“Me coshima nu,” he said hoarsely.
“I love you, too,” she replied.
“You’re trembling,” he said. “You need to get out of these wet things and into a warm bed. Let me help you.”
He helped her get up and remove the wet dress, then he carried to the bed and they cuddled beneath the covers.
“I’m looking forward to getting home,” said Keela sleepily. It was only midday but she was intensely tired from the events of the last few days.
“I’m looking forward to it, too. Solima will also be relieved when she knows that we’re both fine.”
“What do you intend to about Abziarr and Solima? Are you going to tell her?”
“I think she has a right to know. I only hope that she will still love me afterwards. I have, after all, lied to her all these years and made her believe that I’m her father.”
“You are her father! And Solima is a big, sensible girl. She’ll understand. She loves you and that will not change.”
“I hope not,” said Marruk, sighing.
“I have something else to tell you,” Keela whispered after a while.
“What’s that then?”
“Maara told me just now, when you and Abziarr were having your discussion, that I’m pregnant.”
Marruk rolled on top of her and stared down at her.
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
She nodded.
“Me coshima nu,” he said gleefully, kissing her. “I’m so glad that I found you.”
“And I’m so glad that I found you. My big, stubborn alien.”
Epilogue
Y-Quadrant, Karrx7
Royal Palace of the Arr’Carthian
15th day of the month of Finales in the year 7067
Federation Time
“I simply can’t believe that they’re really coming today. I’m so excited,” said Keela walking, again, up to the huge window to stare down into the garden.
Marruk stood there laughing – he had been about to embrace his mate before she literally slipped through his fingers.
“Since the news of their forthcoming arrival three days ago you’ve been jumping around like a poku ball. I’m not getting to hold you at the moment.”
He stepped up behind Keela and held her with his large hands. He gently laid them on the curve of her belly. She was now in the fifth month of pregnancy and after not feeling well during the first three months she was now so fit that she hardly slept any more. Marruk nibbled gently on her ear and she groaned quietly. He loved the way she reacted to him. Keela leant against him, sighing, and put her hands on his.
“Have they said how many women they’re bringing?” she asked.
“No. I think you’re just going to have to be patient and wait until they’re here.”
“But I have no damn patience!” she grumbled.
Marruk chuckled into her ear.
“I understand, Carisha,” he murmured. “I know a way of passing the time. Before you know it, they’ll be here. Come on. Give me a minute and you’ll be impatient for something quite different.”
He bit her neck gently and released a small dose of his hormone. Gasping, Keela slowly turned around in his arms and put her hands round his neck. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed where he put her down gently. Her eyes were misty with passion and her hands wandered restlessly over her breasts, now heavy because of the pregnancy. He loved her yearning look as she watched him undressing.
“Damn it! Come on! I need you!” she said impatiently, as he took his time undressing.
He chuckled.
“Patience, Carisha, patience.”
***
Two hours later Keela and Marruk walked out of the palace and onto the patio. The royal couple, Amber and Berka, Solima and even Abziarr were taking tea and cake. Four months had passed since the talk between Marruk and Abziarr, and the King of the Verkuzzi had come to sign a peace treaty. Solima had taken the truth about her father surprisingly well and was just getting to know her natural father better. However, she wanted to continue to call Marruk ‘father’ and to address Abziarr by his forename. This seemed to be fine with the King of the Verkuzzi. He was glad to be a part of Solima’s life at all and he understood the close bond between his daughter and the male who had raised her as a father. He had made it clear that he did not intend to interfere with this relationship.
“I thought you weren’t going to come down,” said Moreena, and the King chuckled behind the hand held up to his face.
“I’m sure they had some important matters to deal with,” said Mortociar with a wink that made Keela blush.
“Is there any news?” asked Keela to change the subject from their love life.
“Yes, they’ll be here soon,” answered Moreena. “Ceyla? Calculate the arrival time of the Cordelia.”
“The Cordelia is in our orbit this minute, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Ceyla.”
Keela and Marruk sat down on a free bench and Amber poured them some tea. Amber was now also in the fourth month of pregnancy and was being treated by Berka like a fragile vase, which was slowly driving Keela’s friend mad. At least that was what she had told Keela on the previous day. Berka did not let her out of his sight for a second and that was a hard test for Amber, who was used to her freedom.
“Your Highness,” reported Ceyla . “My sensors say that the beamer on the Cordelia has just been activated. General Kordan is with the first landing group.
“Thank you for that news,” said Moreena joyfully.
Keela could hardly stay seated. She felt Marruk put his hand on her thigh to calm her. She was so curious to see what Charly and Lory had to say. Charly had promised Keela that she would give a message to her friend Susan.
Kordan was the first person that Keela spotted, and no wonder - this giant was even half a head taller than most Carthians. Now Keela really could not remain in her seat. She jumped up and craned her neck. At last Lory came into view as she stepped out from behind a hedge that was blocking the view of the new arrivals. When Keela recognised the third person she uttered a cry.
“Susan!” she shouted, her voice cracking with excitement. “That’s my friend Susan!”
She ran through the garden towards the arrivals and Susan had now seen her, too and was waving. When Keela finally reached her they hugged one another, laughing and crying at the same time.
“I don’t believe it! Are you really here? Susan? That is soooo … cool!”
Susan laughed.
“Did you really think I was going to let you have all the fun here? And anyway, I needed to bring you something.”
“What?” asked Keela excitedly.
“Tarzan and Jane, of course!”
“Are they here? You’ve brought them with you?”
Tarzan and Jane were Keela’s Siamese cats that she had given Susan to look after whilst she was away.
“They’re still on the ship – they’ll be brought down later.”
“That’s … I’m lost for words,” Keela sniffed.
She turned to Lory and hugged her, too.
“I’m so glad that you’re OK. We were all so worried since your abduction.”
“I’m glad to be back here, too. I thought it would be great to get back to earth, but when I was there I wanted to get back here as quickly as possible. We have so much to tell you – it’ll take days.”
“We’re having a barbecue tonight. We can chat all night long.”
They had now been joined by the royal couple, Amber, Berka, Solima and Abziarr, and more and more people were gradually arriving in the garden from the Cordelia. Soon it was so confusing that Keela no longer knew who was where. The best thing of all, though, was when she was handed a transport basket containing two clearly irritated cats.
“We should take them to our chamber,” said Marruk next to her. “They don’t look as if they’d like the commotion here.”
“Yes, you’re right. Let’s go. I could al
so do with a break.”
***
“I would say that Mission Earth was a total success,” said Keela sleepily, cuddling into Marruk’s arms.
“Hmm.”
“Nine Carthians have found their mates and seven women have come alone and will definitely find a male here. I think Abziarr has his eye on Susan.”
“I’ve noticed that, too. But your friend’s giving him the cold shoulder.”
“I know her. She’s not as disinterested as she seems. That could still get interesting.”
“I had to talk you round, too,” Marruk teased huskily.
“Pardon?” said Keela indignantly. “Who was it who didn’t want a relationship at all, if you please?”
“I did maybe struggle with claiming you, but I wanted to go to bed with you as soon as I saw you. And if Solima hadn’t been there I’d have made love to you that time in the room with the clothes maker.”
Keela giggled.
“I really wondered that time whether you’d be stopped by the fact that your daughter was standing next to you. A man has never looked at me with such hunger.”
“I’m hungry again now,” murmured Marruk.
“How come? You’ve just finished off so many steaks, like a dinosaur,” Keela teased.
“I mean hungry for wild, dirty and unrestrained sex.”
“Well then, drag me into your cave, you Neanderthal!” murmured Keela.
Two hours later Keela and Marruk were lying in bed in close embrace, bathed in sweat. They had made love three times and Keela felt deliciously satiated and heavy.
“What’s a dinosaur?” asked Marruk.
“What’s made you think of that right now? Oh, because I said that you ate as much as a dinosaur. Well, dinosaurs are … rather were … enormous lizards that lived on earth millions of years ago. Some were almost ten times taller than a man and even much longer.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have wanted to have to deal with them,” said Marruk, impressed.
“Fortunately no people lived on earth at that time.”
“And what’s a Neanderthal?”
Keela giggled.
“They were cavemen. They were still quite primitive and …”
“Soooo. You think I’m primitive then?” growled Marruk, tickling her.
“Stop that,” giggled Keela. “On earth people think that the Neanderthal male either grabbed his woman by the hair and dragged her into the cave or simply threw her over his shoulder. Hence the comparison. That was only meant as a joke, of course.”
“I like being a Neanderthal. Next time we’ll try the hair thing.”
“No! Are you crazy? If you do that, then …”
Marruk chuckled.
“Calm down, Carisha. I was only joking.”
“I should hope so,” snarled Keela.
“Are you cross with me now?” asked Marruk, biting her shoulder playfully.
“Yes, I am,” said Keela pretending to be strict.
“I can make it up to you,” murmured Marruk, nibbling her neck.
“How?” gasped Keela breathlessly.
“By using a method that the ancients called ‘drinking the blossom dew’.”
“And what sort of method is that exactly?” asked Keela, groaning quietly as Marruk moved down her body, giving her hot kisses.
“You’re going to find out now,” he murmured, moving further down until he reached the spot at which her ‘blossom dew’ glistened enticingly in the candlelight. With relish he licked the first drops from her blossom.
“Oh!” was all that Keela could utter before she completely lost her senses and was sent to dizzy heights.
The end
Kidnapping Keela Page 16