Navan and I exchanged a look. “Well… there are people who might come after us because of her, but not for the reason you think,” I said tentatively. This was a lot to break to everyone. “But it’s nobody we haven’t faced before.”
“Oh my God, we’re going to be running forever, aren’t we? Well, I’m telling you now, my little legs aren’t made for all this ducking and diving from various bad guys.” Angie sighed, frowning. “Just once, I wish we could have a lovely reunion—sans coronary—where it’s nothing but good news, you know?”
Lauren stepped forward, her eyes narrowing in thought as she scrutinized Nova. “She’s yours… yours and Navan’s.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I beg your pudding?” Angie’s eyes looked like they were about to fall out of her head. “Your fancy goggles must be on the fritz, Lauren. Of course it’s not theirs. That’s not even possible, right?”
She cast an anxious glance at Bashrik, who appeared to be just as stunned by the possibility. Given their own intimate relationship, I could understand the concern.
“Look at the wings, Ange. Look at the color of her skin: human, but tinged with a hint of gray. You’ve got to look close to see it. I thought it was a trick of the light, at first,” she breathed, gaping at me. “Am I right? Is she yours?”
“You can’t be right,” Angie insisted. “They haven’t been gone long enough to know they’re knocked up, let alone squeeze out a hybrid sproglet!”
I took a deep breath, feeling Navan’s free arm wrap around my waist.
“Lauren’s right. She’s ours. It’s a very long story, which I’m sure we’ll get to soon, but she’s here. And her name is Nova.” I was too exhausted to go into every detail of what had happened since we were snatched by Aurelius, though I knew the moment would come in due course.
Angie’s mouth fell open. “Those slimy little bastards!” she raged, her face flushing with rage. “What did Ezra and Aurelius do to you? How did they make this happen? Did they force you? Did they inject you? No, don’t tell me—if you tell me I might punch something, and I don’t have the knuckles for it.”
“Are you okay?” Lauren gasped, closing the gap between us and throwing her arms around me. I could hear her sobbing softly into my shoulder, evidently fearing that the worst had happened. Angie joined her, the three of us holding one another, while the boys hovered awkwardly behind.
It was clear that nobody quite knew what to make of Nova.
“I’m fine, honestly,” I replied, gripping them tight. “There’s a lot to tell you all, but I’m not hurt, and neither is Nova. She’s real and perfect, and just about the only good thing to come out of this ridiculous war.”
We broke apart, just as Ronad stepped toward Nova, a smile lighting up his face. “May I?” he asked.
Navan nodded, handing her over. “Of course, just support her neck.”
“She’s beautiful,” he marveled, holding her carefully, as though he might drop her at any moment. “I’ve never seen red wings before. But then again, I’ve never seen a hybrid like her before, either. You’re quite something, aren’t you, little one?”
Nova gurgled at him, and his grin spread wider. Now that Ronad had paved the way, Bashrik and Xiphio shuffled in behind him, until all three were staring down at the baby, their faces equally smitten.
“I can’t believe she’s yours,” Bashrik gasped, jiggling her little foot tentatively. “She’s definitely unique. I can’t stop looking at her.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty much head over heels in love by this point.” Navan chuckled softly, evidently amused by the reactions of his friend and brother. Angie and Lauren moved away from me, stepping over to admire Nova in all her ridiculously adorable glory.
“Don’t you go getting any ideas, Bash.” Angie flashed him a warning look, which he soundly ignored so he could stare at Nova some more.
Lauren turned to me, grinning. “She’s a total medical marvel. She might even be the only one of her kind in the universe. What an amazing little creature!” I knew it was her way of saying she approved. Angie, on the other hand, seemed to be taking a little longer to make up her mind.
“She might be cute and all, but how did you get the wings out?”
I laughed. “They came all wrapped around her, like a mermaid’s purse.”
“Is that a euphemism?”
“No! It’s the cocoon thing that—never mind. She was, sort of, enveloped in them. Navan had to break her free when she was born, but I was too out of it to see how he did it. According to… Apparently, it’s a pretty grisly sight.”
I couldn’t talk about Mort yet. I couldn’t even get his name to roll off my tongue.
Bashrik nodded. “It’s called the Liberation. It’s actually quite a beautiful custom, though I guess you have to be a coldblood to appreciate the nuances of it. To someone else, I can see how it might look barbaric.”
“I know it is likely indecent of me to ask such a question, but was she naturally conceived?” Xiphio wondered, lifting his gaze to me. “I am unfamiliar with the gestation period of either of your species, though swift births are not so unheard of on Almaghura. It can vary from male to male.”
“Do you hear that, Navan?” I teased. “If we were merevin, you’d be the one who had to go through the torment of giving birth.”
“Actually, merevin births are somewhat peaceful affairs. We puff the infants out of a sac just below our ribcage, right here.” Xiphio pointed to the spot. “Although, unlike your species, it’s normal for us to give birth to ten or twenty offspring at a time.”
I shuddered at the thought. “Well, you’ll be happy to know she was naturally conceived. In fact, she was already with us back at Lunar HQ; we just didn’t know yet,” I explained, blushing. “It was the whole growing thing that happened to be sped up a bit. Neither of us had any say in that, but we’ll tell you all about it later, once we’re away from this godforsaken planet.”
“What kind of trouble did you have down there?” Bashrik asked. “I heard those voices over the comms device. Who were they?”
I still wasn’t ready to tell them about Mort. I wasn’t ready to tell them about any of what had happened to us. I wasn’t ready to tell them that, soon enough, the coldbloods would all be immortal. To be honest, it all felt like it had happened to someone else—like I was seeing someone else’s nightmares in my mind, whenever I tried to remember. I knew we’d have to tell them everything eventually, but I was already teetering on a knife-edge of emotion.
As if sensing my discomfort, Navan spoke up. “I promise we’ll tell you everything, but first we need to get away from Mallarot. Shouldn’t someone be flying this thing out of the atmosphere before the shifter authorities come?”
“Stone’s in the cockpit, but we can all head up there if you’d prefer,” Ronad said, never taking his eyes off Nova’s face. “Do you mind if I carry her up?”
I smiled at the sight of them; Nova was already getting to know her extended family. “Not at all. I think Navan and I could do with a little rest.”
Ronad led the way, humming softly to Nova as he held her. Everyone else trailed after, eager to get a look at her. Navan and I brought up the rear, his fingers interlacing with mine as we walked toward the cockpit. It was nice to have a moment to catch our breath, not having to worry about anything for at least a split second.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“Hey, we’ll tell them when we’re ready. Us taking a breather to collect our thoughts isn’t going to stop Ezra and his immortal army from trying to conquer the world, and it’s definitely not going to turn back the clock,” he replied, pulling me closer to his side.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, the two of us walking together like carefree lovers, though we couldn’t have been farther from that. Part of me was terrified of getting intimate with Navan again, after the strain of giving birth. Mort and Lazar had assured me that everything would return to normal, thanks to the healing serums they’d mad
e Navan give me, but still… it was a worry. What if nothing worked the way it used to?
Pushing the thought away, I focused on the task ahead. I had bigger things to worry about. The Stargazers were our only hope for defeating Ezra, Aurelius, and the rest of the immortal coldbloods, which definitely came before my personal problems.
Entering the cockpit, Stone spun around in the pilot’s chair, his eyes flitting in Nova’s direction. He had a bandana across his third eye once more and seemed to have lost none of his usual cheer, despite his near-death experience. It was nice to see him healthy again, his mouth curving up in a wide grin as he put the pieces together from what he saw of us.
“Ach, Navan, ye sly junkhound! Can’t fault yer choice o’ lass, mind.” He tipped an imaginary cap in our direction. “Congrats on the wee one! Ol’ Stone will keep her outta trouble once she’s grown. Ain’t no man brave enough to go near a lass who’s got pirate folk around her.” He gave a low whistle as he took a closer look. “Now, would ye look at the wings on ‘er! In all me years o’ junking ‘round this fair universe, I ain’t never seen a bairn so strikin’ as this.”
“It’s good to see you back on your feet again,” I said.
“What’s with all yer formalities, Ri? Anyone’d think ye’d never met me afore!” He leapt out of his chair and bundled me into a bear hug, patting me hard on the back. “I never got to properly give thanks to ye, back there on yer home planet. I’d be dancin’ at heaven’s grace right now, if it weren’t fer you and yer lad there. Bash has already had me thanks, but I thought I should offer me heartfelt gratitude,” he said, lowering his voice.
“You’re fully healed?” Navan asked.
Stone nodded. “Oh aye, folk like me heal as swift as yer like. Got meself a nice new scar to show off to the lasses, though I reckon me tat’ll never look as sharp again.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice, reminding me of the tattooed girl on his chest and the bullet wound that had pierced her drawn face. I’d sensed it had some meaning to him—perhaps an image of the girl he’d loved once, back on his home world. The one who was murdered with the rest of them, by coldblood hands. “I’ll show yer if you like?”
Before I could answer, he’d lifted the edge of his shirt right up to his chest, revealing the rest of his tattoos as he pulled the fabric up over his taut stomach.
Angie and Lauren stopped cooing over Nova, their eyes drawn to his rippling muscles. He really was the epitome of every parent’s nightmare—tattooed, honed, dressed in black, rough around the edges—but I got the feeling this little show was only for one woman in the room.
Sure enough, there was a silvered disc of scarring in the center of his chest, slap-bang in the middle of the tattooed girl’s forehead, where the bullet had penetrated.
“Looks much better,” I said awkwardly.
“Aye, well, ye can’t help but heal when ye’ve got such good nursin’.” He cast a sneaky glance at Lauren, who dropped her gaze, her cheeks flushed. “Still ain’t used to wakin’ up without her nearby, readin’ a book to me or hummin’ a tune. I were livin’ the life o’ luxury in that hospital.”
“So, Lauren told us you remembered the way to the Stargazers?” I changed the subject quickly, wanting to spare my friend her furious embarrassment. Clearly, the two of them had yet to talk over their feelings about what had happened while he was out cold, and the recovery that had followed.
Stone nodded. “Aye, that I did. It’s an odd thing, rememberin’ where they’re at—if ye’ve been, ye know it’s gotta be in there, in yer mind, but it takes some rootlin’ around. And, with me head all battered from gettin’ shot and everythin’, it took a bit more scourin’ than I reckoned on,” he began, while Bashrik slid into his seat and got us the hell out of there. “So, when them Stargazers came to me home planet, after their lot wiped us out,” he gestured to Navan and Bashrik, not unkindly, “they snatched me up an’ took me back to their digs. They call it Aeon. Brilliant place, hard to describe.”
“And you know the coordinates?” Navan asked.
“Not so simple as all that, me ol’ mate,” he replied, grinning. “See, these fancy digs o’ theirs don’t exist like the rest o’ the universe. It’s on this whole other material plane—a different astral somethin’ or other. Ren tried gettin’ it into me skull, but she’s the brains o’ the outfit. So, anyway, the gateway up to this weirdo zone ain’t easy to find. Ye’ve got to have been there before, as ye know. It gets tucked away, all secret like, in yer noggin, and it’s up to you to seek it out again, if ye get a hankerin’ to visit with the Starfolk again. Now, I happened to remember that ye can only get pinged through this gate by bein’ near a star that’s on its way out, if ye catch me drift?” he continued. “If ye’ve been once afore, the portal will open for ye again. Simple as ought.”
I frowned. “And you can take us there without using a navigation system?”
“Ri, Ri, Ri, I can take anyone anywhere without needin’ some poxy nav system. This map just happens to actually be in me mind—it’s like some wizard knocked it inside me skull one day, this great big, proper clear picture of where am goin’ and what am doin.’”
“That is rather comforting,” Xiphio chipped in, his gaze fixed on Lauren.
“Aye, they never told me nothin’ outright—that’d be too easy for ‘em. Instead, they threw it in me brain as a bit o’ a gift, I guess.” He paused in thought. “I might o’ preferred them to turn back the time or somethin’ more obvious, but a magic mind map is better than nought.”
“Do we know where this dying star is?” I asked, presuming that was what he meant when he said a star that was “on its way out.”
Bashrik nodded from the pilot’s chair. “We discovered what looks like a dying star not too far from here, a few days’ travel at most. Ronad was checking fairly recent news for any dislocated populations and came across several species that had been placed elsewhere due to unstable home worlds. A bit more investigation, and all the signs led to what we hope is a dying star.”
Stone patted Bashrik on the shoulder. “I still wouldn’t o’ needed a nav system, mind.”
“Of course you wouldn’t, Stone. You’ve got the sharpest navigational mind I’ve ever seen,” he replied effusively, staring at the hand on his shoulder as though it were the hand of a hero.
I looked to Navan, too anxious to be amused. “That all sounds great, but before we head for the Stargazers, we need to find somewhere that sells sweetblood.”
Stone frowned. “What de ye want that gunk fer? Rots yer gnashers.”
“Nova needs it,” I replied, feeling my nerves build.
Navan smiled at me, his expression reassuring. Holding my hand tight, he turned to the others. “I suppose we’ve got a lot of explaining to do. You should settle in, because this story is a long one.”
It looked like we’d come to the crossroads that I’d been putting off. The others needed to know what had happened—they needed to know about Nova, the growth serum, the space station, the immortality elixir, Mort, Lazar… all of it. I might not have been ready to talk about any of what had gone on, the pain and terror still too fresh, but looking into Navan’s eyes, I knew that was why he was here and that was why I loved him so much. Any weight I couldn’t hold, whether in my arms or my heart, he’d carry for me.
Chapter Seven
Over the course of the next few hours, Navan and I recounted what had happened since the moment we were taken by Aurelius.
I stayed quiet to begin with, only speaking up to fill in the sections Navan hadn’t been present for. But, as time wore on, I couldn’t help adding more and more, telling them all about Mort’s help, wanting to paint him in the light he deserved, and how we’d discovered that Nova was the key the rebels and the queens had been looking for all along—a true melding of two species—to complete their elixir.
Everyone looked horrified as we told them about the growth serum that had been pumped into my body every day, during the brief pregnancy, their horror
increasing as we explained Nova’s sweetblood addiction. Although, it was more than just an addiction; it was a necessity that would last her entire lifetime.
“It’s the only thing that nourishes her properly,” I said sadly. “I’ve been trying to nurse her, but it doesn’t seem to do much for her. It can fill a gap if she’s hungry, but if she doesn’t have sweetblood, it’s no good.”
“Makes sense now, ye needin’ us to swing by someplace to swipe some,” Stone replied. “Sorry to hear ye’ve gone through that with the wee’un. Ain’t right, ain’t natural. Those snakes ought to be held to ransom fer what they’ve done to ye.”
Lauren nodded. “I knew they were capable of terrible things, but synthetically forcing a child to grow like that? And planning to make you conceive a baby just for their nefarious purposes? I mean, I know you conceived naturally, but I would have thought that was a step too far, even for them.”
“That’s ‘cause yer too generous, Ren. Bad blokes like them’ll go to any ends to get what they’re wantin’, without givin’ a hoot about ethics. Right an’ wrong are all shades o’ gray to fellas like that—I should know. Afore ye, me own moral compass were similar. Anywho, what am sayin’ is, I’ve met enough of ‘em in me lifetime, and Ezra were always a particularly bad sort o’ chap. I sensed it the moment I met ‘im.” He paused. “Makes me a little shamed fer ever doin’ business with him in the first place. There are some folk even I won’t trade with, an’ baby exploiters is top o’ me list.”
“What happened to Mort?” Angie asked. “You said the two of you had formed a friendship in your time on the space station. You said he wanted to do whatever it took to help Nova get away from Ezra and Aurelius. If that’s true… where is he? Shouldn’t he be with you?” The note of hope in her voice made my heart clench.
“He was supposed to come with us,” I replied. “In fact, he engineered the whole plan. We pretended I was dead, and then he and Navan were wheeling me out of the space station, toward one of the escape pods… Everything was in place. And then Aurelius came along and blew our cover. We made a run for it, but we didn’t have time to key in all the overrides for the escape pod. While all of this was going on, Mort mentioned there was an immediate release lever. We didn’t realize then what he had in mind…”
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