Veredian Chronicles Box Set

by Regine Abel

  My pregnancy was completely uneventful. I still feared for my son, but his health and heart were strong. The only thing notable was my ravenous hunger for ryspak. Boiled, fried, grilled, raw, I didn’t care. As long as I had my fix. Lhor stared in awe as I gorged on the fruit. I woke my mates so often at night to fetch me some that they started stockpiling it in our bedroom.

  I was relaxing on a chaise lounge by the pond when another craving called. I got on my feet with much effort and waddled to the kitchen where Maheva and Jhola were, once again, cooking a gargantuan meal. I would never know how we weren’t all fat considering the amount of food they shoved our way. And what food! My mouth watered. I was reaching for a ripe ryspak when the most excruciating pain tore my insides. I realized I’d screamed when Jhola and Maheva helped me straighten up from my doubled over position.

  My water broke. I was about to be a mother. Panic settled in and I babbled about needing my mates. Seconds later, Lhor carried me in his arms to one of the guestrooms which Jhola had recently transformed into a medical bay. With me so close to delivering, Lhor and Khel had made it a point to work from home. It was only a couple of minutes before Khel burst into the room from the compound, summoned by Lhor’s emotions.

  Minh stuck around the estate as much for me as for Maheva. Naturally, my water broke while he was away. It would be at least thirty minutes before he arrived and the babies weren’t in the mood to wait. Lhor barely put me down on the bed when I felt the need to push. Khel and Lhor stood on either side of me, each holding one of my hands. My Nana took charge, having handled this before. Another vicious cramp tore my insides and Maheva told me to push. I did. Once, twice, three times and out baby number one came. I expected long, agonizing hours of labor, but I wouldn’t complain about my babies’ eagerness to meet their sires.

  I wanted to ask what it was, why it wasn’t crying, but another excruciating pang ripped through me. My scream of pain was echoed seconds later by the cries of my firstborn. My sobbing-laughter was cut short by grunts of pain. Maheva gestured Khel over, who hesitated a moment, reluctant to abandon me. She snapped at him to ‘get his ass over here’ and he obeyed, a little overwhelmed by the situation. Maheva shoved a laser scalpel in his hands and had him cut the umbilical cord. She then passed the baby to Jhola to clean and wrap in a warm blanket.

  Another sharp pain shot through me. Maheva ordered me to push. I obeyed, all the while trying to get a glimpse of the baby in Jhola’s arms. Khel came back to support me, his eyes filled with wonder. This one took a bit longer, but some more pushes later, baby number two made its grand entrance. I collapsed on the bed exhausted. Maheva had Lhor cut the second umbilical cord. She then proceeded to clean me up as the first lusty cries of my second born filled the room. Jhola passed off my firstborn to Khel so she could clean my second child.

  Khel brought me the oldest with tears in his eyes.

  “Amalia, Lhor, meet our son,” he said, placing him in my arms.

  Tears of joy choked me as I stared at the little miracle in my arms. He was a beautiful little boy. His Veredian heritage was unmistakable and dominant. His skin was bronze, a perfect mix of my copper skin and his sire’s light grey. He had no pupils and his irises, while large, didn’t quite fill the white as Xelixians’s did. They were the same dark purple as Khel’s. His Veredian markings along his arms, legs, and spine had spots of a different shape to mine or Maheva’s. Besides his eyes, his only Xelixian trait was the subtle chevron ridges on his forehead.

  “He’s perfect,” I whispered in awe.

  “Beyond perfect,” Lhor echoed, running his hand carefully over the baby’s head, covered with soft dark curls.

  Jhola approached and placed the second baby in Lhor’s arms for him to present to me.

  “Does this mean what I think it does?” I asked, craning my neck to see the baby.

  “It’s Xelixian custom for the sire to cut the cord,” Jhola confirmed with a smile.

  Khel took our son from my arms so that Lhor could give me our daughter.

  “Amalia, Khel, meet our daughter,” Lhor said, placing her into my arms.

  She was stunning. Her face, a perfect mix of Lhor and me, with his adorable dimples. Her skin was the exact same light grey as his. Unlike her brother, she had pupils. Her irises were enlarged and the same color as mine; yellowish brown with specks of green. She too bore my Veredian markings. The chevrons on her forehead were as discreet as her brother’s, but her ears were Xelixian. Her hair was golden brown like my mother’s had been.

  “And I thought Alleria was adorable,” Khel chuckled.

  * * *

  I couldn’t believe it had already been two days since our children’s birth. Our son thrived, showing no signs of weakness or sickness, though he was very calm and sedate compared to his more active sister. I couldn’t explain this miracle. Why my son, after nearly a hundred and fifty years? Minh had no answers but suspected it was thanks to the mutation caused by my mates’ saliva and venom. Sadly, my oxytocin didn’t give Minh the miracle he had hoped for. It wasn’t healing other Tainted males like it had my mates. Worse, all its healing properties died within minutes of being extracted from me. Something eluded Minh and he was determined to figure out what.

  We named our son Vahleryon Praghan. Vahl after both Khel’s brother and the Xelixian who tried to save me on my first escape attempt, and Eryon my father’s name. We named our daughter Zharina Kirnhan, combining Lhor and my mother’s names, Zhara and Sevina.

  Even though we had the perfect nursery, we placed another set of cribs in our bedroom. I wanted to be close for at least the first few weeks. Being far from them for too long felt too uncomfortable. I certainly couldn’t sleep knowing they were in a different room, alone. After breastfeeding them and putting them down for a nap, I took a relaxing bubble bath.

  I nearly had a stroke when I walked back into the bedroom to find a dark figure holding my son.

  “Get away from him!” I reached for my sword.

  “It’s okay, Falihna.”

  Startled, I noticed Khel standing by Zharina’s cradle. The dark figure turned to face me. It was the Admiral, wearing a Tainted cloak over his armor.

  “Admiral?” I asked confused, my heart still hammering. “What are you doing in my room?” I asked him, though my eyes were back on Khel.

  Lee tilted his head. “I apologize for the intrusion, but I couldn’t wait to see your little miracle. Your mate was kind enough to grant his permission.”

  Khel approached me and kissed my forehead. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”

  The Admiral gently caressed Vahleryon’s head and the markings of his left arm before carefully placing him back in his crib. He took a few steps away. I immediately picked up my son, resting his head in the crook of my neck. While I didn’t think the Admiral would harm my son, I was still shaken by his unexpected presence.

  “The Admiral has a message for us,” Khel said as Lhor walked into our room.

  “Word of your son’s birth is spreading,” Lee said. “Someone from the Hall of Records leaked that information shortly after you registered him. Bounty hunter channels overflow with outrageous offers from collectors. Your daughter too is drawing a lot of interest as the first known hybrid Xelixian-Veredian female,” he said looking at Lhor. “I would ask you to let me take your offspring to safety, but I already know your answer.”

  “No one is taking my children. They won’t be anyone’s pets,” I spat in anger. “How dare they think to appropriate my children?”

  Lhor rubbed my back gently. I inhaled deeply, reining myself in.

  The Admiral nodded his agreement. “No, Amalia. They won’t. Your son is more than just a miracle. He’s the hope, the future of an entire species. He must be protected at all costs. When we approached you about an alliance, General, we thought you’d help us save the scattered survivors of a dying species. We never expected it would be to this extent. Whatever you need to keep these children safe, whenever and wherever, jus
t ask and it’s yours.”

  “We appreciate the generosity of your offer,” Khel said.

  With a respectful salute, Lee turned and left.

  I looked into my beautiful son’s innocent, trusting eyes. Lee was right. In my hands, I held the future of an entire race. There would always be vultures seeking to appropriate what wasn’t theirs. But they wouldn’t get this miracle of a boy nor our precious little princess. They both had powerful protectors who, like me, had overcome the horrible hand dealt to us. We had beaten the odds. We had love. We had freedom. We had the future.

  LOSING AMALIA

  Veredian Chronicles Book 1.5

  Regine Abel

  Copyright © 2017

  COVER DESIGN BY

  Regine Abel

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal and punishable by law. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book uses mature language and explicit sexual content. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  THE FASTENING CEREMONY

  Lhor

  Happy couples passed us by as they headed into the Main Hall for their Confirmation Ceremony. It always struck me as rather cruel to summon the Aspirants right before the Confirmation began. One might think they wanted us to see what we dreamt of but would never have.

  This constituted the first of the five shitty moments on any Fastening Selection day.

  We stood huddled by the entrance, waiting for the last couples to enter the hall before we could proceed to the Aspirants’ Antechamber. By my count, there were twenty-one males today, including Khel and me. Twenty-one… What a joke. My last participation at a Fastening Selection dated back six years. However, I couldn’t recall ever seeing this many male participants. This felt so pointless. I hated being here. I hated the thought of the humiliation and disappointment that awaited us. But above all, I hated the despair I could feel Khel drowning in. As always, he proudly kept it hidden. He hadn’t held much hope that a female would choose him, but with so much competition today, the odds looked worse than ever.

  At last, the final couple was in, and Advisor Xhar gestured for us to enter the Antechamber. We filed in quietly. The large room greeted me with the familiarity of an old wound, waking ancient pains best forgotten. The soft click of the door closing bounced off the windowless grey walls enclosing us. I glanced at the two dozen chairs laid out in six rows of four. That too was almost twice as many seats as before. They sprawled in front of a small platform for Advisor Xhar to deliver the Selection’s guidelines.

  As if we need it.

  The majority of us had already gone through this process more times than we cared to remember. Then again, there were two Primes in our midst. This was their first time here, and most probably, their last as well.

  A clerk waved us forward from a small registration desk by the platform. We lined up in front of him, waiting for our turn. The first aspirant was a lesser noble. After registering him, the clerk placed his banner on a hovercart beside the desk. Five more banners would join it by the time everyone checked in. The hushed conversation between the two Primes buzzed in the otherwise silent room. The clerk didn’t bother asking questions or giving instructions. It was unnecessary. When my turn arrived, I waved my ID card in front of the scanner and handed over my banner. The clerk nodded, both in greeting and to confirm I was done.

  Khel stepped up to the clerk after me and repeated the wordless process. Once done, we took a seat, ignoring the table laden with alcohol-free refreshments. The Primes pranced to the head of the table and helped themselves to tall glasses of a fruity punch. They launched into an animated discussion about the kind of female they hoped to get, from physical attributes, to temperament, and worldliness. Face flushed, eyes feverish with excitement, the insensitive bastards seemed oblivious to the somber mood of the room. One of them, Whil Dervhen, was cousins with Councilor Zhul Dervhen, Khel’s nemesis. Whil was a glorified asshole and an underachiever who lived off the wealth and reputation of his family.

  Three of the seven Norms gathered at the opposite side of the table. While sipping on drinks of their own, they chatted in subdued voices. Their presence here was a mere formality. They had already exchanged promises with their respective female, but the law required participation in the Selection. The other four Norms also hovered around the table but remained silent.

  The twelve of us Tainted had drunk too many times that bitterly sweet punch. We ignored it and sat on the chairs instead, waiting for a speech we all knew by heart. Their current thoughts were also no mystery to me. Seven Norms and two Primes… Nine males the females would pick from first before even considering any of the rest of us. With only five female participants on average at each Selection, being here was pointless.

  If despair had a scent, it would permeate the room.

  Though his face remained impassive, waves of guilt, sadness, and dejection oozed out of Khel. He did the math and berated himself for convincing me to come. If our situation wasn’t so dire, I’m pretty sure he would leave. But under the circumstances, even against such impossible odds, he – we – had to give this a try.

  The last Aspirant completed his registration. Before he could sit, the clerk brought us the Selection Breeches – blinding silver for the Primes, dark gray for the rest of us. He then used a discreet back exit into the main area to set up our banners and bloodline tags without disturbing the ongoing Confirmation Ceremony.

  No changing rooms graced the Antechamber. A series of lockers lined the back wall. This was shitty moment number two; stripping in front of everyone. We pretended not to gauge the Taint level of the competition. Above all, we tried not to stare in envy at the flawless skin of the Primes. For most of us Tainted, the Selection was the only time we ever got to see what an untainted body looked like unless you worked at the morgue.

  The toughest part was ignoring the barely hidden repulsed stares the Primes and Norms cast on the most infected among us. The ‘healthy’ population rarely – more like never – saw Tainted skin up close, if at all. However, Tainted males often saw each other naked as most worked hard labor jobs and shared communal showers afterward. With two-thirds of the Xelixian population being bisexual, showers and the Fastening Hall’s Antechamber became common places for Tainted couples to form. It was, after all, the only two locations the males got to see each other’s faces rather than a hooded ghost or veiled nobody.

  With the looks some of the Tainted exchanged between them, should they not be chosen today – translate that as when they were not chosen – they would seek comfort with each other. Too many such stares targeted me. Khel smirked at my discomfort. He knew those embarrassed me. Obviously, their interest was flattering. But like Khel, I’d never been attracted to other males. Knowing we would all be rejected by the females, I hated that I’d be doing the same to anyone who approached me. I hoped my closed off attitude would be deterrent enough.

  As for those damn breeches, they were beyond absurd. Sure, the females needed to see our bodies and general fitness levels. But this? Really? It was worse than a second skin and made sure to hide nothing about the shape and size of our package. Woe onto any male that got aroused wearing these things. The way it outlined and hugged every curve, it wouldn’t just tell on you, it would broadcast it to the whole world. Good thing the Taint was messing with my libido. I didn’t need this extra humiliation.

  Stuffing myself into those breeches, I shuffled back to our seats, feeling vulnerable and exposed under the unwelcomed gazes roaming over me. A good fifteen minutes remained before the Confirmat
ion Ceremony would end. Advisor Xhar stepped up to the platform and proceeded to remind us of the protocols during the Selection. The gist, don’t try to entice the females. How? Don’t try to make eye contact. Don’t initiate a conversation unless they do. Don’t try to keep them with you if they want to end the conversation. In other words, stand there like a statue for an hour and pray the Goddess that time flies because none of the females will bother with you.

  My mind wandered away from the droning voice of Advisor Xhar. I was mentally listing the tasks requiring my attention once we got home when I felt a surge of excitement from Khel. I refocused on the present.

  “Yes, you heard correctly,” Advisor Xhar said. “Fourteen females are participating in the Selection today. That’s an all-time record. At least half of them are either Terran or Avean – which also means a record number of Pearls.”

  The gloom that had weighed down the room since we entered lightened a bit. We still knew most of us would go home alone since the females weren’t obligated to pick a male. However, with so many females present, chances were more males than usual would be chosen. That, in itself, was cause for celebration. Although I knew it was hopeless, I sent a silent prayer to the Goddess that Khel should be among those so blessed.