by Bex McLynn
Gummy barked out a laugh as she shuffled back to the NavCom console. “Maude’s baby? This oughtta be good.”
Therion sighed and his chest ached. “I am a fucking arse, Gappa.”
Of course he was. He forswore his clutch oath—an oath that regular men and exulted thanes would have schemed, bribed, and coerced to have been able to have sworn.
“That you are, Therion.” He heard the disappointment in Dyr’s voice.
He heard the sympathy, too.
His grandparents had never married, it being far too politically disastrous to make an Athela exclusive. Vedma and Dyr had been nothing but clutch for decades. A clutch that Vedma expanded from time to time, and although it horrified Therion to contemplate his grandparents’ private affairs, he believed that Vedma never braced with another man. But that didn’t mean that his grandfather hadn’t gone through hell to keep himself by Gummy’s side.
Dyr studied him a moment and said, “But you’re also a Borac. What are you going to do, Therion?”
A Borac. But what did that mean? Dyr was the epitome of their house, yet Therion could never pin his grandfather down. He constantly adapted, changing into what the moment required—an Unsworn, a Thane, a Culler, a Hugger.
Did Gappa ever get discombobulated? Foreswearing when he meant to swear? Hugging when he meant to cull?
Gummy cackled from her seat at NavCom. “He’s gonna grovel, Dyr.”
His grandfather cocked a brow and nodded in agreement. “Perhaps, Sarda.”
Therion frowned. “I’m shit at groveling, Gappa.”
“You’re like me, Therion.” His grandfather shrugged. “Tall men lift up the ones we love.”
Therion limped through Prykimis’s cavernous hangar and away from the shuttle. He could feel his gappa’s stare on his back, urging him onward, while Gummy cackled like a mad bird. But it was her supportive cackle, so he squared his shoulders and continued to hobble toward the contingent that rushed to greet him.
Maude led the pack, but striding behind her came Zver, still in his armor.
Therion jabbed a finger at his brother. “Fuck off, Zver. I didn’t get to see your unmanning. You don’t get to see mine—oh shit!” He stumbled to the deck. By the time he righted himself and popped back up, Maude was at his side. “I’m good!”
“Therion!” Maude gasped and reached for him, tucking herself under his arm. “You’re hurt!”
“Nope. I’m fine.”
She stared at his leg. “You’re bleeding!”
He waved her off with one hand as he pulled her close with the other. “Just a scratch.”
“All down your leg?”
Truly, it was simply dried blood at this point. Kora had stopped the bleeding on the transport ride.
“Maude, if you send me off to Lekar now, it will be ages before we get to have ‘I’ve-been-such-an-arse’ sex. My cock can’t wait that long.” He gestured to Kora who had remained clamped around his leg. “See? I’ll be all better in no time.”
Maude fisted the collar of his spacewalk suit, giving it small tugs that drew his attention to her upturned face. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I thought I lost you.”
“Oh, Maude.” That look she gave him, it gave him hope. That she forgave him and still wanted him. He banded both arms around her. “Come here.”
He jolted when she whacked him in the chest as she railed. “Oh my god, I can’t take this kind of stress! I mean, are you always this reckless?”
He saw no reason to lie to her. They might as well move forward as they would inevitably carry on. “Sorta? Aye?”
She sagged against him, and his leg nearly buckled as he took on her weight. If it weren’t for Kora, they would be a crumpled tangle on the deck.
“Maude?” His heart kicked against his ribs. “Are you well? Is the baby well? Shit, maybe we should go see Lekar first.”
“Therion,” she said hesitantly.
He gazed down at her. “Aye, Maude?”
She flicked her eyes away, then back to him. “It was all a stunt, right? What you said? About not wanting to clutch?”
Shit. He’d caused this, her uncertainty.
Therion squeezed her, careful to not crush her in his arms. “Fuck, Maude. I want nothing more than to be yours.”
She flicked her eyes from him to the deck. “I’ve been thinking about my baby. Well, I’ve been thinking about how we’ve been thinking about my baby. Does that make sense?”
She’d stressed ‘we’ve’ but he couldn’t pinpoint her meaning. “No, Maude. But here’s the important part—”
“You’re not afraid to admit that,” she said with amusement.
“Sure as fuck never hesitate to point out when I haven’t a clue.”
Thank the gods she chuckled at that, because his entire body had started to thrum in wild anticipation. Something was about to happen. Something that had him wanting to gather her close yet bolt from the hangar.
She chuckled once more, then sobered. “What I mean is, we need to start thinking of the baby as our baby.”
He huffed out a laugh that pinched his chest. The woman in his arms completely dumbfounded him. “Maude, you’d honor me like that? Gods, you still choose me?”
“Therion, I choose you. You’re my home.” She took his hand and settled it on the slight swell of her belly. “You’re our home. You know I’m having a girl, aye?”
“Yes,” he responded in her language.
“She’s going to be your daughter.”
Ah fuck. His entire body sagged as his ragged exhale left him lightheaded and reeling. Though, it might have been blood loss fucking with him as well.
A da. Maude wanted him to be a da.
Therion cupped her face, determined to remember this moment always. The frigid hangar. His busted-up leg. His brother’s hardass stare. Hell, even Gummy’s mad cackles. He wanted it all seared into his memory as he recalled gazing upon Maude as she gave him everything—a home and family of his own.
“I am Teras.” He’d not intended it, but his voice deepened with his emotion. “I am House Borac. You and my daughter have me.”
He ducked his head and captured her lips. Her warmth poured into him, and he felt it colliding against the chills that clung to him from being in space and from his doubts rattling him. Hell, her drugging kiss even tugged at his lightheadedness, dragging him toward her instead of toward unconsciousness.
He gently broke the kiss. There was one last thing he had to do because he loved the fuck outta her.
Gazing at her and the stars shining around her, he slid his hands to her waist. Well, to her general waist area. “Maude, I need to grovel Borac-style.”
Maude’s sparkly brow wrinkled. “What? Therion, you’re slurring your words. I didn’t—”
He shifted his weight to his good leg and called out, “Gonna lift Maude up now, Gappa!”
“Ther—”
If there were other boisterous cheers as he held Maude high, he missed them. Except for Gummy’s shitty cackling—of-fucking-course he’d caught that. Any others melded into a single, celebratory hurrah because his fucking shredded leg had lost too much fucking blood, and he dropped to the deck as he’d hoisted Maude up.
Her elbow jabbed into his gut as he broke her fall. Well, thank fuck for that small favor.
When he gazed up at her to apologize, though, all he saw was lots of Zvers. Dozens of sparkling thanes shook their thanely glittering heads at him.
“Fucking Therion,” his many brothers growled softly.
Then all the twinkling stars, floating around all the scowling Zvers, burst at once. The bright flash of their explosion blinded Therion, plunging him into ‘oh-thank-fuck-finally’ darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Soft knocks on the hatch gave Maude a few seconds’ warning. The Teras, with the exception of Therion and Zver, all used their WristCunes to announce their presence outside of a private cabin. Since Therion would have either pounded on the hatch or barged ri
ght inside, the soft knock meant it could only be one person.
Maude opened the hatch. “Hello, Seph.”
Her cousin stood in the corridor with a sullen look on her face. A ripple of warmth coursed through Maude. Seph had aged a decade, yet much of her remained the same. Like this mood of hers. She was gearing up, readying to unleash her exasperation on someone.
“Hey.” Seph gestured past Maude. “Can I come in?”
“Sure. Come on in.”
Maude led the way to the two-seater couch. She sat, and although the furniture was built for the much larger Teras, which meant there was plenty of room, Seph didn’t sit next to her. Rather, she crossed her arms and glared down at Maude. “What are you doing, Maude? You can’t mess with him like that.”
Maude sighed, knowing this was coming. “I am not—”
“Therion’s bragging to everyone in sickbay that he’s going to be a father—a da—whatever.”
Maude knew this already. She’d stayed by Therion’s side in sickbay until he regained consciousness. The first thing he’d done was lay into his grandfather.
“What do you mean, put her on a medicot?” Therion had cried. “I’m on the damn medicot.”
His grandfather pinched the bridge of his nose. “I meant, put her on a medicot or table. Something that lifted her up.”
Therion had riled at him. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
Gummy had grumped and interjected. “So that you groveled like a proper arse and looked up at her.”
“Dammit, Gummy. You’re not helping.”
“You’re twice her size, Therry,” Gummy had shot back. “Getting on your knees puts you eye level. Don’t grovel at eye level, Therry. Gotta lift her up.”
Therion had gawked at his grandmother before shaking his head and turning to his grandfather. “What the hell, Gappa? I was supposed to get all that from fucking ‘lift up the ones we love?’”
His grandfather had shrugged. “We’re tall, Therion.”
“Well, fuck you very much, Gappa, for showing me exactly how not to talk to my daughter. When I impart my knowledge, I’m gonna use visuals and stage awesome demonstrations. It’s gonna be fucking amazing, and gods willing, you’ll still be alive to witness it.”
“Therion!” Maude had gasped.
He’d waved her off. “Ech. I got it all figured out, Maude. Rannik will vouch for me. Just ask him about the Lassie stall. That tyke is totally prepared for his first bracing. He knows what goes where and everything.” Then he’d pointed toward his fuming brother and a gaping Seph. “And you’re welcome, you two. I’m amazing.”
While Dyr and Lekar had held Zver back and Gummy had cackled as Seph had slapped at Therion, Maude sat there, her hands pressed to her mouth, laughing as she cried. She adored all of them. They were a family, and she wanted nothing more than for Therion to be the father of her baby.
“You should see him, Maude.” Seph’s stern expression shifted into pitying. “He’s smiling from ear to ear. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this. I mean, I’ve seen him smiling, but I’ve never seen him happy.”
Maude’s chest clenched to hear that about Therion. But she understood what Seph meant. His smiles were shields. Part of his mask.
“I don’t understand. You’ve never been mean before,” Seph said softly, yet disappointment colored her tone. She pointed a finger at Maude’s belly. “But he’s not going to be that baby’s father.”
During Maude’s entire time on Prykimis—almost a week now—she’d watched her cousin’s fierce fight to hold onto her hope. It was as admirable as it was tragic.
The tragedy had to end.
The irony of this moment didn’t escape Maude. She was about to do the kindest thing that she’d ever done in her life, and this love-filled act would both surpass and eclipse what she’d done for her sister. Maude had given Nicole hope, but for Seph, she had to take that hope away.
“There’s no going home, Seph. We were in stasis for centuries.”
Maude sat and waited.
She wouldn’t tell Seph that everything would be okay, because that was a lie. Instead, she would sit quietly while Seph had an epic wrestling match with her own demons. She fully expected her cousin to break, yet Maude had faith in Seph. In the end, Seph would pick up the broken pieces of herself, and Maude would be there, ready to carry whatever Seph couldn’t hold.
Seph breathed heavily through her nose and glared at her. Fine. Maude had expected this as well.
Then, Seph’s eyes opened wide as her face paled. She turned and made a mad dash to the cabin’s lav. On the other side of the lav’s panel door, Maude could hear Seph retching and sobbing and calling for her child.
The lav door was locked, and each time Maude tried to override it using her technopathy, the lock would re-engage. She suspected Prykimis was keeping Seph sheltered.
“It’s okay, Kimis.” Maude placed her palm on the panel door as she wiped at her own tears. “I just want to hold her.”
“[I ache,]” Prykimis shot through her technopathy.
Maude winced. Yes, she hadn’t been gentle, but she’d not been unkind. Seph needed to know.
A notification ping sounded within the cabin. Someone was requesting entrance.
Maude inhaled, read the AthID, and then stumbled over herself in relief as she hurried to the hatch.
She yanked the hatch open, waving urgently. “Come in. Come in.”
Zver smoothly side-stepped around her—which was impressive, considering his size—and strode into the cabin, heading straight to the lav. He didn’t spare Maude a glance or a word. The lav panel door slid open at his approach, then sealed closed after him.
Maude released a shaky sigh. “Well, then.”
A voice coming from behind her had her jolting in surprise.
“You thought that went well?” Therion said, astonished. Then he jabbed a finger at the lav. “That’s gonna stop us from having ‘look-my-leg’s-all-better’ sex for hours.”
She gazed up at him, happy and relieved to see him. “It’s all my fault.”
“Sure as fuck is. You sent me to Lekar right off.”
Maude chuckled as she wiped at her eyes. Ah, she needed that, and she suspected that he knew that as well. “I told Seph about the stasis-power cells. That we were in them for centuries. It’s my fault she’s crying.”
Therion tsked at her. “It ain’t your fault. It’s my brother’s. He should’ve told her days ago. But I suspect that he’d another plan in mind.”
“Another plan?”
“Yes,” Therion sighed as he entered, but left the hatch open behind him. He walked with a slight limp in his stride. “That either I’d tell her or that you’d tell her.”
“What?” Maude batted her attention between Therion and the lav door in confusion. “Why?”
Therion pulled her close. He lowered his head and whispered, “Watch. You’ll see.”
The lav door opened, and Zver emerged with Seph cradled in his arms. Her cousin clung to him as she nestled her red, puffy face into his uniform tunic.
Zver gave her and Therion a stiff head nod before striding out of the cabin, easily carrying Seph as she mumbled sorrowfully into his chest.
Bewildered, Maude looked to Therion for an explanation. Zver’s nod had a hint of gratitude, hadn’t it?
Therion canted his head toward the open hatch, indicating his brother. “He didn’t want to tell her because he wanted to be the one to comfort her.” He shrugged. “Always with the thaning with that one.”
“Oh.” But she really didn’t understand.
“Ech.” Therion limped to the hatch and closed it. “It’s my brother. He’s bound to fuck things up with Seph eventually. Either he’ll reform his thaning ways or happily live without his anthers. I’m sure Seph is vicious enough to oblige him. She’s got gumption.”
True. If the thane continued to treat his cousin like this all the time, well, Seph would tear off his balls—well, his anthers.
&nb
sp; “Now me,” he said as he hobbled back over and held her at arm’s length. “I’m the kinda grunt who’ll do anything to keep his anthers intact, even if it means doing something as horrible as always telling the truth.”
Good lord, she had missed him.
“I’m glad you’re home,” she said, smiling at him. “But I thought Lekar wanted to keep you another day.”
“Well, I—”
“Therion!” a Teras bellowed on the other side of the hatch. “Get the hell back to sickbay!”
Startled, Maude flicked her eyes to the hatch. “Who—”
“Lekar,” Therion said with a straight face.
“But you said—”
“Didn’t lie to you, Maude. I lied to Lekar. Told him I had to take a shit. Then I ran away.”
There was more pounding on the hatch and a muffled ‘Fucking Therion.’
“You ran away?” Maude asked.
“After I took the shit, of course. No way I was gonna raze our lav. Wouldn’t be good for you or our baby to breathe my toxic ass bombs. But here’s the important part, Maude.” Therion pulled her close again. “When I was done with that shit of mass destruction, I ran to you.”
“Ran?”
“Fine. I limped, but in a badass way.”
She settled her hands on his shoulders, stretching up and pressing herself against him. “To me?”
“Yes, always to you.” He dipped his head and captured her lips. “Well, that and to use the sani-stall. The stalls in sickbay have terrible pressure, and I need to power wash between my ass cheeks.”
Maude laughed as she tugged him down, sealing her lips to his.
She loved having him home.
Therion lay flat on his back as his chest heaved. Maude had stunned him stupid.
Gods, look at him! In a bunk! With a woman!
Well, actually. Look at him, on the deck, lying on the bunk’s mattress, with a woman. Maude had insisted that this mind-blowing position—a reverse cowgirl—needed more space.
Gods, he had no idea what a cowgirl was, but he’d bet his anthers that Maude was the most brilliant cowgirl of them all.