The Melier: Prodigal Son
Page 37
“Only ten weeks?” Dania snapped back to the calculations. “How long have I been out?”
“No, no,” Dr. Trex nervously chuckled. “Melier gestation is much shorter than that of a human. With how closely related Draekiin are, their gestation is approximately on par with their Melier cousins, which is sixteen weeks.”
“Sixteen weeks?” she gaped. No wonder she’d swollen up so quickly.
“Yes, so you see, it’s very good timing you arrived when you did. A human body is barely capable of housing one Melier or Draekiin fetus.” Trex tugged at his collar, gray brows crinkling. “Multiples can be lethal to the human female.”
Jruviin and Val’Koy shifted, their tension racketing up her nerves.
Dania swallowed sour saliva. “Is that what happened?”
“At the speed of growth, and the number of fetuses you carried, the strain caused a uterine rupture at the end. The internal hemorrhaging was nearly disastrous.”
Her skin broke out in a cold sweat. So much of what happened while on Piktiin’s ship had become a blurred, disoriented nightmare. She couldn’t recall specific passages of time or points of agonizing pain—just one long stretch of confusion.
Now she was glad she couldn’t remember it well. Her middle had a phantom twinge just thinking about it.
“Will I be able to have younglings in the future?”
“Fortunately, yes!” Dr. Trex brightened considerably and it helped push away the dark atmosphere threatening to suffocate her and her mates. “After some time, granted, but Medic Tuzon and I are confident the nano tech will be able to slowly correct the damage. Though any future pregnancies will have to be... planned.”
For some reason that made Dania chuckle and Dr. Trex was once more back to looking uncomfortable. “Planned?”
“Yes, well, you see—” he stammered, and she grinned, “it’s highly unusual for Melier or Draekiin to implant—” he coughed, “more than one egg at a time. The fertility pheromones that call to them are eliminated once a single egg has taken root. It morphs into, what the Melier call, coo’va. Which is an evolved survival pheromone to keep the fathers closer to the breeding female for protection during a vulnerable time.”
“Okay?”
“Not only did one egg take root, but—” he held up his glass tablet and tapped it, “according to our scans, two eggs from two donors implanted before your fertility pheromones diminished.”
“So what, I’m some kind of fertile myrtle?”
Dr. Trex chuckled before composing himself back into professional mode. “We’re still examining the cause.”
“Should I be worried?” Dania scrubbed her face. She didn’t need more on her plate.
“Nothing to worry about, no, no,” he reassured. “Simply another fascinating medical anomaly to explore.”
Dania was glad someone was having nerdy fun around here.
Commotion from the other side of the room pulled their attention.
“If you don’t stop running around like a headless chicken, you won’t get dessert tonight!” a woman called—after apologizing to an aide who nearly got mowed down—when the little Melier girl bounded toward them.
“Uncle Val’Koy! Uncle Val’Koy!” she squealed, jumping. Just in time, Val turned, catching the little thing with all four of his hands. He made a playful roaring sound that simultaneously softened Dania’s heart and made it race.
“You should listen to your mother,” he told the girl, her wild and curly black mane snaking down her back and over her shoulders. “Some people in this palace fear her, you know.”
“I heard that,” said the woman. The very human woman. Dania’s jaw slackened.
The human woman crossed the room, her gait full of confidence. Bared shoulders back, her coiling mahogany tresses hiked high with gemstone pins to keep it from her face, but let the loose curls hang and move freely down her spine.
Skin the color of dark topaz contrasted starkly with the billowing red robes she wore that flowed out behind her with each stride.
“Shhh,” the girl hushed Val’Koy when he gave her a green candy that she popped into her mouth. Her eyes grew saucer-like as she giggled when her mother neared.
“Lucia.” Val’Koy nodded in greeting.
“Spoiling my brat, I see.”
“One cannot spoil a brat if she is already a brat.”
Lucia huffed. “Thank your brothers for that.” Val’Koy chuckled. “Jruviin, nice to see you.”
“The sentiment is returned. Having a good day?” Jruviin’s gentle tone let Dania know they’d already been introduced and the Draekiin felt friendly toward Lucia.
How long had it been since she’d seen another human woman? Dania’s eyes prickled with emotion, the thought of Rita, her best friend, resurfacing. It’d been too painful to think about her only friend in weeks’ past. Not when Dania thought she’d never see Rita again.
“The world hasn’t ended, so yes, it’s pretty good so far.”
Lucia looked back and forth between Dania and Val’Koy, but he was too distracted with the youngling and an introduction didn’t come. The woman groaned and pushed forward, extending a hand.
“Since this rude ass isn’t paying attention... Hi, I’m Lucia, and that’s my spoiled spawn, Lenny.”
Dania cracked a smile as she took Lucia’s hand for a shake. “I’m Dania. Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure’s all mine. And can I just say it is so nice to see another human around here?”
Dr. Trex cleared his throat.
“Sorry doc, you know what I mean.” Lucia winked. “And,” she continued, turning to the incubator and cooing, “I’m going to be an auntie!”
“You already are,” another voice said as more people entered the room. Dania felt so small compared to the Melier making their way over. Five of them, flanked by a few guards.
Suddenly, she felt like the poor pauper surrounded by royalty. These were Val’Koy’s parents, right? The male and female bedecked in expensive looking, colorful robes, glittering jewels and webbed gold had to be royalty.
“Queen Gi’Moy,” an aide bowed nearby, confirming her suspicions. “King Val’Qa.”
Well, shit.
Dressed in a med-gown and sitting in a hoverchair with unbrushed hair and covered in wolvenk fur wasn’t exactly how she expected to meet her mate’s family, but when did anything ever go as planned these days?
Actually, she’d have to have a plan first, which she didn’t. Lately, she was just along for the ride.
She involuntarily gulped when her eyes laid on the male at the back. His huge frame was almost twice the width of Val’Koy and his exposed biceps were toned with thick cords of muscle. The puckered scar on his face made him look terrifying.
Dania might piss her pants if she accidentally ran into him in a shady part of town.
“You know what I mean, Soren,” Lucia mumbled and fanned her hand behind her dismissively at the one who’d spoken. Dania’s attention reverted. “I barely get to see my nephew these days. But now I’ll have four little nieces and nephews to spoil!”
Dania’s nerves calmed a little more when River took up beside her. She absently stroked his fur.
More girlish chatter filled the air as another little Melier darted out from behind the man Lucia called Soren.
“Jacinna,” Lucia warned, as if she had eyes in the back of her head. “No running!” In a mumble only Dania could hear, “The med staff probably hate it when we come visit.”
She chuckled, warmed by the knowledge these people she’d never met, who Val’Koy called family, had come to visit their younglings. More than once, if River’s lack of a reaction was any indication. His trust of the newcomers bolstered her.
Jacinna slowed into a fast walk as the little thing, shorter than Lenny, beelined for River. Curious confusion sprang forth as Dania watched the girl bury her hands and face against the enormous wolvenk parked at her side.
“You two know each other?” she pushed into his min
d, not wanting to offend by voicing her bewilderment. River barely tolerated being touched by her mates, yet he’d let this little girl lean into him.
He chuffed. That was a yes. “Smells good.”
Jacinna scratched into River’s thick fur with her tiny little claws, and River all but drooled and thumped his leg.
Dania bit her lips to hide her smile, but her eyelids drooped lazily when she felt Jruviin’s textured palm rest on the back of her neck. His curled talons caressed her throat and she leaned into his comforting touch.
“Dania,” Val’Koy softly called, and she realized she’d been staring at the curious Jacinna as they both stroked the wolvenk. The family stood around them, and that’s when she knew it was time to officially meet the parents.
“Hi.”
FIFTY-FOUR
DANIA
“Dania? Frank! Rita! Get in here!”
“It’s me, Mom. Rita’s there?” Dania smiled so wide it hurt, and tears stung her eyes when her dad popped into the vid. “Hey Dad.”
“Thank the stars you’re alright!” he praised.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Rita exclaimed, her hands shooting into the air from behind her parents, who didn’t even flinch. They’d worked in so many odd places over the years, alongside aliens with colorful vocabularies that Rita’s probably seemed amateur.
“It’s a long, long story.”
“We’ve got time.” Frank eyeballed her through the comm, his dark hair peppered with more gray than she remembered.
Dania dove in, figuring the best place to start was the beginning, and by the time she was done, her eyelids were twitching—Rita asked a million questions.
“We’ll get the next shuttle there, Danny,” her mom said, using the nickname Dania hadn’t heard in so, so long.
“I’ll see you guys soon. And Rita?”
“Yeah?”
“Bring Skittles. A shit ton of replicated Skittles.”
****
“Whoa, dude check out the new digs,” Zed blurted, intruding. “I’m hijacking your optical nanos right now, and I wouldn’t even feel ashamed if I were capable of experiencing biological emotion.”
“Dammit Zed! Scared the shit out of me.” Dania exhaled, holding a hand to her chest as if that could stop her erratic heartbeat. “It isn’t mine, but yeah... whoa.”
“You’re boning the prince of this palace—”
“Okay, rude.”
“Technically, it’s yours too. Or it will be.”
Zed had a way with words. She kept forgetting her mental note to have him removed from her translation implant so she could have her head back to herself.
Well, as much to herself as she’d get with River still lurking around in there. Where was that beast, anyway?
She turned a corner, trying to find her way back to the med bay to see her younglings. She had left the recovery bed behind and couldn’t stay any longer. Her bones and muscles felt petrified. She was still in pajamas, but at least they were better than a stupid med-gown. Her ass was covered.
“I’ll bite,” she finally grumbled. “What do you mean?”
“Is my bodacious captain giving me an order?”
Dania rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. “Spit it out.”
“Val’Koy talked to the queen and he’s going to ask you to mark him.”
“Define mark.”
“Stab him with your claws.”
Her eyes widened and she held up her hands in front of her. “I don’t have claws.”
“Use a knife?”
“That’s called murder, Zed. When did you get so dark?”
“Mwahahaha—”
“Do you normally talk to yourself when you think no one’s around?” Dania jumped and whirled to find Lucia standing there, grinning. “Because if you do, I totally get it. I talk to myself all the time.”
She slowly smiled. “Err, not to myself. To the A.I. stuck in my head.” And she cringed, realizing how nutty that sounded.
Lucia nodded like that was normal, her dangly earrings bobbing. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve had my share of crazy.”
“No really, I wasn’t talking to myself.” She nervously laughed, unsure if Lucia were teasing. “Zed, the ship A.I. got downloaded into my translator. I kind of owe him my life, actually.”
“D’aww, Captain.”
Dania tried hard not to groan.
Lucia’s eyes lit. “I believe you. Once upon a time, a ship A.I. named Wade saved my ass.”
“Really?”
She nodded and linked arms with her. “It was when I met Soren. I’ll tell you about it sometime.” Dania’d heard a little about Lucia’s rescue, but she’d never heard how the two met in the first place. “Who are we murdering today?”
“EVERYBODY!” Zed shouted evilly.
“Crazy,” she muttered. “Actually, that was about something Zed eavesdropped. What’s marking?”
“Val’Koy wants you to mark him?” She grinned. “My, how times have changed!”
“Is it something weird? Because I’m okay with weird.” It really couldn’t get much stranger, right?
Lucia’s brows waggled. “Walk with me and let me spin you a tale. Ever heard the story of the prodigal son?"
“I’m familiar with it.” Dania’d never been overly religious, but the term had transcended centuries since the times of Earth.
"That was basically Val’Koy. A nine-to-five, everyday kind of version. Every sunrise was a new chance to squander credits and indulge his selfish pleasures."
Somehow that didn’t surprise Dania. When they'd first met, Val was rude, demanding, and frivolous with money. Her mattress could attest to that. Not that she didn’t enjoy it while it lasted.
"And at the end of the day,” Lucia swatted her fingers through the air, “Gi’Moy would forgive it all. Trust me, my mates wouldn’t shut up about it. Each of them thinks the other is the favorite, though Gi’Moy has never confirmed or denied. I have a theory." Lucia winked. "I don't think she has a favorite. She just lets them believe she does, so they all try to sabotage each other in order to get in her good graces again. It's brilliant really, that crafty bird."
Dania found she had new admiration for Gi’Moy. Anyone who could keep those four boys out of trouble...
"Anyway,” Lucia flashed a smile. “What I'm trying to say is... Val’Koy seems different now. Better. He's all grown up."
Dania smiled too but canted her head. “He still has his moments...”
“I don’t doubt it, that cheeky bastard.” They chuckled. “That he brought up marking, it attests to his change, though. It’s like partnering for the Melier people. It binds mates together. And for us humans, that means exclusivity.” A single dark brow arched into her hairline. “Val’Koy giving up concubines? Never thought I’d see the day. You must be something special.” She gave Dania’s arm a squeeze.
When Lucia explained how the marking took place, Dania squirmed. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world—she’d heard of, and seen, worse binding practices. Stabbing Val in the biceps was a helluva lot better than facing another female in mortal combat for the prize of rape by a pair of Equahns.
“A drab topic, I know,” Lucia groaned. “How’d you meet Val’Koy and Jruviin? I heard it’s an exciting tale. Tell me more?”
Dania took a deep breath. “Well...”
****
“A nomad? How long have you lived on Dor Nye?”
“Three years. I mean, I was born there, but once I hit two, my parents went back to traveling and took me along.”
Lucia nodded, an enlightened lift to her sleek eyebrows. “Then you weren’t there when my gramps passed his Assembly seat to Soren.”
“Soren is part of the Assembly?” Dania blinked, surprised. She’d never been interested in politics and didn’t watch the news if she could avoid it—hey, scripted drama, not real drama—but she knew what the Assembly was.
She didn’t have her head buried that deep in the sand.
“This is the princess suite. Sounds hoity toity, I know.” Lucia winked. “You get used to the strangeness of it over time.”
Dania’s eyes widened as she gaped.
Like the prince suite, yet more feminine, intimate, dripping in extravagance. Plush, silky black lounging furniture littered the center of the room, draped in white and brown fur pelts, the zigzag markings she’d never witnessed before.
Golden crystal chandeliers—one massive closed in by two smaller ones—lorded over the space, and large bloom exotic flowers with frilled petals in deep shades of reds, pinks, and creamy whites burst from shapely vases throughout.
The fragrance of warm, spiced vanilla laced her airways and relaxed her.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, leaning over the edge of a table to bury her nose into a face-sized red bloom—the source of the mouthwatering vanilla cake scent. “Mmm, what are these called?”
“Right? They smell divine.” Lucia grinned and stuck her nose in one too. “Shyleaf. Val’Zun commissioned a botanist to have these created for me. They’re a hybrid, and now they’re taking over the palace gardens.” She cackled. “He always brings me strange flowers when he thinks he’s pissed me off.”
Dania sighed, “That’s kinda sweet.”
“If they bother you, just say the word.” Lucia patted her arm. “This will be your suite too, soon.”
“No, I love them. They’re gorgeous.” Her eyes scanned the room again, noticing the archways draped in thick, black velvet drapes. “This whole suite is.”
“I can’t take credit for the décor.” She arced an arm, encompassing the furniture. “This suite belonged to Gi’Calla before.”
“Who is Gi’Calla?”
“Val’Koy’s twin sister.”
Dania’s gaze ripped away from the painting she briefly had a chance to examine. “He has a twin?”
Lucia pursed her lips, as if maybe she’d let something slip that she wasn’t supposed to, and then nodded. “We don’t really talk about her.”