by Rena Marks
She paused a moment to look at Renegade, who’d been riffling through the notes, counting them up. He grinned at her.
“On behalf of Xenia, we’d like to thank you for funding project Jet Pack. Thanks to your generosity, several more of the experimental flight vests will be created for the Xeno Sapiens who had their wings clipped. Thank you to Reson for the testing of the original product, who isn’t here right now, but be sure to let him know of your gratitude.”
Blaze raised his hand. “I’d like to volunteer my time to show the new people how to fly.”
“Excellent! We’ll take you up on that offer,” Robyn said. “Now, in other news, Dr. Irina? You’re needed in medbay for an emergency scheduled surgery. It’s Covet.”
Irina gasped, scrambling off his lap.
“I’m coming, too,” Blaze muttered, before remembering Joseph and Marjorie. He turned helplessly. “He’s my best friend.”
“Go ahead,” Potierre said. “Go grab Reson and be there for him. We’ve got Joseph and Marjorie. We’ll show them around the city for you. Have some lunch. Probably introduce them to Nanna Elsa.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Marjorie said. “We’ll be fine with Vien and Potierre.” She patted their shoulders.
“Thanks,” Blaze said. “I’ll find you all later.”
He grabbed Irina by the waist and let his wings erupt, flying them through the skies in the direction of the medical wing.
RESON WAS ALREADY IN the waiting area outside surgery when Irina arrived with Blaze. She left the two men together while she raced in to scrub.
The full team was in surgery by the time she arrived. Sam, Eric, Amanda, and Robyn.
“A simple epidural took,” Amanda said as soon as she walked in. “An old-fashioned epidural stopped his labor pains.”
“It seems simple works best with Covet,” Irina agreed. She kneeled down to him. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now that I’m numb. Labor is excruciating.”
“Especially painful since you don’t know what your body wants to do. We don’t have information on your other DNA to know how your species procreated, but the human side says males don’t get pregnant, so I’m sure there’s all kinds of confusion going on. But you don’t need to worry. We’re going to take care of you, Covet.”
“Are you sure? You’ve never done this before.”
“I’m sure,” she said, stroking his forehead. “I’d never met a winged Xeno Sapien before Blaze, right? But I have dealt with pregnancies, and when it comes down to it, this is a pregnancy. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
“Okay, Irina. I trust you.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you. Now, let’s make you a daddy so the two uncles out there won’t wear out the carpet, shall we?”
“Yes. Let’s do this.”
She could tell he felt much calmer.
Dr. Sam handed her the scanner showing the measurements of Covet’s abdomen. The thickened panel of muscle was softening with labor.
She relaxed some, catching Sam’s eyes. He looked relieved also. That meant the baby could come from his belly. A back surgery would have been more uncomfortable as he’d have a hard time sitting or lying down while he healed.
“Looks like the labor contractions are releasing the rigidity of his abdomen panel,” she said. “I bet manual manipulation would speed it along.”
“Agreed.” Sam’s large hands began palpitating Covet’s abs. “Never thought I’d be doing this,” he joked with Covet.
“Just don’t go any further south, doc,” Covet mumbled, making them all smile.
Robyn went over to the window and opened the blinds, showing Blaze and Reson pressed against the glass. Covet waved at them, and they pressed their palms against the glass.
“He’s softened,” Sam announced.
“Laser.”
Eric handed her a wand. She zipped it quickly across his abs and separated the muscle. Inside, she found the infant within an amniotic sac, filled with clear liquid. The umbilical cord attached to the muscled wall.
“The increased thickness of the muscle acts as a placenta,” Irina said.
She lifted the baby from his body and Robyn placed a large basin on the bed. Irina placed the sac covered baby in the basin and snipped the bag, letting the liquid leak into the basin. She quickly clamped and cut the cord and Dr. Eric held out a warmed towel to wrap the baby in.
The baby girl kicked her scrawny legs, and bawled bloody murder. Dr. Eric dried her quickly and took her aside for a few scans and measurements then brought her up to Covet.
Irina focused on the inside of Covet’s body. His organs were still tightly wedged up inside his ribcage. It would be best to let his body recover naturally. Now that the baby was gone, things should settle back into place.
She hoped.
“Do you remove the wall of muscle that acts as a placenta?” Dr. Sam echoed the thoughts she had.
“In a human female, the placenta is a disposable organ. In his case, I think the wall of muscle doubles as the placenta. Therefore it should not be disposable.”
“I think you’re right. The wall looks healthy and isn’t bleeding. In fact, it looks like the umbilical cord is detaching from the inner wall.”
“You’re right.” She tugged slightly and the cord came free. “I’m going to cauterize that in case of hemorrhage.”
Sam lasered a small disk with the laser and handed it to her. She placed it over the area.
“No bleeding. I’m going to close him up.”
Amanda had been scanning his upper ribcage. “Organs have migrated a few millimeters. It’s a start back toward normal placement.”
“How much blood has he lost?”
“Seven hundred milligrams. We’re well within a healthy range.”
She closed the wall of muscle, which she could feel had softened even further by being extended during surgery. She used dissolvable stitches on the inside and a knitting laser on the outside of his belly.
“Good choice,” Dr. Sam said. “He’ll still be sexy after surgery.”
“You need a wife, doc.” Covet’s voice was still teasing even though he nestled his baby daughter against his chest.
The doctors snickered as Irina continued with the laser on his abs. When she was done, nothing but a red spot showed that marked his surgery scar, and that should fade within a few days.
She scrubbed the area with antiseptic and then lowered the drape over his body. “Congratulations on your baby girl,” she said. “Any names?”
“Not a clue. I never expected a baby, much less a girl one,” he said. The baby was curled comfortably against his naked chest, skin to skin. “She’s a cute little baby, isn’t she?”
“She is. She looks just like you.” Irina grinned. “We can call her Baby as long as you like. You know Blaze’s friends that are visiting today? The elderly couple that helped us get away from the conference? When we dropped onto their balcony, they were watching an old Earth movie called Dirty Dancing. The main female character was called Baby.”
Covet stared down at the dainty features of the tiny purple bundle. “I kind of like that.”
“I’ll mark her on the paperwork as Baby Covet Xeno Sapien. She should have her father’s name as her middle name so she always knows how remarkable it was that he bore her alone.”
Covet squirmed. “Thank you. I guess if she hates it when she becomes one of those snotty teens, she can change it herself.”
“Yes. If you want a teenage daughter with a stripper name. Chardonnay. Sinnamon. Luscious. Spanki with an I.”
He looked horrified. “Not my little girl. We’re not telling her she can change it after all.”
She laughed. “Can I show the guys Baby?”
“Please.”
She took the sleeping beauty and held her up to the window. A small crowd had gathered, faces pressed against the glass. Though soundproof, she could see several people clapping.
Eric raised the bed so Covet wasn’
t prone anymore. Irina lowered the baby back into his arms.
“How’s she gonna eat?” he asked, watching the tiny lips purse as if she suckled in her sleep.
“I’ve been talking to Heather,” Robyn said from behind Irina. “Even with twins, she has extra breast milk. And, of course, I still nurse Kaden. Between the two of us, we can supply you. And I’ve already started a search for someone willing to work here. In the meantime, you’re going to have lots of help. Hell, Blaze is your best friend. You know he was one of my best sitters? Beast and Sunny are experienced. Heather will help, along with Jett and Brax. Steele. Tempest. You are not alone.”
“What if I go through it again? What if we have no idea how to control me popping out kids left and right? I could overpopulate the city.”
Irina smiled. “Your body was craving pheromones, giving us signals. We just didn’t know how to read them. Maybe if you became interested in someone, you wouldn’t need the pheromones. And maybe if you start showing signs of needing them again, we can do something different. Oral hormones. We’ll figure it out.”
“I’m going to go pump out her first bottle,” Robyn said. “I’ll bring it in when I’m done. You can have a couple visitors whenever you wish,” she said. “But we should keep you in medical for monitoring a couple days.”
“Bring in my brothers.” Covet smiled broadly. “I’m sure they’ll want to bring gifts and see Baby.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Baby? Who does that? I can’t believe he named her Baby? She’s gonna have all kinds of males chasing her down, trying to be all protective with a heart-tugging, girly name like that,” Reson grumbled.
Even as he spoke, Irina saw his eyes glued across the room where Lorelei talked with another Xeno Sapien. The three of them, Reson, Irina, and Blaze stood in the main hub of the city. Even though it was the end of the day, there was a lot of action in the public areas, probably because of the undercurrent of excitement with Covet becoming a father.
“With those looks, she’s gonna have that anyway,” Blaze said. “She’s a little cutie with those sharp cheekbones and big purple eyes.”
“She sure looks like her daddy,” Irina agreed.
“Excuse me, guys,” Reson said. Without waiting for a response, he stalked toward Lorelei. Even from across the room, everyone could see her nervousness as he approached.
“It appears the name Lorelei is one of those heart-tugging girly names,” Irina said.
“Caught that, did you?” Blaze murmured.
“I don’t think he’s noticed how he acts around her,” Irina said. Then she yawned.
“You’re tired,” Blaze said.
“Exhausted. I was so nervous the entire surgery. I had no idea it would go so well.”
“You didn’t seem nervous.”
“I couldn’t. Covet needed to have complete faith in his doctor. It could have gone so much worse if he had been scared.”
“You worried that you would lose him like you did your other patient,” Blaze said. He was so intuitive.
“Yes.”
“That’s why you try to keep your emotions separate from your patients.”
“I guess it is.”
He tilted her face up to look at him. “You are not a lesser doctor for caring for your patients. That’s something the outside taught you, and when something accidentally went wrong, they used the situation to drive that point home. Ralph may have died whether you fell in love with him or not. For all we know, he might have been saved after the remission, and someone allowed this death to teach a new doctor a lesson.”
A sense of dread fell over her. It was something that someone could have been capable of. “I hope no one would have been that evil.”
“Humans do a lot worse to manipulate others.”
If anyone should know, a Xeno Sapien had first-hand knowledge.
“My point is, you are a magnificent doctor, and you have a heart of gold. You shouldn’t have to keep those separate.”
“You’re right. Amanda kept trying to tell me to throw the rulebook out. Things became so much better when I allowed my feelings for you to come through.”
“In that case, I’m going to ask again.” He tugged her toward him, an arm around her waist. “Dr. Irina Mescar, will you be my mate?”
“I will forever be your mate. I love you so much, Blaze.”
All the Xeno Sapiens present in the main hub began to cheer and whistle. The light was blacked out as Blaze released his wings and wrapped them around to cocoon her.
Eventually the cheering stopped as she focused on his kisses.
“I gave up my quarters to Lorelei,” he whispered.
“So final,” she whispered back, teasing him. “Were you that sure I’d say yes?”
“I knew you couldn’t hold off forever.”
“You were so right. There was no way I could fight my feelings for you forever.”
Slowly his wings retracted and he stooped to lift her in his arms. She wasn’t even aware of anyone else as he carried her to their apartment.
He took her straight into their bedroom and carefully laid her on the bed. He stood over her, looking down.
“I love looking at you.”
“I love it more when you touch me. I’ve been wet for you all day.”
“How wet?”
“I’m soaked. You could plunge into me right here, right now and sink in like quicksand.”
He crawled up on the bed alongside her, sliding his hands under her knees. He lifted her legs up, and then yanked her closer. Something hard and thick pressed against her swollen, eager pussy and she realized it was his cock, already bursting through the seams.
He leaned forward, coming down on her, and released her legs. “Wrap around me.” His voice was deep, huskier than usual.
His mouth came down on hers. He reached into the small space between their chests and ripped upward from the hemline of her medical suit. She could feel the fabric release as it tore all the way to her neckline. Material ripped as her breasts freed. He cupped one of her breasts, his thumb running across the nipple.
She lifted his shirt, her fingers feeling clumsy. She was frantic to get it off him, to feel her breasts pressed against his chest skin to skin. He let go of her breast and helped her lift the shirt over his head and she wound her arms around his neck. He stretched out on top of her until his upper body pinned hers. He reached down, unsnapping his pants and pushing them over his hips. A bit more scrambling had him kicking off his shoes.
She let him push the stretchy fabric of her medical suit down over her hips, taking her panties with it. His thumb brushed against the bare skin of her hip. Then he hooked one of her legs and pulled it up to the side of his hip. She shivered at the contact of his hip with the soft skin of her inner thigh and wrapped both legs around him.
He lifted himself, pressed his hips forward, and then she felt his cock nudge against her pussy. The first contact felt electrical. She pulled his head down to lock his mouth against hers.
His tongue felt needy as it danced against hers. His lips desperately roved over hers. He broke the kiss to look down at her.
His pupils were dilated. There were streaks of lighter gold in the irises. His brown eyes seemed to lighten whenever he became aroused. He was such a beautiful man.
“You’re mine, Irina. Forever.”
“Forever,” she agreed. “You’re moved in. You’re my life, my mate, my love.”
She relaxed, letting her hands touch his back where they were wound around his neck, feeling the small roving lumps of his wings. His skin was firm and hot. She loved the feel of it under her fingertips and palm.
“Free them,” she demanded.
Just like that, his wings burst from his body, sweeping over them both. Making him look like more of a forbidden angel than ever.
But now, these forbidden touches shared with him belonged to her.
He nudged her pussy with his cock and slowly pushed forward. Her labia parted easily, slic
k with her moisture.
She stared into his eyes, knowing hers softened with excitement at the feel of their bodies merging.
Her body opened eagerly, and the large head of his cock entered her. A low rumble of a growl came from Blaze, his chest vibrating against her breasts that were smashed between them. He pushed in more, deeper, angling his hips forward to reach as far as he could go.
It was magnificent.
Irina gripped his back, tightening her legs around his waist. She could feel herself stretching around the girth of his cock. It never felt so sexy, so right.
He pulled back, the friction against her walls making her moan.
He was rock hard as he pushed into her deeper. He froze there, withdrew a little, and pushed back in. Another moan broke from her at the sensation of the beginning rhythm.
He took her mouth, kissing her as he began to slowly fuck her in deep, long strokes. She thrust against his tongue as he picked up the pace. He ground the top of his cock against her clit with each thrust of his hips.
His rhythm grew stronger and faster.
Irina tore her mouth from his, panting. Her pussy clamped tight around his shaft. She was ready to come. She thrashed under him, trying to stave it off, but then gave into her body’s demands.
Her inner walls clenched as she came, explosions shooting through her body as her sheath milked his cock in rolling waves of pleasure.
A roar tore from him as his seed shot through his shaft and deep inside her pussy. It was a flood of hot, wet warmth as every drop surged forward as his climax followed hers.
His body had gone lax, and he braced his arms, making certain to not crush Irina under him. Their chests were still pressed together, and both were breathing hard. He smiled, studying her face. She looked into his beautiful eyes.
“I’m so glad you’re mine.”
“I’m so glad you stopped fighting it. We’re perfect together, Irina.”