I have a flood of hormones rushing out of my body. I don’t have time to deal with another person and her curiosity about Xenia.”

  “I know how hard it is to lose a child,” her mother said. “I, myself, once had a miscarriage. But the Saraven women are strong. We don’t sit around to mope, and we certainly don’t cater to depression.”

  Good Lord, if she had really been depressed, that advice would have sucked.

  “Everyone deals with it differently,” Robyn said. “The important thing is to take healing time.”

  “Besides,” her mother continued as if she never spoke. “It’s probably for the best. You didn’t really want to bring one of those into the world right now, did you?” She said the word those as if it was a ghastly bug to be stomped on. She looked back over her shoulder at the Xeno Sapiens manning the door. “No offense.”

  Robyn’s breath hissed through her teeth. “On what planet would you think those would be comforting words for a woman who’s just miscarried?”

  “I just meant the world is in hyper-drive right now, ridden with misunderstandings and temperament—“

  But Robyn was on a rampage. She continued speaking over her mother’s chastising tone. “Robyn, my dear,” she mimicked. “You don’t want the controversy of bringing a thing into the world. Those are real comforting words. Most mothers would probably say something like: I know it hurts, honey. I was looking forward to holding a precious new life, too. Dare we even cry together, mother?”

  “Robbie. Now I want you to stop these hysterics.” Glory Saraven looked toward her manservant for help.

  “Mistress Saraven,” he said, his hands splayed out. “Your mother certainly didn’t mean to imply that your child was biracial and therefore unimportant. She simply meant to show you a different side of things. You wouldn’t have to worry about your child getting picked on or having his feelings hurt for being so different. She meant to comfort in her own way.”

  “It’s amazing how much better at comforting she is for my brother,” Robyn snapped.

  Even he was at a loss.

  “I can’t help it if I’m better with boys,” her mother said. “How dare you judge me? You’ll see how difficult it is one day when you become a mother.”

  “Considering I just failed in the most abysmal way possible, and you were inconsiderate enough to remind me at my darkest time, I’d like for you to leave, please. Now!”

  “Robbie, we can’t do that. Let me care for you. The world will want to know about our relationship. They’ll come to me, the Lady Glory Saraven, for any answers you’re too busy to give.”

  Robyn felt a fist close over her heart, the weight making it hard to breathe. That was why she was here. Her mother planned to sell the story of their relationship to the highest bidder, now that her sale to Counselor Sherry Becker of the first glimpse of Xenia was lost. She didn’t care to nurse her to health. She simply wanted to tell the world of her importance as the mother to the creator of Xenia and the tragedy of her lost child.

  Well, she was welcome to sell the story of the miscarriage. It would reinforce that they couldn’t breed. She’d sob as she’d swear she’d seen the bloody amniotic fluid running down her daughter’s bare legs. Of course, she’d whisper that some things probably weren’t meant to be. She wouldn’t say the word abomination, but she’d imply it.

  “Beast?” Robyn said softly.

  “Yes, Robyn?”

  “Please escort Lady Saraven and her manservant to the front gates, and make sure they leave.”

  “Of course.”

  “Robbie—“ Her mother’s voice cut off with a squeal as Beast’s large hand wrapped around her arm.

  “Get your hands off me, you brute!”

  Blaze grabbed her other arm to still her and with his free hand, grabbed the bicep of the manservant. Her mother had no hope of battling the strength of a Xeno Sapien, but she still struggled. Between the two of them, it was easy to cart the much weaker humans from the room.

  When the door closed behind them, the silence was deafening, leaving Robyn alone with her thoughts. What could she possibly explain to Steele when he asked how it went? Oh, my mother didn’t change. I had a brief moment of hope like I always do, but it was squashed with her racist comments about our supposedly dead infant. Though, my darling, she would argue that her comments weren’t racist because technically my lover isn’t another race of human. With all your human traits, she’ll never consider you human. To her, you’re a breed of an alien species. Our baby? He’s nothing but a clot of blood and tissue rejected by my body. And I don’t dare let her know he lives and breathes among us.

  “Robyn?” Beast’s voice was soft.

  It was too soon for him to make it to the gates and back. Robyn’s eyes shot around the room, looking for the person she dreaded most.

  “Blaze thought he’d give them a scare. He unleashed his wings and took them for a ride, letting them dangle from each arm. If they wiggle too much, they’ll fall. But your mother didn’t seem to understand the danger. When I turned away, she was screaming that she looked undignified.”

  A small smile curved Robyn’s lips. “I almost wish I could have seen t
hat.”

  Beast winked. “We’ll rewind the footage from the video cams later. After we’ve had some time to cuddle with the miracle you and Steele created.”

  “Beast?” she asked.

  His eyebrow rose.

  “What do I say to Steele if he asks how it went with her?”

  “You always told us we can’t see the good unless we see the bad, Robyn. If it’s too much for you right now, tell him it was ugly and you need time to process. He’ll understand.”

  “You’re right,” she said slowly.

  “May I ask why you don’t want to tell Steele about the nastiness of your parent?”

  She thought long and hard about it. “I don’t want him to think she rubs off on me since I was raised by her. I don’t want him to wonder if I’ll become like her since I share her genes. I don’t want him to pity me for having her as a mother. But most of all—I don’t want him to be hurt that some people think the way she does about him.”

  “Robyn, you and your mother are nothing alike. If I didn’t know she was your mother, I would never believe it. There should be no doubt in your mind that you are anything like her.”

  From the corner of the room, Beast grabbed a wheelchair, folding it out.

  Robyn slowly stood. Her legs felt like rubber, and between her legs was a bit sore but not unbearably so. More uncomfortable was the huge amount of padding placed between her legs underneath the scrubs. Beast held her upper arms and slowly eased her into the chair. He reached for the thin blanket from the bed, tucking it around her carefully. As soon as she was comfortable, he wheeled her from the room.

  They didn’t even make it as far as the suite she shared with Steele. Gathered in the main conference center where the meetings were held was a crowd of Xeno Sapiens with Steele in the center of them all.

  “Stand aside. Mother of the baby!” Beast growled, and people parted.

  A few hands reached out to touch her arm or her shoulder. “Congratulations, Robyn.”

  “You did great, Robyn.”

  “He’s beautiful. He looks just like you.”

  “Well, I’m not gonna lie. He looks more like Steele.” Tempest’s voice rung clear, and it made Robyn’s lips turn up.

  “Thank you, everyone.”

  Steele kneeled before her, placing the tiny baby in her lap. His little face scrunched up before he opened his mouth for a yawn. A small fist came out of the blanket and unfurled.

  “He has four fingers,” she said. “Just like you.”

  “He does,” Steele agreed.

  “Any word on Lily?” Even in her happiest moment, she couldn’t stop worrying about the lost Xeno Sapien.

  “Jason’s taken a team out to check all of their buildings, one by one. They’ll find her somewhere. Once she’s safe, they’re going to comb the facility for any evidence or clues as to what they were doing or what they’re up to for the future.” He turned his gaze up from the baby to her. “I heard it didn’t go well with your mother.”

  “Who’d you hear that from?”

  “No one said anything, exactly. But the screeching as they were flown across the yard was a dead giveaway.”

  “It didn’t go well at all. And someday when I can control my urge to kill, I’ll be able to tell you what happened. But it might take a while.”

  “Whenever,” he said. “In the meantime, we’ll focus on this little guy.”

  “Do you have a name picked?” Beast asked.

  “I’ve always liked the name Kaden,” Robyn said, looking at Steele.

  “Then Kaden it is, my love,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Three weeks later:

  “The infant is hungry,” Beast said, bursting through her office door.

  Tempest snarled, standing suddenly. Her white—and surprisingly sharp—teeth were bared as her lip curled back.

  Robyn sighed. Beast knew Tempest was touchy—especially about being interrupted in her medical sessions—but in his mind, the baby came first above all else.

  “He was crying tragically and now is gnawing on his fingers. I am afraid he will eat them.”

  “He is not an animal, idiot,” Tempest snapped.

  Beast ignored her and held his large hand out to Robyn. Nestled in his palm, Kaden smiled at her. He had grown some in the last few weeks, but it wasn’t much. And held in Beast’s hand like that, he certainly didn’t look any bigger.

  Beast turned his back as soon as she retrieved her son.

  Tempest caught her eye, looking as puzzled as she was sure she did.

  “What are you doing?” Robyn asked him.

  “Steele made me swear I would not watch you nurse your son when he left with Sunny to the outside.”

  Tempest rolled her eyes. “It’s a boob used for nursing.”

  “Steele said he would not normally mind, but Kaden’s head is too small to cover the curve of Robyn’s luscious breast. Those were his words, not mine. I have only been told her bosom is luscious.”

  “I thought you said he was howling with hunger?” Robyn asked, cuddling her son. He still nibbled on his fingers, but he didn’t seem frantic with need and wasn’t rooting around like he normally did when he hungered. He blinked up at her with large, curious eyes and a smile curved his small mouth.

  Definitely his father’s eyes.

  “He was! He did,” Beast insisted.

  “One cry does not equal death,” Robyn said. “I told you all. You can’t jump every time he whimpers. He’s going to become quite spoiled.”

  “Like father like son,” Tempest agreed.

  Robyn stared her down.

  “What?” Tempest asked innocently, shrugging a shoulder.

  “So he’s not hungry? Maybe he needs a diaper change.” Beast looked eager as he turned back around. He rubbed his palms together to warm them.

  “No,” Robyn said sharply. “We have a rule, remember? Those who change his diapers, wash his diapers.” It was the only way to get everyone to stop changing him every thirty seconds. They couldn’t order disposable diapers in, it would arouse too much suspicion.

  Tempest suddenly gasped, and Beast looked lost in his thoughts. They’d heard something through the telepathic link.

  “What? What’s going on?”

  “They have a concrete lead. Finally. The original facility that the government checked out, but it was empty? It has a...a dungeon level below the basement that was not in the original blueprints. That was where they had hidden during the inspection. Jason is hoping they have moved back into the basement laboratory.”

  Tempest turned her head sharply toward Beast, staring at him. “She is not your property.” She seemed to remember Robyn couldn’t communicate telepathically. “He has ordered Steele to bring Sunny back to safety and not head to the facility with the human security team. Sunny has some colorful words for him that are splaying out right now.”

  “There is no point risking other Xeno Sapiens out there,” Beast growled. “Sunny is mine and I don’t care if she refuses to acknowledge it.”

  “You will push her away.” Tempest leveled her stare at him. Her fists clenched. The tension in the room thickened, and Kaden whimpered.

  “Beast,” Robyn said mildly. “I’ll see you after I’m done with Tempest.”

  His mouth tightened, but after looking at the baby, he turned and stalked from the room, closing it firmly behind him.

  Unperturbed, Robyn continued her session with Tempest. “So you’re sure about training with Jason and Shawn?”

  “Jason will be primarily training me, right?”

  Another wave of concern made Robyn stress that the situation could go either way. She didn’t want to encourage Tempest with her crush one way or the other. She just wanted her to be prepared. “He will. But not until Lily is taken care of. She’s his priority. Shawn has agreed to step up as his second until then.”

  “That is fine. I will train with the other human until his return.” Like it was with
Tempest, she refused to acknowledge Shawn’s name. He had to earn her respect first.

  “You’ll do me the favor between us and keep an eye on Sunny? You’ll be able to tell if her other gifts manifest if you’re right there and know what to look for. You’re strong, and I don’t need to worry about you coming to harm if they do.”

  “I will notify you immediately. It is between you and me that you broke doctor/patient privilege and shared with me.”

  Robyn rolled her eyes. “Good. I guess I’ll send for Beast to come in.”

  “You are not telling him about the plans with me and Sunny?”

  “Nope.”

  “Excellent. I’ll take the pipsqueak,” Tempest said. “And I’ll let the Beast know his turn has arrived.” She still said his name disdainfully.

  Robyn turned Kaden into her arms and watched as they left the office. Tempest softened with the baby, cooing gently at him. Within a few minutes, Beast burst through the open door where Tempest had just vacated.

  “I know what you’re going to say,” Beast began as he moved into the chair next to her. “This is puppy love. This is infatuation. I’m telling you it’s not, Robyn. I love Sunny. I know it.”

  “Baby, Sunny’s going to join the experimental security team.”

  She watched his face fall. “What experimental security?”

  “In the last meeting we held, we’d decided to keep everyone hidden. It’s not working out so great. The humans were more curious than ever. We thought we’d let a few Xeno Sapiens get exposed—if they wanted to. Sunny was the first to volunteer.”

  “No. I refuse.”

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “Then I will volunteer also.”

  “No. This is something she wants—she needs—to do on her own.”

  “Who else has volunteered?”

  Robyn sighed, knowing the truth would come out eventually. “Tempest.”

  “She did this,” he snarled. “She is trying to keep Sunny away from me.”

  “No, honey. This was Sunny’s idea. Jason and I talked Tempest into volunteering. She didn’t want to.”