“My child is female.” He heard the pride in his voice.
T’renan looked up in shock before hastily returning to the monitors.
“You are sure?” T’chok asked.
“Yes. The scan I did last night indicated as much, but the human doctor confirmed it. His scanner was primitive but still sufficient to see the child in enough detail to confirm.”
“Praise the Ancestors,” T’renan said enthusiastically.
“Congratulations,” T’chok murmured, but T’lan saw that he doubted. It was to be expected. This was T’lan’s third campaign. He had done his duty on the first campaign, but the experience had been so unpleasant that he had left it to more enthusiastic warriors on the second. T’chok had been in six campaigns and had tried in each of them without success. “Have you advised the Supreme Commander? Are we returning to the ship?”
“I communicated with him earlier after my initial scan. He has agreed that we will stay here, at least until he has arranged for a female medic to be transferred to the fleet.” He considered his next statement. His acknowledgement of his female’s wishes might appear to weaken him, but he trusted both of these males with his life and they had already given M’lee their honor. “The human doctor said that a content female is more likely to have a successful gestation. I do not think M’lee would be happy on the ship. At least not at this time. I will keep her here as long as possible.”
To his relief, both males nodded in agreement. He continued. “For right now, this news is not to be shared.”
“Of course not,” T’chok replied, and T’renan murmured agreement. T’chok added, “What about the human medic?”
T’lan considered. “I don’t believe he would tell. He gave me his word, and I believe he spoke truth.”
“I will pray to the Ancestors for a successful gestation,” T’chok assured him. His face lightened and he assumed a thoughtful tone. “If all human females are like your M’lee, I suspect my duty will not be as unpleasant this time.”
“No female is like my M’lee,” T’lan growled.
“No, Commander,” T’chok replied with a straight face and a gleam in his eyes.
With the important matters out of the way, T’lan asked for a report on the barriers and discussed the options for moving the ship. Throughout their conversation, he had been listening to the quiet sounds from the kitchen as the Elder Female prepared his female’s meal. Her lack of color still concerned him. He wanted to demand that she tell him her concerns, but perhaps she would talk more freely with the one she called grandmother. He would permit it. For now.
Chapter Eleven
“Emily, what’s wrong? It’s more than just knowing that you’re only going to be pregnant for six months, isn’t it?” Gran put the soup on the stove to heat and turned to face her.
“Well, that was kind of a shock.” Emily smiled weakly at her grandmother before averting her gaze to concentrate stroking Tribs.
“But? I know that’s not all.” Her grandmother was nothing if not persistent. She had been hell on wheels when Emily was a teenager and trying to hide her minor infractions.
“It started when we turned on to Main Street. The first person who saw us almost wrecked his truck. Then I heard all the other cars stopping, but I didn’t look at them.”
“You have to realize that none of us have ever seen a Yehrin in person. Other than you, of course,” Gran said mildly.
“I did, but believe me, it was not the same. I know Sam wasn’t human but other than being really tall and having grey skin, he didn’t seem that different. I mean, I guess I got used to the other differences and didn’t think about it that much. But T’lan, the others…” She made a helpless gesture. “They’re so big. And they have claws, and those enormous horns. So, I understand that people would be surprised and scared.”
“Are you scared of them?”
“I was, but they’ve been so nice. And even though T’lan is kind of bossy, he makes me feel safe. Aren’t you scared of them?” She regarded her grandmother thoughtfully.
“I’ve been around a long time. It doesn’t usually help to worry about things you can’t control. It would be stupid not to be cautious, but they seem to mean well—in spite of trying to ruin my stove,” she grumbled. “And, in their own way, they treat you as if you are precious. That’s the most important thing.”
“Is it?” Emily continued to relate the events of the afternoon. “Once we were inside, it wasn’t that bad. Of course, Mary was shocked. But Dr. Gaston treated T’lan the same way you do. He didn’t act afraid and he never gave any indication that he thought less of me because of the baby.”
“I should hope not.”
“And I was happy. A little shocked about the six-month thing, but happy, because the baby is okay and she’s a girl, just like I thought.”
“That’s wonderful!” Gran smiled at her. “And I know you’re going to enjoy picking out little pink outfits.”
“But then we went outside, and it seemed like half the town was across the street. Some of them were afraid, but most of them looked angry. They looked at us like they hated us. And Gran, I knew some of them. I went to high school with Dean, and Mr. Stevens always bought my Girl Scout cookies. Even Mrs. Hammond. Remember her? She helped us pick out my prom dress.”
“What happened?” Gran reached over and took her hand.
“T’lan told them to leave, but a lot of them didn’t. So, he pulled this tube out of his belt and they all just collapsed, right where they were. I thought he had killed them all. Then he said they weren’t dead. But, Gran, I don’t think he would have cared if they were.”
“Probably not,” the older woman agreed.
“Gran! That’s not helping.” Tribs chirped anxiously when she cried out. Apologetically, she returned to petting him.
“I realize this is difficult but listen to me. Your grandfather and I grew up together. He was a good man—a good boy, really—when he went off to serve. When he came back, he’d changed. He was ...harder and more distant somehow. I think if you have to take another being’s life, you learn to protect yourself. You can’t care about them because you’ll destroy yourself. And he was only gone for four years. I suspect the commander has been fighting for a lot longer than that.”
“What happened with Grandpa?” Her grandfather had died before she was born, and Gran rarely talked about him. Emily only knew him from the picture that her grandmother always kept at her bedside.
“Oh, eventually he began to seem more like his old self. When your mother was born, he was over the moon. He thought the sun rose and set on her.” She smiled reminiscently. “I suspect your T’lan will be the same way about your daughter.”
“So, you think he can care?” Emily asked hopefully.
“About you and your daughter, absolutely. About humans in general?” Gran sighed. “Probably not.”
“The people in town won’t accept him, either, will they?”
“Pretty sure the Jews didn’t like the Egyptians,” she said tartly. “Are you happy that the Yehrin are in control?”
“Of course not. I was terrified at first, but then I suppose I just tried to ignore it.”
“Except for a few crazies, I think most of the town did. But it’s hard to ignore when the evidence is right in front of you.”
“I don’t know what to do, Gran. I’m having a half alien baby.” She laughed a little hysterically. “I should hate it; I should hate them. But how can I hate my baby? And if I can’t hate my baby because she’s half Yehrin, how can I hate them?”
“Do you hate me, M’lee?” a deep voice interrupted. T’lan crossed the room and knelt in front of her as he had done earlier that day. Was it really still the same day? So little actual time had passed, and yet she already felt a connection to him so strong that she feared it was unbreakable. Tribs slipped down but all she could focus on was the warrior in front of her.
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t hate you.”
A flee
ting look of relief crossed the face she was already coming to know so well, before he leaned forward and pulled her against him. Surrounded by his warm skin and breathing his delicious musky scent she felt safe. She felt...at home.
T’lan released her and she managed to smile at him. No matter how conflicted her feelings might be, all she could handle was the present. And right now, T’lan was here and he was protecting her and her baby.
“Here’s your soup, sweetie,” Gran said.
T’lan intercepted the bowl and took a spoonful, nodding approvingly before he passed the bowl to Emily. The combination of vegetables, tomatoes, and pasta smelled amazing and she spooned the first mouthful eagerly. After a brief pause to make sure that her stomach was not going to rebel, she all but inhaled the rest of the bowl. She looked up to see that both Gran and T’lan were watching her with identical expressions of amusement.
Her cheeks heated. “I guess I was hungry.”
“That is good, little one. You must keep up your strength.”
“Absolutely,” Gran agreed. She refilled Emily’s bowl and she finished that one as well, although a little more slowly. “Now then, I’m off to Asheville. Will you be all right, Emily?”
T’lan growled. “She will be fine.”
Gran picked up her purse, then turned back to T’lan. “I’m trusting you to look after her.”
“With my life,” he said solemnly. Gran studied his face, then nodded and left.
T’lan looked at her. “L’chka, are you feeling stronger? I need to talk to you.”
“When a human man says those words, it never means anything good.” She tried for a light tone, but her stomach started to twist.
T’lan frowned at her. “I am not a human man.”
Her eyes traveled from the clawed feet up to the massive horns. “You most definitely are not. Does that mean that this is a good talk?”
“Perhaps not,” he conceded. “I know the memories are painful, but I must ask you more questions about the incident in New York.”
The subject didn’t help her nervous stomach. “Why?”
“Because someone, or some group, was responsible for the sabotage. We must find them.”
For a moment, she was torn. Even though she didn’t think she knew anything of value, it felt uneasily like she was betraying the human race by cooperating with him. But then she remembered the explosion, remembered how many humans had been killed along with the Yehrin. “Go ahead and ask. I don’t think there is anything I can tell you.”
“Your friend, S’ram.” He growled as he said the words. “Where did he get the Yeisati?”
“I already told you that I don’t know. What difference does it make?”
“I told you it was forbidden. He had to have received it from someone, and it is not so large a step from smuggling to treachery.”
“If you think it’s important.” She tried to recall what Sam had said when he showed up that night. It all seemed so long ago.
“A friend. That’s what he told me, that a friend had given it to him.” The phrase stirred something else in her memory. “I’m not sure if it means anything but he said the same thing about Tribs, that a friend had given him to him. And the coat and hat that I told you about, that he used when he went out, he said the same thing about those.”
“Did he ever give you any details about this friend?”
“I don’t think so.” Her mind played back their conversations. “I did get the impression that maybe he was some kind of bigwig.”
“Big wig?” He consulted his wrist device. “He had large false hair?”
“No, silly. I meant that he seemed to be important. I think Sam was flattered by his attention.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Poor Sam. He was really very sweet.”
“I do not like your eyes filled with water for another male.”
“Too bad.” She glared at him. “He was my friend and I had to see him die.”
His body tensed. “You saw him die?”
“Well, not exactly. But I saw the that awful flash of green light; I saw the building explode and just… disappear until all that was left was that terrible hole and the water rushing in…” She couldn’t go on. T’lan made an unhappy noise and pulled her close but she couldn’t stop crying. He held her patiently while she cried, making soft murmurs, and combing through her hair with his claws. Eventually, her sobs died down to a few hiccups. She pulled back and gave him a watery smile. “I’m sorry. I know it’s partially because of the pregnancy hormones but I also suspect that I haven’t really let myself grieve about that day.”
“The aftermath of battle is never pleasant.” T’chok’s voice surprised her. She peered around T’lan’s broad shoulder to see both of the other warriors in the kitchen. They had apparently been drawn by her distress, although T’renan kept one eye on the tablet he carried. Both of them looked concerned and she managed a somewhat stronger smile.
“I’m fine. Honestly.” She turned back to T’lan. “I promise I’ll try to stop crying all over you.”
“You may water me any time,” he assured her, which made her laugh. The bout of tears had left her drained, but she also felt lighter, as if she had released a burden.
“Do you wish to rest now, M’lee?”
“No. I really am fine.” Ashamed of her outburst, she looked away. Spying the calendar on the refrigerator, she suddenly realized she had a deadline coming up. “Crap. I need to finish an article for the paper.” She pushed at T’lan impatiently, and ineffectively. “Will you let me up? I need to get my laptop.”
T’lan reluctantly allowed her to rise. Sitting down at the small desk in the living room, she opened her computer. At first, she felt self-conscious tapping away on her article, but T’lan pulled out a tablet of his own. Whenever she glanced over at him, he seemed absorbed in his work, but he always noticed and looked up when she did. She ended up blushing and looking away, feeling like she was back in high school trying to sneak peeks at her crush during study hall.
T’chok replaced T’renan at the front window and the younger warrior disappeared somewhere. When he didn’t return, she began to get concerned.
“Where did T’renan go? Is he okay?”
“He is fine,” T’lan assured her. “He has gone to move the vessel. He will rest now and take the morning watch.”
“Watch?”
“Yes.” He gestured at T’chok, who was watching a series of small screens floating in the air. “We will monitor the perimeter to make sure that no danger approaches.”
“Oh.” In a small voice, she asked, “Do you expect danger?”
“Always. I am a warrior. But fear not, M’lee. No harm will come to you as long as I breathe.”
A warm glow filled her at his words. Looking at his imposing figure, she found it impossible to believe that anything could get past him. Reassured, she returned to her computer. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully. Emily finished her article and emailed it to William. Shortly thereafter, her grandmother returned, and she went to help her in the kitchen. Together they made an enormous pot of spaghetti sauce. The Yehrin eyed it suspiciously, but T’lan looked first startled, then satisfied, when he insisted on tasting it before Emily ate.
“This is most palatable.”
“I do know how to cook,” Gran said tartly, but Emily could tell she was pleased.
After dinner, Emily and Gran watched a movie while T’lan returned to his tablet. She barely made it through the first half before her eyes began to droop. The third time they closed, she opened them to find T’lan lifting her into his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“Time for bed, little one.”
Chapter Twelve
By the time T’lan carried her into her room, Emily was no longer half asleep. He carried her so easily, tucked against his broad expanse of chest. Butterflies churned in her stomach as she studied that harsh, alien face, but it wasn’t fear. He laid her down on the bed and for a moment, she thought he was l
eaving.
Instead, he sat casually on the end of the bed and began removing his boots. As they fell away, she stared at his feet. His toes were long, more like fingers tipped with sharp claws. His heel almost resembled a palm, with the big toe leading off of it. She wondered idly if he would be a good climber and fought down a sudden urge to giggle hysterically. A very large alien male was sitting in her bedroom, and she was wondering about his climbing skills.
He tucked his boot under the end of the bed and stood up. His hands went to his uniform top.
“What...what are you doing?”
“I am removing my clothes,” he said calmly.
She clutched the blanket. “Why?”
“Because I do not intend to sleep in my clothing.”
She gulped but didn’t protest. She also didn’t look away. He brushed a claw across the top of one of his shoulders and the fabric parted. He slipped the uniform top off of the other shoulder and placed it neatly on the dresser. She gulped again. While the clinging fabric had certainly not concealed his impressive musculature, removing the covering doubled the impact. She could only stare at the broad, chiseled expanse of flesh. Like his arms, his chest had a fine dusting of dark hair. It thickened across his pectorals but did nothing to conceal each well-defined muscle.
Just like with human men, the patch of hair narrowed down to a thin line as it crossed the ridges of abdominal muscle and disappeared beneath his belt. His hands rested on the wide belt for a moment, and she found she was holding her breath. As she expelled a quick sigh, those long fingers released some hidden catch and the belt opened. He came around to one side of the bed and placed the belt on the nightstand. It should have looked completely out of place on the delicately carved table, topped with the flowered crystal lamp she had found in an antique shop when she was fourteen. It didn’t. Instead, the harsh black line only accentuated the feminine pieces. The contrast sent a shiver of erotic pleasure up her spine.
T’lan made a slight sound and her eyes flew to his face.
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