M’lee swayed and he took her arm. She wrapped her other hand over his and nestled closer. A’rathia stared at the two of them but continued more gently. “I have set the fracture, the edema has been drained, and her heart repaired. I believe she will make a complete recovery.”
“Can I see her?”
“She is sleeping and will not know that you are there.”
“I’ll know. Please,” M’lee implored.
“Very well.” A’rathia’s eyes swept over M’lee’s again. “Was this outfit an attempt to disguise her? You have only made her more obvious.”
“That’s what I thought,” M’lee said and dropped the robe. Beneath it, she still wore the clothing she had donned earlier in the day. Short blue pants revealed an expanse of pale golden skin from her top of her thighs to her flowery sandals. Her top garment of blue and white flowers with thin blue straps showed the upper curves of her burgeoning breasts and clung to the ripe swell of her stomach. Against the stark white of the room, she glowed. A’rathia’s eyes went immediately to her stomach.
“So it is true?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“What’s true?” M’lee asked, looking between them.
“That you are with child.”
“Of course, it’s true,” she said indignantly. “Did you think T’lan was lying?”
“No, child.” A’rathia’s eyes lifted, reluctantly. “You must come to me tomorrow for an examination. T’lan, perhaps you are right to use the scholar’s robe, but I would suggest it would be even better if no one saw her. I will try and obtain better clothing.”
“I have clothing.” M’lee sighed. “Well, I did. I suppose I’ve left all that behind now.”
“T’chok, the Elder Female is in recovery,” A’rathia said. “Can you check that the way is clear?”
His sub commander nodded and left the room. After a brief pause, they followed him. M’lee put her hand in his and he could feel it shaking. T’chok beckoned them into another stark white room. The Elder Female rested in a medical unit, barely covering half of it. A clear shield covered her face and upper chest, moving gently up and down, while another shield held her immobile. A tube exited from one side of her head and more snaked out from under the bedding that covered her. T’lan was shocked by how small and fragile she appeared. He resolved to administer the punishment of the human who did this personally.
“Oh, Gran.” M’lee dropped his hand and hurried to her grandmother’s side. She carefully picked up the hand on the uninjured arm and carried it to her lips. “I’m here. You’re going to be just fine. I promise.”
While M’lee murmured to her relative, A’rathia moved closer to him and lowered her voice before proceeding in Yehrin.
“You are sure about the child?”
He frowned and made an impatient gesture in M’lee’s direction. “I would have thought it was obvious.”
“That he is half Yehrin,” A’rathia said impatiently.
It had never occurred him to doubt M’lee’s word, and he did not like the fact that the medic was questioning it now. If it had been another warrior, his sword would have been at his throat but A’rathia was female.
“I believe my L’chka,” he growled. “And there is every indication—the size, the rate of growth, the way her appetite had changed. Have you seen the scans?”
“No. T’rarchar did not want to transmit them and I just arrived today.”
He removed the portable scanner from his belt and handed it over. She took it eagerly, fingers flipping expertly through the screens until she came to results of the ultrasound that he had uploaded to his device.
“Definitely Yehrin. The images are of poor quality, but you can see the shadow of the second heart and the horn buds and the…” A’rathia jerked and turned pale. He had never seen her lose her composure before. “The child is a girl?”
“Yes,” he said and felt the wash of pride.
“I do not believe that I have ever examined a first child on a new planet that was female. It usually takes at least a sun cycle or two before one appears.” She still looked stunned.
“T’rarchar did not tell you?”
“He knows?” Her look did not bode well for the Supreme Commander.
“Yes. But we are keeping it very quiet—perhaps he did not want to trust that to a transmission, either. Aside from him, only the people in this room and T’renan are aware.”
“That is wise.” A’rathia recovered her usual calm. “Bring her to me in the morning. Later today,” she amended after a glance at her wrist com. “I would see her in your cabin, but I prefer to have a full set of equipment available. And take the child to bed. The older female will not awaken for another eight hours. A pregnant female needs her sleep.”
“Agreed.” Thankfully, his quarters were only one level below the medical level, so he did not have far to travel.
“I will make arrangements for clothing and send it to you.”
“Have it left in the door drop.”
She shot him an amused look. “You will not be interrupted. But if she is indeed your L’chka—”
“If?” He fought to keep his voice low.
“You need to mark her at once.”
“I know.” He cast a worried look at M’lee. “It should have been done last night but the circumstances were… complicated.”
“Last night? You mean you took her before…” Her withdrawal was subtle but obvious.
“No, of course not. I will explain but now is not the time.” He hesitated—he did not want to have this conversation with her. “Or perhaps you should have T’rarchar explain. But believe me when I say that I did not behave with dishonor.”
“I am sorry. Of course you did not.” She looked over at the bed where M’lee’s head had lowered onto the bed next to where her hand clasped the Elder Female’s. “Now, take her to bed.”
Nodding at T’chok to have him clear the way again, T’lan went to the bed and gently moved M’lee’s hand as he bent and picked her up.
“What are you doing?” She blinked up at him.
“I am taking you to our bed.”
“But Gran…”
“Will be asleep for another eight hours. You must get your rest.” She still looked torn, so he curved a hand over her stomach. “Our daughter needs you to rest.”
“You fight dirty,” she said. He frowned down at her, but her eyes had already closed, and she curled into his chest. She didn’t open them again as he walked quickly behind T’chok to his quarters, and she simply curled into his pillow as soon as he laid her in his bed. After a few quick instructions to T’chok, he removed his uniform and joined her. Even in her sleep, she turned to him and he pulled her close with that unaccustomed feeling of contentment seeping over him as he followed her into sleep.
Once more Emily awoke with T’lan’s body curled around hers. Still half asleep, she relaxed into him. One large hand had pushed down her maternity top to cup her breast and her hardened nipple stabbed at his palm. She arched her back to thrust the aching mound more fully into his grasp and gasped when he tightened his hand.
“That feels so good,” she whispered, about to melt into him before the events of the previous day came flooding back. Sitting up abruptly, she bumped her head against T’lan’s horn on the way.
“Ouch. I have to get to Gran.” She rubbed her head and tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed, kicking him in the shin in the process and stubbing her toe. T’lan grabbed her hand. He had rolled to his back to watch her, one hand tucked behind his head in a classically masculine pose, and she felt a thrill of arousal despite her agitation.
“Be still, M’lee. Do not inflict more harm on either of us. I have already been in touch with the medic about your grandmother. A’rathia wants to keep her in a sleeping state for another two hours.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No. She said everything is going better than expected but she wants to make sure that she does not becom
e agitated and start to move around. She will contact us when she is ready to awaken her.”
Sighing with relief, she started to lay back down but stopped half way.
“What about Tren? Is he ok?”
T’lan hesitated, and she bit her lip.
“Please don’t tell me something serious is wrong with him. You said that he would be fine.”
“He will recover his health. But as I feared, he had lost most of his left horn.”
“Why does that matter so much?”
“Our horns indicate that we are warriors. It is a sign of weakness if they are damaged.”
“I am sorry for his sake, but I can’t help but be thankful that he was there. If Gran had gone down the ravine without him, she would have died there. Alone.”
He wiped a tear from her cheek. “But she did not. You must remember that.”
“What about Dr. Gaston? Is he still on board?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “A’rathia said that he has been asking many questions.”
The tension eased from her shoulders. “Then I guess I can relax. Everyone I care about is here… Except for Tribs. Oh my god, I can’t believe I forgot about him. I’m the worst pet owner ever.” She started to scramble up again. “How long has it been? He’s going to run out of food and water. We have to go back and get him right now.”
“Stop,” he ordered. “I made arrangements for him to be brought to the ship. He is with T’chok right now.”
“Oh.” She gave him a rueful smile. “Thank you so much.”
“Is there anything else you wish to worry about?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“Only a very little. You are adorable when you become flustered.”
Adorable? She could live with that. She bent down to give him a quick kiss, and suddenly realized that she was still in the same clothes she had been wearing for the past however long it had been. One hand went to her head and she gasped as she felt the matted tangles.
“I must look terrible. Do you have a bathroom? I need a shower, and probably those clothes the medic said she was going to send…”
“You look delightful. Would you like me to prove it?”
He smiled at her and her pulse fluttered, but now she was conscious not only of her disheveled state but the urgent desire for other morning necessities. “Hold that thought, big guy. I desperately need a shower first. You do have showers on this ship, don’t you?”
“Yes. We have many large cleansing rooms which can accommodate many males.”
Public bathrooms? She gave him a doubtful look. Maybe she could pretend it was like summer camp. “You’ll be there with me, won’t you?”
“Your face is very expressive, my L’chka.”
He looked a little too pleased with himself. “Are you teasing me?” He nodded and grinned at her. “I’ve never seen you so relaxed.”
“We are on my ship, so I know that you are safe. The Elder Female is going to live, and you are here with me. I am content.”
“You really can be very sweet.”
“I do not understand why you choose to compare me to that dreadful taste; however, I will accept that you mean well. We do not have to use the public rooms, these quarters have their own cleansing chamber. Shall I show you how it works?”
“Yes, please.” She leaned forward and trailed her finger down between those rock-hard pectoral muscles, loving the way his breath caught. Two could play the teasing game. “Didn’t you tell me once that cleansing places were all wet and slippery? I wouldn’t want to slip.”
He groaned and then rolled off the far side of the bed, naked. With some effort, she managed to drag her eyes away from the acres of naked muscles to take in her surroundings. Beyond T’lan, an open archway led into a small living area. The minimal furnishings consisted of an extremely uncomfortable looking angular couch—in white, a desk—in black, and a set of cabinets, also in black. The walls were white. They certainly had a theme going.
The bedroom was only slightly larger than the bed with more black built-in cabinets at the head. The bed was firmer than she was used to but not uncomfortable and the thin bedding—in black—seemed to be composed of a silky material similar to their uniforms. The walls in here were also white. She looked to her right for the first time and gasped. Almost the entire wall on her side of the bed was composed of an enormous window which showed a view of earth floating far below. It was so clear that she almost felt dizzy. Reaching out a cautious hand, she couldn’t feel any difference between the window and the wall.
“Is this a real window?”
“No, it is a view screen showing an image from the hull.”
“Amazing.”
“Come, little one. After we cleanse, I wish to talk to you.”
She took his hand but gave him a suspicious look. “I told you before—when an earth male says those words, it is never a good sign.”
“And I told you that I am not an earth male.” As if seven plus feet of grey skin, claws, and horns didn’t make that obvious.
“So it’s not a bad thing?”
“I hope you will be extremely happy.”
Her heart started to beat a little faster. Was he finally going to tell her that he loved her? Despite his concern for her, she couldn’t help but realize that he had never actually said those words. Still, if that was his intention, she didn’t understand why he couldn’t just tell her now. Deciding that there was no point in worrying about it, she moved around the bed. Fortunately, it was low enough to the ground that she hadn’t needed a ladder to climb off.
“This is the entrance to the cleansing room.” T’lan showed her how to operate the switch on one side of the archway. A panel slid seamlessly aside to reveal a long brightly lit chamber tiled in, of course, white tiles. Nothing broke the expanse of white.
“I assume that you are going to push some more buttons and make things appear because this doesn’t look like any bathroom I’ve ever seen.”
“I regret that I do not have a private bathing pool but perhaps I can arrange for us to use one of the ship’s pools.”
“I meant things like a shower, a sink. A toilet.” She knew she was blushing when she got to the end of the sentence.
“Here.” He showed her three shallow depressions on the wall, slightly too high for her, but at least she could reach them. Pushing the first one caused a shelf with a shallow curve to fold down from the wall. A stream of water began to flow into one end. In the open space above the sink shelf was one of the first signs she had seen of personal possessions—what looked like shaving gear and a rather odd-looking toothbrush.
Touching the second depression caused a large oval cylinder to rise at the far end of the room. She assumed it was a toilet, but it would probably come to mid-thigh on her. That was going to be awkward. But she forgot all about it when T’lan pressed the top notch and a stream of steaming water began to flow from the ceiling above the central area. Clear panels emerged to enclose the shower area and another wall niche opened to show towels.
Suddenly feeling extremely grubby, she looked longingly at the shower.
“Come, my L’chka. Let me remove this clothing so you may enjoy your shower.”
“I can do it,” she said, abruptly feeling shy.
“But why would you deprive me of the pleasure?” he asked as he grasped the hem of her top and pulled it slowly upwards. His fingers skated across the sensitive undersides of her breasts as he lifted it free. Self-conscious in the bright light of the bathroom, she looked down at her swollen breasts, the nipples becoming larger and darker as her pregnancy progressed, and the mound of her stomach in the unflattering maternity shorts.
“Um. You don’t have to stay.” She started to turn away from T’lan but he caught her arm and drew her back around to face him.
“Why are you hiding your beauty from me, M’lee?”
“Beauty?” She snorted. “I don’t feel beautiful. I feel fat and awkward.”
&nbs
p; “You are neither of those things. Your body is ripe and luscious, nourishing our child. The life within you only makes you more desirable. Feel the effect you have on me.” He drew her hand to his enormous cock, which was fully erect. Her fingers couldn’t close around him, but she tightened them as much as possible and took a long stroke along the textured shaft. He growled.
“First we will cleanse.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
At her insistence, T’lan instructed M’lee on how to use the sanitation unit and then left her alone for a brief period. He did not understand her shyness about her bodily functions, but he acceded to her wishes. She was still blushing when he returned to lead her into the cleansing unit. He washed her thoroughly but more quickly than he would have liked. Although he did linger an extra minute or two on her sensitive breasts and perhaps a little longer than absolutely necessary between her legs since it was important to be thorough. By the time he showed her how to use the drying chamber, she had relaxed into his ministrations.
“Isn’t it difficult to keep enough water on board?” she asked.
“No, the ship is self-sustaining. Our water is recycled.”
“Ooh.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Living beings exude moisture. We pull it from the air and recycle it back as a water source.”
“I suppose that doesn’t sound too bad.”
He decided not the tell her that other types of waste materials were cleansed and filtered to be used as a food source for the nutritional algae that formed the raw material used by the replicators.
As he took her hand and led her to the bed, he found himself unexpectedly nervous. She sat down willingly enough but looked a little confused when he didn’t come to join her.
“Are you coming back to bed?”
“Yes. But first, I wish to give you these.”
Kneeling before her, he presented her with the mating bracelets that he’d had made for her.
“They’re beautiful.” She reached out a tentative finger and stroked the fine strands of metal that twisted together to form the bracelets. Small gemstones were caught in the threads as if scattered by a random hand.
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