by Tana Stone
Kyrana swiveled her head to look at the ship again. “And they are still inside?”
“As far as we know.” Bexli glanced down at Rynn. “He was the last person to see them.”
“When I snuck out, they were still being held in the cabins on board,” Rynn said.
“You snuck out?” Kyrana asked, bending down to his level. “That was very brave of you.”
Rynn couldn’t hide his grin. “Tori asked me to find her friends who hadn’t been taken so they could help with the plan to take back the ship.”
“There is a plan to rescue the prisoners and take the ship?” The Dothvek straightened, twisting around to lock eyes with the priestess. “Is this the battle you foretold?”
“I believe it is.”
“Wait,” Bexli said, causing both females to look at her. “You predicted a battle?”
The priestess gave a single, curt nod. “One that would change not only the course of our clan, but could alter the history of our planet. One that has the power to heal a rift, or create an insurmountable chasm.”
Well, that didn’t sound ominous at all.
“What is your plan?” K’alvek’s mother asked.
Bexli glanced down at Rynn and shifted the still sleeping Pog on her hip. “We intend to crawl back in the exhaust vents on the ship, release the Dothveks and bounty hunters being held captive, and eliminate the Cresteks.”
One of the warriors next to Kyrana laughed. “The two of you?”
Bexli shot him a look, irked that she couldn’t shift into a Parithian gator and show him exactly what she thought of his comment.
“There were more of us, but Bexli got into a fight with the old guy about their baby,” Rynn said. “So, we left.”
Bexli’s face heated as she shot daggers at the boy with her eyes.
“Baby?” Kyrana’s slashed brows formed a V as she pressed them together. “With Tommel?”
Bexli wanted to kill Rynn. The last thing she wanted was to discuss her personal life with a bunch of strangers. “It’s nothing.”
The Dothvek’s lips became a white line. “A baby would not be nothing to Tommel. Not after losing one.”
Bexli stared at her. “Did you say Tommel lost a baby?”
Kyrana hesitated, as if deciding what to reveal or not. Finally, she exhaled. “Many years ago. When his mate died from the sickness that claimed so many of our females. The loss almost destroyed him.”
Well, that explained why he’d been so paranoid about her getting hurt. Bexli closed her eyes. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have been so awful to him. She shook her head and opened her eyes. She couldn’t think about that now. “Regardless, I need to get my friends out.”
K’alvek’s mother studied her for a moment before speaking. “I do not doubt either of your abilities. But will you not let us help you? They are holding my son and clansmen, as well.”
Bexli looked at the group of huge Dothveks with their blades drawn. She wouldn’t mind a little barbarian backup, especially since she’d ditched Tommel and Rukken.
Rynn nudged her. “When I get the ramp opened from the inside, these guys can be waiting to run on board.”
Low rumbling of approval passed through the Dothveks. K’alvek’s mother smiled at Rynn. “I think my warriors approve of your plan.” She raised her eyes to Bexli. “And you?”
Bexli nodded to the fierce Dothvek female, sensing her hunger for battle. “Let’s do it.”
Twenty-Seven
Tommel pounded down the tight path, Rukken and Caro’s footsteps close behind him. Pebbles skittered down the sheer sides as he passed, and his heavy breathing echoed off the high rock face.
He’d been so stupid. How had it taken him so long to realize what he felt for Bexli? Why had it taken Caro telling him that he shouldn’t be with her to make him see that he loved Bexli and couldn’t bear to lose her or the baby?
Because he was an old fool, he thought. A fool who had been too busy building walls around his heart to realize that he was protecting nothing but emptiness. He growled and ran faster, his feet slapping against the hard rock that was becoming sandy beneath his toes.
When they emerged from the mountains, Tommel did not slow. He spotted the gray outline of the massive ship against the Crestek city walls, and his stomach churned. If Bexli had been captured by the Cresteks, he would kill every single one of them to get her back.
He scanned the open land dotted with scraggly bushes, the occasional spindly tree, and jagged rocks. His heart sank. No flash of her lavender hair, or of Pog’s vivid-green fur. He’d always thought the little animal to be strange, but he would have given anything for a glimpse of him now.
“We should stop,” Rukken called out from behind.
Tommel jerked his head up—the Dothvek gesture for no. “Not when we are so close.”
“We cannot run up to the ship. It is guarded by Cresteks with blasters.”
Those words made Tommel slow. Rukken was right. It would not do Bexli or his baby any good if he was killed by their enemy. He spun on his heel, stopping so quickly Rukken and Caro almost ran into him. “What do you suggest?”
“Do you forget that I spent many solar rotations moving unnoticed on the sands?” Rukken clapped a hand to his shoulder.
Tommel eyed him. The former exile was right. If anyone knew how to be stealthy, it would be him. “You suggest we sneak up?”
“It will allow us to see what we are dealing with.” Rukken scratched his hand over his short beard. “And to look for Bexli.”
“If I know Bex,” Caro said, “and I do, she’s going to try to sneak on board.”
Tommel frowned. “But she cannot shift. Sneaking on board only worked when she could shift into something small.”
Caro twitched one shoulder. “She’s still pretty small. If she’s with Rynn and Pog, I’ll bet my ass that’s what they’re doing.”
Tommel dragged a hand across his forehead, closing his eyes. “She could get caught.”
“Bex is used to dangerous situations,” Caro said. “She can take care of herself.”
“She has never been pregnant before,” he snapped. “She is used to shifting to get out of danger. She can no longer do that.”
Caro nibbled her bottom lip. “Yeah, I don’t know what to tell you. She’s also pretty pig-headed.”
He exchanged a confused look with Rukken. Some of the female’s words made no sense, even though he wore a device in his ear to translate them. “She has the head of a fat animal?”
Caro grinned. “Sometimes.”
Tommel swiveled back around and took long strides toward the ship. “We are still far enough away that they cannot see us.”
Rukken and Caro hurried to catch up to him, and the three walked briskly across the barren landscape that was so different from the warm, rolling sands, or even the imposing rocks. He saw where trees had been ripped from the ground by their roots, and knew the Cresteks had taken them for their use. What had once been a thick forest when he was a boy, was now dry, patchy land.
Thinking about the Cresteks, and how they took everything, he clenched his fists. They would not take Bexli or his baby.
As they rounded a series of large boulders, Tommel caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. At first, his heart fluttered as he thought it might be Bexli. Then it raced when he realized it was more than one person, and he pivoted quickly with his blade drawn. Then it almost stopped when he saw the female’s robes billowing around her in a gust of wind.
“Kyrana?”
The female nodded at him, as if it was the most normal thing in the world that they would be meeting near the Crestek city. “Tommel.”
“What are you…?” he spluttered, looking from her to the priestess by her side, and the small cluster of warriors gathered behind them.
“When Zatvar did not return, we suspected something had happened.”
Tommel looked down. “Zatvar. I am sorry to say—“
“I know he is dead,
” Kyrana said, “And, like me, you are not sorry.”
He inclined his head at her. “You know?” His gaze slid to the priestess. “A vision?”
“No.” The regal Dothvek smiled warmly, a smile he had not seen from her since her first husband—his childhood friend—had died. “The mother of your child told me.”
“Bexli?” He glanced around desperately. “You spoke to her? Where is she?”
“She is on board the ship. The rest of our warriors wait hidden outside the vessel to rush on as soon as the young one opens the ramp.”
Tommel squeezed his eyes shut. He was too late to stop her.
Kyrana’s hand on his arm made him open his eyes. Her intense gaze searched his face. “You did not tell her about your loss.”
He stiffened. “It does not matter.”
One slash of a brow lifted. “How could it not matter? The grief has defined you.”
“I no longer grieve.” As he said the words, he felt a lightness fill his body. It was true. He did not grieve for what he had lost. He felt only love for the mate and child who had gone on before him, and a newer, urgent love for the baby he would have with Bexli.
Warmth from Kyrana’s hand spread up his arm. “I see that is true. I am glad.” Her lips quivered. “Your new mate is quite unique and very determined.”
“That’s Bex,” Caro said from where she and Rukken stood behind him. He had almost forgotten they were there.
Kyrana shifted her attention to the human. “You are the female who was taken by the exile.” Her gaze cut to Rukken. “And you are the exile who took her.”
Rukken bowed his head under the Dothvek female’s penetrating stare. “I was wrong, and I am still working on redeeming myself in my mate’s eyes.”
Kyrana winked at Caro. “You are right to make him work.” She looked back at Rukken. “But I understand you did not deserve your exile.”
“I did not commit murder.”
“Zatvar did.” Kyrana betrayed no emotion with her voice. “Twice.”
Rukken met her eyes. “He deserved his death.”
“Yes, he did, warrior.” She cleared her throat and turned back to Tommel. “Your mate is about to set in motion a battle that will determine our planet’s fate.”
“She is not my mate,” Tommel admitted.
“Not yet,” Kyrana told him, motioning toward the ship with a jerk of her head. “I believe you should remedy that.”
Twenty-Eight
Bexli stopped crawling long enough to snake one hand up and wipe at her sweaty brow. It hadn’t occurred to her how stifling it would be within the inner workings of the ship. She also hadn’t anticipated how narrow the exhaust shaft would be, her shoulders almost touching both sides. But she would not admit that her joining Rynn had been a bad idea, even as another wave of dizziness made her close her eyes. At least if she fainted, she wouldn’t fall far. Only mere centimeters.
Rynn twisted his head around in the cramped space to peer at her through the dimness. “We’re almost there.”
“Good.” She blew out a breath. “I’m afraid I’m going to get stuck if this gets any smaller.”
The metal shaft had grown narrower since they’d snuck in at the back of the ship. It didn’t affect Rynn since he was so small and wiry—or Pog, who was scampering along between her and the boy—but she knew one more tapering of the shaft and she’d have to back her way out. Not an appealing thought.
Another problem with the slow and arduous trek through the bowels of the spaceship had been that she and Rynn had been, for the most part, silent. They didn’t want to make noise in case the Cresteks heard them, and it took too much energy shimmying on her elbows to carry on a conversation. Unfortunately, that meant she’d had plenty of time to think.
She could not get what K’alvek’s mother had told her about Tommel out of her brain. He’d already lost a mate and a baby. No wonder he’d gone all caveman daddy on her. He was probably petrified of the same thing happening again, and she hadn’t done anything to allay his fears.
In fact, she’d stoked them by refusing to act like anything had changed, or that being pregnant meant being more careful. Of course, if she were being careful, she wouldn’t be inching her way through an exhaust shaft. Tommel would have a fit when he found out.
He’d be right, she thought, huffing out another steamy breath. It was stupid for her to be doing this. She might be Lycithian, but that didn’t mean she was indestructible. She already felt different, and as much as she hated to admit it, she could not run around like nothing had changed.
But Tommel couldn’t act like everything had changed, either. She was still a member of a bounty-hunter crew, and she still had every intention of keeping her job. And she had no plans to put her life on hold to be a mother. Plenty of moms worked, and she’d have to figure out how to do that, too.
It was strange to think about being a mother. It wasn’t something she’d ever envisioned for herself, and she’d never thought of herself as particularly maternal. Her thoughts drifted to Tommel. It wasn’t hard to think of him as a father. He seemed to have the overprotective thing down pat already.
She didn’t blame him for being overprotective anymore. Not now that she knew. That didn’t make it any easier to stomach, especially since he couldn’t give her anything but that. Well, he had given her some pretty incredible orgasms. She wouldn’t mind a few more of those.
She shook her head. Nope. They’d agreed that was a bad idea. It did nothing but muddy the waters, and their waters were already pretty muddy. Too bad, because she suspected she wasn’t going to be getting less horny as her pregnancy progressed.
If her pregnancy progressed, she thought, feeling a sharp twinge in her belly. Bexli tried to keep herself from panicking, but she knew she needed to get out of the cramped shaft soon. She was having a hard time taking a full breath, and she was so thirsty she could barely swallow.
“You’re fine,” she whispered. “Everything is going to be fine.”
She had gone on plenty of dangerous missions and risked her life more times than she could count, but this was the first time she felt a flicker of fear for herself. Well, not for herself. For the baby. Which was ridiculous, because it couldn’t be bigger than a pebble. It probably didn’t even look like a baby yet. The thought of what her baby looked like made tears burn the backs of her eyes.
Get a grip, Bex. You don’t cry. And certainly not over a baby you’ve never laid eyes on.
But the tears wouldn’t go away, and she blinked rapidly. It wasn’t only the baby. It was Tommel. If something happened, and she lost the baby because she’d insisted on pushing herself too hard, she didn’t know if she could handle how devastated he would be. She did not want to be responsible for causing him any more pain.
“You okay?” Rynn asked.
“Fine,” she lied, sniffling loudly and making him look back. Pog had also turned and licked her face with his rough tongue. “Ugh, Pog. Did you have to do that? Now my face is all sticky.”
Rynn laughed. “Just a little farther, and we’ll be where they’re keeping Tori and the rest of the girls.”
Bexli gave herself a mental shake when she heard Rynn say Tori’s name. She was doing this for her friends, and she’d come this far, so she might as well see it through. There wasn’t really an alternative, if she was being honest.
The thought of seeing Tori and Danica and Holly—and even their former bounty, Max—made her wiggle faster behind Rynn. If everything went according to plan, they would be freeing her crew and their Dothvek mates and taking back the ship. After that, it was only a matter of time before they returned to space and hunting bounties.
For a moment, she thought about living in a ship with her friends again and she smiled. Then she remembered that she’d be doing it while pregnant and without her baby’s father. She pushed that thought aside. She couldn’t think about any of that. Not until everyone was safe, and they’d kicked some serious Crestek ass.
She hear
d Rynn sliding something metal across the shaft, and then he’d dropped out of sight. A moment later, Pog disappeared, as well. She scooted forward and saw a gaping hole that looked down into one of the ship’s cabins. Poking her head down, she saw all her friends staring up at her, along with Rynn. Pog ran in circles on the bed, sniffling all the women in turn.
“Bex!” Holly beamed up at her.
“Here.” Bexli held out her arms. “Help me out.”
“Why didn’t you shift?” Tori asked, she and Danica standing on the bed and pulling her by the arms.
When Bexli landed on the bed, she sat up and sighed. “I can’t.”
A chorus of surprised and concerned gasps filled the cabin. Tori narrowed her eyes and peered at her suspiciously. “And why not?”
“Um…I’m kind of pregnant.”
Twenty-Nine
“I’m sorry.” Danica shook her head as if she was trying to dislodge something. “Did you say kind of pregnant?”
“I hate to go all scientist on you,” Max said. “But pregnancy is an absolute. Either you are or you aren’t.”
Bexli looked from one startled face to the other. “Okay. I am.”
Tori waved her hands in front of her face. “Wait a second. I don’t understand. How did this happen?”
Bexli tilted her head at the Zevrian.
“Never mind.” Tori held out her palms as if bracing herself. “I do not need details about how it happened.”
Holly winked at her. “Well, I do, girl. But first, who’s the lucky baby daddy? Don’t tell me it’s one of those two hot-as-fuck twins who were hitting on you.” Her mouth dropped open. “Don’t tell me it’s both of them.”
Danica scowled at Holly. “It’s not two guys.” She looked at Bexli. “Is it, Bex?”
“Of course not.” Bexli slipped off the bed. “It’s actually Tommel.”
Danica let out a small whoop. “I knew it.”
“The brooding silver fox?” Holly dropped her voice. “Yum.”
Tori let out an impatient sigh. “Why are we talking about how she got knocked up? I want to know how she knows. It couldn’t have happened more than a day or two ago, right? Or were you banging Tommel this whole time and keeping it so quiet none of us figured it out?”
