by KD Jones
Where was she at that moment? She was supposed to have a checkup today with Jared but he hadn’t taken the time to see if she was all right. A sudden need to be with her was strong. “I need to go.”
He didn’t hear what his cousins were saying as he rushed to shower and change. Had she eaten today? Was she waiting on him? What if she was pregnant? He needed to make sure she was in full health before that happened. He couldn’t lose her or the baby.
The image of her swollen with his child hit him like a ton of boulders. He froze in removing his clothes and plopped down on the bench. Quinn had always thought he would be older when he had children. He intended to put his career first then later would find a female to start a family with. She would be someone who understood his need to be on missions and wouldn’t have a problem taking on the family responsibilities while he was away.
All that changed as he imagined his Lihali carrying his child. The reality of it was way different than the fantasy. She was so small. Would pregnancy endanger her life? He didn’t want that—he couldn’t take it if something happened to her. What if he was away on a mission when she went into labor? She could lose the baby and be all alone to deal with the loss. He couldn’t do that to her. She had been alone all her life, and he was determined she would never be alone again.
*****
A few hours later
It took longer than he had wanted. After showering and changing into his clothes he got a security call and had to handle the situation. It took a few hours but he was finally heading to see his female. Quinn went up to the level where her quarters were located. He felt relief seeing that Tagar was still on duty. Another warrior would relieve him soon until morning. When Tagar wouldn’t look at him he started to get a feeling that something was wrong.
He waved his hand over the security panel but it flashed red. He did it again but it still wouldn’t open for him. “Computer, open the door.”
“You do not have access to these quarters, Lt. Estro,” the computer responded.
Quinn turned to Tagar. “What is going on here? Who removed my access?”
“Lihali did.”
“What did you call her?”
“She told me to call her Lihali.”
Quinn wanted to tear the male limb from limb hearing him use the endearment he had for her. “Open the door, Tagar.”
“I do not have access either. Only she does.”
Quinn tried using his communicator to call her but she wouldn’t answer. In frustration, he began to pound on her door. “Open this door right now!”
“She does not want to be bothered by anybody, especially you.” Tagar moved to block his access to the door.
“What is going on out here?” She opened the door and frowned at seeing Quinn. “What do you want?”
Quinn tried to step around Tagar but the huge male was too big. “I came to see you and my access no longer works.”
“I changed it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want anyone but me to have access to my quarters, at least until I leave the ship.”
Quinn felt dazed a little. “What do you mean, when you leave the ship? Where do you plan to go?”
“I would go back to the tunnels. It’s where I belong.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay Quinn. I know you want to advance in your career and I’m only interfering with that. I’ll go back to Earth and you can get on with your life.”
He felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. “You want to leave me?”
“I want my life back, just like you want your life back.”
“Let me in so we can talk about this.” Quinn tried to move toward her but Tagar was there and put his large hand on his chest.
“Tagar, so help me if you don’t move I will fight you.”
She stepped forward, glaring at him. “Don’t you dare threaten Tagar. He’s been nothing but wonderful to me!”
Now she was defending the other male. He wanted to kill Tagar but seeing how pale she was and that she was shaking uncontrollably had him worried. “Are you well? Do you need a mediko?” He tried to reach out to touch her but she moved away from him.
“My well-being is no longer your concern. I’ve requested to be returned to the tunnels on the next trip down.”
“You’re not going.”
“You have no say in what I do. Good night and goodbye, Quinn.” She stepped back into her apartment and closed the door.
Quinn was furious. She was going to leave him. What in hell happened? He turned on Tagar. “What is going on?”
Tagar glared back at him. “You tell me. I took her by the gym to see you. I waited outside while she went in. A few minutes later she came out very upset but wouldn’t talk about it. When she got back to her quarters I could hear her cry herself to sleep. What did you say to her?”
“I didn’t even see her in the gym. I was talking to my cousins—” It occurred to him that she might have overheard part of their conversation about him wanting to take on missions. Obviously she didn’t hear the whole conversation. “I need to explain to her…”
Tagar growled out at him. “Not tonight. She is too upset and it’s not good for her health.”
“Did her checkup not go well?” He was angry but that subsided at the thought that she might be sick. She did look really pale and her eyes were puffy.
“After the incident with Mediko Romer, I believe her checkup was fine.”
“What incident?”
“Mediko Romer tried to give her the exam without Mediko Jared and she refused him. There was some kind of scuffle and she ended up on the floor.”
“Why was I not notified immediately?” The thought of her hurt had him ready to rip the door off to get to her.
“She didn’t want you to be interrupted. Romer was dismissed from his duties.”
“Was that why she sought me out at the gym? Romer upset her?”
“No, I believe it was the news she received from Mediko Jared on her DNA results.”
“What news?”
“I believe that is her personal information. If she wants you to know, she will tell you.”
“You know, though, don’t you, Tagar? She’s mine.”
“That is her decision to make.” Tagar didn’t look at him.
“She is my hala asawani. I won’t allow another to take her from me.” He meant it, too. She was the other half of his soul.
“Again, that is her decision.”
Quinn wasn’t getting anywhere with Tagar. He would have to come back and try to talk to her when Tagar was off shift. There was no way he would let her leave now. He just had to make her see reason.
Chapter 10
It had been several days since she had overheard that conversation in the gym. Squirrel refused to see Quinn each time he came by her quarters. She also had not left her quarters in that time. She needed to be on her own to think about things and to clear her head. She couldn’t do that if she saw him. If he touched her she would be lost to her feelings for him.
That didn’t mean she didn’t think about him all the time. In fact, he was all she could think about. He invaded her dreams at night. Her body ached for him. She swore she could still smell his scent on her sheets and it drove her nearly crazy with want for him.
She slept late and dressed. Why she got dressed when she didn’t plan to go anywhere was beyond her. Squirrel went to the kitchen and scrounged around for something to eat. She was going to have to send out for more supplies if she didn’t leave the ship soon. A knock on the door had her jumping and her heart start racing. Was it Quinn again?
She walked over and waved her hand in front of the security panel. The door slid open and she was disappointed to see Lily, Rachel, and Maggie with her baby were there instead of Quinn.
Lily gave her a smile. “Sorry to stop by without calling first. We brought lunch.”
She let them in and checked to see that Tagar was there. She di
dn’t know the other guard who took the nightshift that well, but since she’d changed the security on her door she felt safer. She turned to follow the females over to the kitchen table.
“Thank you for bringing the food but you didn’t have to do that.”
Lily uncovered the dishes and the smell of the delicious food had Squirrel’s stomach rumbling. All of them laughed.
“I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.” She sat down and took the plate that Rachel handed her.
She could feel Maggie staring at her, and she looked up. “What?”
Maggie held the baby in one arm while taking a fork to stab at some food. “I’m just wondering why you’ve been holed up here all by yourself and refusing to see Quinn. I thought you two were getting together.”
Lily sighed. “Maggie, we didn’t come here to interfere with their relationship.”
“I’m curious, too,” Rachel added, backing up her sister. “Quinn is a great guy.”
Squirrel took a few bites, trying to find the right words. “I know he’s a good guy, but he had plans before he met me. I think it would be best if I went back to the tunnels so that he could move on with his career.”
“Is that what Quinn said he wanted?” Maggie asked.
“I heard him talking to his cousins a few days ago. He pretty much said that he wasn’t going to let a relationship that was so new get in his way.”
Lily reached out and touched her hand. “He admitted that but you didn’t hear the whole conversation, did you?”
“I left while they were still talking.”
“There was more, way more. We all make plans that take a sudden change. When we were in the tunnels we had to learn to adapt to change. It took Quinn a little bit of time to come to terms with the changes in his life.”
“I don’t want him to have to change.”
Maggie snorted as she lowered her top to feed her baby. “Sometimes we don’t get to choose what happens to us, but change can turn out to be the best thing. I knew the moment I saw Liam that he would change my life forever, then I knocked him out.” She laughed.
“What was the rest of the conversation about?” Squirrel couldn’t help but ask.
“I think you should ask him that. It’s something that the two of you should really talk about.”
“That and the fact that she could be pregnant,” Maggie commented without looking up.
“What?”
“Maggie.” Rachel and Lily were glaring at her.
“Let’s not sugarcoat it. She needs to know.”
“What do I need to know?”
Lily sighed as she looked at her. “You and Quinn shared sex. There’s a possibility that you could be pregnant. If you are, you will have to remain here at least until the baby is born.”
“You may have to stay longer than that. It’s not safe for a mixed species child to be on Earth right now,” Maggie corrected her.
Squirrel was in shock. She placed her hand on her flat stomach. Was she pregnant? “We were only together one night.”
Rachel placed her hand on her own swollen stomach. “It only takes one time sometimes.”
Maggie nodded her agreement. “These Drastans are extremely potent. I expect Lily to turn up pregnant any moment now.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “We’re waiting, you know that.”
“How soon can I find out if I am or not?”
“Give it another few days and we’ll try a scan. The Drastans have great technology that can detect an early pregnancy.”
“I have to pee.” Maggie stood, came over to Squirrel, and handed her the baby.
Squirrel held the baby in her arms and looked into her beautiful little face, so tiny and trusting. Little fingers, little toes, and the most striking dark brown eyes she had ever seen. They reminded her of Quinn. Is this what their baby would look like? She felt her heart squeeze at the thought.
“Give Quinn a chance to explain things. He really does care about you.” Lily reached over and rubbed the baby’s cheek.
Rachel nodded. “He comes by your quarters every night and stands outside your door to guard you at night.”
That surprised her. “He does?”
“Yes, he does,” Lily confirmed.
She leaned down and kissed the baby’s forehead. “I’ll think about.” The other two females looked at each other and smiled. She decided to ignore those knowing looks and focused her attention on the baby. She could have what she never had before, a real family. It was so tempting and appealing. She never knew she wanted that until now, but she longed for it desperately.
*****
“Tell me about the mission and I’ll see what I can do to make it work,” Quinn told his uncle.
Liam passed him a handheld computer. “Watch the video. These are several people that we suspect meet secretly once a week. Their locations for the meetings are always changed so we can’t get surveillance set up properly. We think that since you are the youngest, you could pretend to be disgruntled about being here on Earth. Try to see if any of them will offer to bring you to a meeting.”
“These people are on board the command ship, but don’t you think there are more on the other ships in the fleet?”
“Yes. We’re hoping by infiltrating the group on this ship, we can get names of others who are participating in these traitorous meetings,” Liam explained.
Quinn wasn’t sure if this would solve anything, but if he didn’t take this assignment it could leave his Lihali in danger. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“I’ll do it.”
“Liam, leave us, “Devlon ordered.
He waited until the two of them were alone. “I heard that Squirrel had a rough time.”
“Yes. She likes to be called Lihali. I need to apologize to her.”
“If this mission is to be successful, the traitors have to believe that you and Lihali are still angry with each other. In fact, it would make them more likely to accept you if they thought you turned on her.”
“I can’t let another day go by without explaining what’s going on. She deserves that.”
“Don’t go back to her place. I’ll make arrangements for her to come to you. As far as anyone else knows, the two of you are not getting along.”
“I guess this is the best way to keep her out of things.”
“It is. She is family to me now whether you have officially claimed her or not, and I will make sure she is protected like my other girls.”
“Thank you, Uncle Devlon. I don’t know if she’ll forgive me and want me to claim her.”
Devlon chuckled. “You’ll just have to remind her how good getting claimed by a Drastan warrior can be.”
Quinn laughed. “I plan to, absolutely. I can’t wait to claim her and take her home to meet my mother.”
“Your mother will love her and welcome her with open arms.”
“I’m concerned about what kind of reaction we’re going to get when we do return with the human women. If there are those opposed on board our fleet, will others on our home world be just as hard to accept?”
“I’m sure that there will always be those who oppose what they don’t understand. It is up to us to educate them, and if they get out of hand and endanger the females, we will take them down. I won’t allow my family or anyone else to be harmed. Other warriors have expressed interest in human females and I have allowed a few to pursue them with the Earth leaders’ agreement. They will need to be protected as well. There’s something else you may not have considered. What if she wishes to remain on Earth? She has already requested to be returned.”
“I won’t let that happen. She cannot go back to the tunnels. It nearly killed her before.”
“It is her decision to make. It’s up to you to convince her that she is better off with you here. The good news is that she doesn’t have a family she would have to leave behind. It’s a problem that Liam and Kyle have to find a way to work out with their amahalas. You won’t have that problem with your
Lihali.”
Quinn hated that his female had found out she had no family the way she did and he hadn’t been there for her. Then she overheard part of his conversation where he was only venting his frustration, not the part about him not wanting to live without her.
“I’ve got to go.”
“I’ll have her brought to you. Wait for me to notify you of where to go to meet her,” Devlon reminded him.
Quinn left the office feeling unsure whether she would accept his apology. If she refused to remain on board the command ship, he would not be able to let her go back to the tunnels alone. He was determined that she would never be alone again.
Chapter 11
Squirrel heard the knock at the door and her heart skipped a beat. Was it Quinn? She went to open the door and was shocked to find Quinn’s uncle standing there. “Commander Estro, what can I do for you?”
“Would you take a walk with me? I haven’t been around much to get to know you and I would like to take the time now if you would agree.”
“I guess so.” She walked out and felt reassured at seeing Tagar there. The big man was starting to grow on her. He slowly worked from being her shadow to being her first friend on the ship. She spent more time with him than she had with anyone else, other than Quinn.
“You seem lost in thought.”
She looked up at the tall man. He was broad shouldered like Liam and had the same good looks all the Estro men had, but the silver streaks in his dark hair made him look very distinguished. “Sorry, Commander, what did you say?”
“I said that you look like you are deep in thought. Is there something bothering you?”
“Commander Estro—”
“Call me Devlon.”
“Devlon, I’m curious why you came to talk to me.”
“I heard that you and my nephew, Quinn, have begun a relationship.”
Squirrel was once again surprised and a little bit embarrassed. She never had a relationship with anyone before and it was awkward to be talking about it to another person, let alone the uncle of the man she had feelings for. She looked around to make sure no one else was listening but the corridors were clear and Tagar had given them some space.