“Yesss,” he replied in earnest.
My humour faded. “Right.”
Venomous nuzzled my temple. “All will be well, my Lumen. I vow it.”
“Okay, babe.”
We sat contentedly in each other’s arms under the shade.
I felt stronger and less giddy, but Venomous refused to let me walk, certain Fiercely would return with a transport to ferry me there in comfort.
Rä from the Trekker passed by.
Venomous waved them on when they asked if we needed help.
Fiercely showed up in a glider, a hovering vehicle that resembled a double-wide sleigh.
A pane of darkened glass curved over the front two seats leaving the back two exposed to the sunshine.
The sleek dashboard was lit up with a navigational system, and between the front seats were driving controls.
He hesitated. “Venomous, you wish to navigate?”
“No.” Venomous helped me into the shaded passenger seat under the protective glass. He jumped into a back seat, sprawled out. “Go.”
After a stilted enquiry as to my health, Fiercely piloted the glider to the pathway.
He followed it back to a grouping of single level domes on either side of the road.
A crackling force field blocked the way, and extended out of sight in either direction.
A security checkpoint.
It was comforting to know any old alien couldn’t just wander onto Rök and into a major city.
I saw the precautions as vital rather than encroaching.
Venomous helped me out of the glider then bent his knees to pick me up.
I stopped him with a hand to his hollowed cheek then shook my head.
My eyes slid to the side to find us under study. “Fiercely?”
“Yesss?” He drew closer and dropped his chin, angling it to the side and away from me.
It was a strangely defiant gesture.
“Thank you for coming back for us. I feel better now.” Holding onto his shoulders, I jumped up and pecked him on the cheek. “Would you mind carrying me? My feet are burning.”
Without delay, he lifted me, tucking me close.
I winked over his shoulder at Venomous who grinned.
Fiercely led us inside the sterile-smelling medical dome then explained the process of being scanned for my benefit.
I tried to ignore the gawking a’Rä conducting the security checks. “Do you need to declare foreign seeds, devices, or other items in your possession not noted on the shipping manifest?”
“No,” they replied.
The a’Rä hesitated. “Is that not a pet?”
Fiercely scowled. “She is our life mate. It is clear she is female and sentient.”
Venomous murmured, “Now you know how I felt.”
Unsure, the a’Rä checked his workstation.
Whatever he found there satisfied him, and he motioned us towards an area cordoned off with the haze.
“I will be scanned first,” Fiercely decided putting me down with clear reluctance. He gave me a squeeze first too. “There is nothing to fear.”
With a faint smile, he stepped backwards through the haze and into the shimmering particle beam.
The a’Rä studied the readout then made a noise of approval. “The readings are clean. Please proceed, and the next step forward.”
Fiercely passed through the haze without problem then spun around to wait on the other side with an encouraging expression.
It was thoughtful to wait, and I forgave him his earlier surliness.
He must have been stressing about being back on Rök, bringing what he hoped was his alien mate home to his kindred.
I wasn’t making it easy on him.
Grabbing Venomous’ hand, I stepped into the beam then gave his fingers a playful tickle before releasing them.
A clicking alarm stuttered into life making me jump.
The innocent, fuzzy yellow force field on both sides of the particle beam changed colour.
The red hue told me the haze imprisoned me within its confines.
Shooting onto his feet, the a’Rä stared wide-eyed at his monitor. “Thsst!”
Fiercely strode over to the screening station, expression furious. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Scans detect a parasitic life form has taken residence within the female.”
“What,” the three of us yelled though mine was more a breathless shriek while Venomous’ and Fiercely’s were bellows of horror.
“Oh no,” I breathed. “Oh no, oh no, oh no.” My hands flapped as I bounced from foot to foot. I imagined something exploding from my ribcage. Something with tentacles and acid spit. “Babe, I should not have drank that water.”
Venomous moved to stand just out of reach on the other side of the haze.
Tremors wracked his frame, and he looked desperately like he wanted to snatch me up then run.
“Fix her,” Fiercely snapped as he loomed over the a’Rä. “Fix her now.”
I clutched my chest. “I feel it moving.”
Venomous paled.
“Oh, no, that’s a necklace, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“Be calm, Rä’Na.” The a’Rä pushed onto his feet and shoved Fiercely out of his personal space. “I am called Seeker of Hottest Rock.”
“Okay, okay. Hello there.” I pointed a thumb at my chest. “Lumen of Star ... Lumen Stars of the.... I don’t bloody remember. Help me!”
“I have been trained to eradicate such infection. Please, follow the path the haze allows to the treatment centre. I will remove the hostile from within you.”
Venomous turned to him with a threatening, “Yesss, you will,” the or else I will rip out your spine not needing to be uttered.
“Right,” I whispered nodding. Seeker sounded confident and assertive. That worked for me. “Right.”
I did as he asked, and followed the path from the screening area to an alcove filled with shining medical utensils, and a sharp, carbolic odour.
Can’t I get from a spaceship to my new home without a major fucking catastrophe?
A silver slab like the one I’d woken up on when aboard the Trekker came into view.
Giving Venomous a brave look, I turned my back and hopped on.
They helped me remove my softsuit from my upper body.
An oily cream that smelt antiseptic was swiped over my stomach and numbed the area.
As he cupped my shoulder to help me lie down, Fiercely’s gaze arrested on the mounds of my breasts.
The globes wobbled with my movement.
My nipples tightened under his scrutiny, a fusion of dread and panic tinged with enough desire to make the nubbins peak.
The a’Rä displayed no other reaction than a wrinkling of his nose.
Venomous clicked his teeth, and Fiercely looked away.
Shaking, I lay back until radiant roots growing from the domed ceiling came into my line of sight.
The blue stemmed vines lit everything with a mellow glow.
I lifted a hand, fingers curling. “What’s it called?”
“Glister creep,” Venomous answered his deep voice altered under a slight quaver.
“Pretty.” My chest felt as if boulders piled on. “It won’t hurt?”
Seeker bent over me, cranial ridges shimmering in the light.
Its brille seemed gentle, its voice kind. “A pressure and warmth. That is all there is to it.”
A robotic arm whirred closer to extend a pronged appendage.
The a’Rä relieved it of a tapered device, then slid a finger pad over a backlit button.
Its conical tip burned blue, and the a’Rä hissed in satisfaction
Moisture in my mouth dried, and I looked away to blink at the ceiling.
Something about the situation was surreal, unreal, and it tugged on an elusive memory at the back of my mind.
It didn’t feel right.
Shouldn’t I feel sick or invaded?
I flailed my arms and
tried to sit up. “This doesn’t feel good.”
Venomous leaned over me.
He petted my hair as he settled me back down. “Peace, my Lumen. I am here. We shall remove this abomination, and all will be well. You will feel no pain.”
“No pain,” Fiercely echoed voice strained.
“Okay, but....” I swallowed, a reflex easier said than done. This is happening too fast. “Where is it?”
Seeker had the laser prepped, looked irritated by the delay. “Rä’Na?”
Something is wrong about this.... “Where in my body is the parasite?”
“It has taken residence within your egg pouch.”
The smog of panic rolled back.
I lifted my head, eyes darting as doubt swelled into an icy gush tossed at my face. “In my womb?”
“The life pouch,” Seeker confirmed then lowered the laser. “Do not fret. This will not damage your ability to produce offspring.”
The bright tip was nary a millimetre from my skin when it clicked into place.
A deranged she-creature, I screamed.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“What is going on here?” The woven threads of his dark robe ragged, face drawn, He, who is Widowed, Nāga Shadowed by the Bluest Moons stormed into the medical enclosure.
“They’re trying to kill my baby,” I screeched flailing my weapon.
At that accusation, he took in the scene with a sweeping glance, yanked Seeker of Hottest Rock further away from me then stood between me and the males trying to get to me.
I held the laser having ripped it from Seeker’s claws as I scrambled off the table.
Backed into a corner, I held them off with the surgical tool as my spare hand struggled to right my softsuit.
The futility of it was maddening.
If they moved to seize me using force my weapon wouldn’t damage them enough to save me.
They only came at me softly because Venomous warned should one hair on my body be harmed, he’d disembowel them.
He threatened this even as he tried to nab me himself.
“Explain,” Nāga ordered in a tone of paternal authority making me realise he was older than he appeared.
It was not just grief lining his features.
“Scans indicate a parasite has attached to her inner soft tissues and feeds off her as a host. She claims she is breeding, not infected, but I have checked the readings. Carefully. Repeatedly.” Seeker waved his portable monitor in agitation. He spoke slowly and clearly. “You are not in swell. We must take the hostile from within you before you grow sicker.”
“Please, my Lumen. Come to me.” Venomous sounded agonised, expression pained. All four hands reached for me. “Let me help you.”
Wavering, I considered it.
My defensive stance eased, and the laser I gripped in my clammy palm lowered a fraction.
He sounded worried, so sincere, and why would he want to hurt me?
All Venom ever does is protect me.
What if I was wrong, confused and sick, protecting an invader that hijacked my bodily systems to use my emotions against me?
I’d made an assumption based on vague knowledge and a gut feeling.
Seeker had medical scans and supercomputers.
Out the corner of my eye, I caught Fiercely creeping closer, taking advantage of my distraction to gain ground.
Whimpering, I swung towards him.
I whirled back to the front when Venomous jerked forward.
My eyes popped, pulse thundering. “Back the fuck away.”
Nāga grabbed the tablet the a’Rä held.
Magnifying the images on the oval screen, he looked through them in hurried flicks.
He stilled.
Hissing, he shoved the piece of equipment in the a’Rä’s face. “What do you see here?” His voice was tight, expression dangerous.
Seeker glanced at it then clicked his teeth. “A parasite that has lodged in her egg pouch!”
“On a Rä, yesss, but she is not Rä. She is offworlder, and you have the scan parameters set for our genetics not hers.” Nāga amended the settings then showed the image again. “Look.”
Seeker of Hottest Rock balked at the modified readings on the macroscopic knot of cells. “That is not an egg.”
“Of course it’s not a bloody egg. I’m not a fucking chicken.”
“I have set the parameters to that of a Verak,” Nāga explained ignoring my hysterics. “This is the morula. See how it looks like a berry with these nodules. Thsst! Very fast, is the growth. It should not be so far along.” He frowned. “I scanned you on the Trekker and you had not conceived. When did you begin your fertile cycle, Rä’Na?” He glanced at Venomous and Fiercely, when I failed to answer. His face paled. “One of you endured the seeding aboard the ship?”
I realised it was something he considered near impossible considering the attack by the Dei San. He must think.... “The Dei San never had me, Nāga. I didn’t lie about that.”
The fatherly healer checked on me when we were on the Trekker, examining my sprained wrist and fading bruises.
He’d delicately asked if I’d been captured by the Dei San, and I’d replied with the truth.
The healer slumped then looked at my mates. “Well? Which of you?”
Mouth curving down, Venomous crossed his arms. “Not on the Trekker. On the slave planet.”
“That does not make sense,” Nāga contested.
Fiercely reminded, “You have mated since then.”
Grunting agreement for Nāga’s sake, Venomous shifted to avoid my narrowed gaze.
So I looked sharply at Fiercely. “And how would you know that?”
He stared back impassively.
“Why would you clutch if not to seed her?” Nāga asked.
“That is private.” Anxious to get his hands on me, Venomous eased closer.
I waved the laser as I eyed him, still on guard.
“Thsst!” Nāga smacked the screen. “The readings remain abnormal. The processor expects a Verak and not a Rä-Human crossbreed. I wonder if I adjust the parameters to recognise the chromosomal markers from our male, and use the genetic data I collected on the human female if it will rectify the timeline....” He muttered and paced, tapping information into the tablet then stopping to stare at the ceiling. “Verak four, so a human must be longer. A rough calculation then. It must be....”
“So no parasite,” Seeker of Hottest Rock checked backing out of the alcove.
Stiffening, Nāga slowly looked his direction. “Get out.”
The a’Rä fled.
Reaching the end of his tolerance, Venomous batted my stabbing hand away.
He plucked the laser from me, tossed it, then picked me up. “Healer, there is something wrong?”
“You mean other than you?” I snipped still angry. “You didn’t listen to me. You were going to hurt–” I choked off unable to accuse him aloud.
“They were not to know,” Nāga said. “The scans indicated you were unwell.”
Venomous’ hold on me tightened to a painful degree then relaxed. “For all I knew, your mind was infected.” He plonked me back on the observation table then lifted my chin. His face creased with disquiet. “Forgive me?”
Mollified and needing him close, I propped my chin on his shoulder. Fidgeted. “Are you happy about this?”
A stroke to my back, a cheek to cheek touch. “There are no words for the joy in my hearts.”
On the L’Odo slave planet the mere notion of getting pregnant made me want to break out in hives.
Safe in Venomous’ embrace, head to his warm chest, his hearts thudding with power under my ear, I felt something else.
As he inhaled my scent, and caressed me with aching tenderness, frantic sparks of excitement merged to create a blazing core of joy.
Even if I had been too unnerved to be pleased, I’d unconsciously declared how I felt about becoming a mother, moving to protect my unborn child as soon as it was threatened.
&nb
sp; Scary, yes, but a miracle too.
“I am to be a father,” Fiercely rasped. He looked bonked on the head. “Serpent’s Hood, my kindred will hold festival for aeons.”
My lips parted in surprise as I wondered why he spoke with possession over something he had no hand in creating.
“Indeed.” Venomous bared fangs in a grin. “Our union bears offspring.”
My mouth opened to question them but then closed.
Watching them clap each other on the back, I gave up trying to understand their ‘nest mate’ ways.
They were happy.
What might I ask other than clumsy questions that would dim the outpouring of joy?
Preoccupied, Nāga asked, “Rä’Na, how long does a human gestate?”
“Nine moontides.” I twisted to face him. “Give or take two cycles either side. We divide it into trimesters. Three.” I paused, thoughtful. “That’s pretty much the sum of all my prenatal knowledge.” I snapped my fingers. “And that giving birth? Not so much fun.”
Nāga didn’t appear surprised. “Like the Verak.”
“Everything is ... normal?” I asked then held my breath.
“Yesss.” He glanced up. “Normal as can be considering nothing like this has been seen before on Rök or Earth. You are healthy, it grows strong.” Finally, he held the tablet behind his back then smiled. “You will greet your hatchling in three moontides. I offer congratulations.”
“Three moontides,” Fiercely breathed. “So quickly.”
“So that’s unusual for you guys too, huh?”
“Yesss.” Nāga’s mouth curved. “It takes two solars after laying for an egg to hatch.”
My head popped forward on my neck as I gaped. “Seriously?”
“We keep it warm and safe in the furs. The life giver dedicates herself to guarding the nest, and her male protects the lair.”
“What about work?”
The three Rä’Veks stared at me as if I’d sprouted horns.
“There is no work during nesting,” Fiercely said in a tone filled with outrage at the suggestion of an alternative.
“How do you pay the bills? Buy food?”
“We have not consumed the fossil fuels of our planet for aeons, and kindred on the nesting calendar bring gifts of grain and meat.” Venomous appeared startled I didn’t know this. “Fruit, roots and roughage are taken from the garden. Wild yeast is caught and preserved. Eggs from the Zýt. Mylk from the goodbeast.”
Venomous: (Alien Warrior Book 1) Page 30
