by Kit Tunstall
Composing his features and doing his best to ignore the Veluvian hand mine in his stomach, he opened the hydraulic door with a hiss and stepped through it. Orix paused for a moment, surprised and slightly overwhelmed at the sight before him. When he had tracked down his mate in the nursery two nights ago, the babies had all been asleep, except for the one she’d held in her arms. Now, they were all awake, and chaos ruled.
Several male Dazon attendants were busy chasing after crawling and rolling infants, while Mac and two Earth women he didn’t know sat on the floor with babies crawling all around them. He noticed the baby from the other night was planted firmly on Mac’s lap, holding onto her white fuzzy sweater as though his life depended upon it while he babbled and cooed up at her. She was talking to the other women, but it was clear her attention was also focused on the young ones—so sharply focused that she hadn’t yet realized he had arrived.
His intent was to approach her and remove her from the room with all the children for a brief time, but his mission was unexpectedly impeded by a squirming infant who crawled across his foot. He froze, uncertain what to do for a moment as he looked down at her. She sat on her diapered bottom and looked up at him, first with a large grin that displayed two bottom teeth.
When he didn’t reply with a smile of his own or attempt to engage her, slowly the smile started to disappear, and her lips trembled. Panic rose in him, a kind he’d never known, and he acted on instinct to sweep her into his arms just as the first tears started to streak down her cheeks. His large hand completely encompassed her back as he patted it in an awkward fashion. “Cease your crying, child. I mean you no harm.”
Feminine laughter caught his attention, but his gaze settled directly on Mac, locking with hers, as he intuited he was the source of the women’s amusement. He felt awkward and uncertain, two traits that hadn’t plagued him since he had left the rearing facility and entered the military academy. He extended the child toward her as he walked closer, trying desperately to get Mac to take her. “Take this one. She requires comfort.”
The faintest hint of lines showed at the corners of Mac’s eyes as she smiled up at him, her amusement obvious, but not malicious. She patted the rubber mats on the floor. “You look like you’re doing a fine job, and I have my hands full. Have a seat, General Monash.”
“Orix,” he reminded her as he settled stiffly on the mat, still holding the child with his elbows locked and keeping her extended away from him. She was staring at him uncertainly, and as her bottom lip started to quiver again, he quickly pulled the child back against him, turning to settle her on his lap in a similar way to how Mac held the little boy in her arms. “They bear a strong resemblance,” he said gruffly as he nodded at her boy before looking down at the girl in his lap. “Are they siblings?”
She nodded. “Yes. That little lady is Lily, and somewhere around here is her hellion of a sister, Carmen. She’s the difficult one of the bunch.” Though the words were critical, her expression was soft and full of love as she said the words, making it obvious she didn’t find the problem child much of a problem at all. Her capacity for love awed and amazed him, and he knew instinctively that when she loved, she loved with her whole heart.
It would be the same when she loved him. He would endeavor for it to be the same for him as well, though he had no familiarity with softer emotions or the gentler side of life. He had engaged in intercourse with a Dazon female far back in his youth, but he had never had tender feelings for her. They had both known she would be forced to go to the breeding facility when she was of age, and he would be going into the Academy for military training. It had been a doomed and brief adolescent romance, and it had certainly not equipped him for dealing with the woman who initiated the mating flare in him.
It was as awkward dealing with that as it was trying to figure out how to keep the infant on his lap from escaping. “Are they always so slippery?” he asked as she slid off his lap and tried to crawl away. It was instinct that prompted him to put a hand on her back and pin her carefully to the mat before he lifted her again and put her on his lap once more.
Mac giggled slightly, but then her expression grew serious, though her lips were twitching. “They can be, but usually only after a bath.” For some reason, her words made her companions giggle, and he turned his attention to them briefly. Seeing him do so must have reminded her of her manners, because she introduced him. “General Orix Monash, this is Amelia and Rebecca. They both volunteer here at the nursery, and they also have other roles at the consulate.”
The farthest one from him had gleaming ebony skin and a head full of braids that moved in a softly swaying motion when she ducked her head in an almost shy greeting. “I’m in food service,” she said softly.
Orix wasn’t certain if she was genuinely shy, or just intimidated by either his status or the fact that he was an alien male. He inclined his head and kept his voice as gentle as possible when he expressed his pleasure at meeting her before his gaze turned to the other female.
“I’m a supplier delivering goods from Earth. I was lucky enough to be here at the consulate when the weapon deployed, and Dr. Wy has suggested we stay in isolation until he has a chance to study the retrovirus.”
He nodded. “That would be wise, in case the retrovirus is airborne. It would certainly be an efficient deployment mechanism, wouldn’t it?”
The women traded glances as Mac looked concerned.
“The only one who travels freely back and forth so far is Ms. Saunders,” said Rebecca. The disapproval in her green eyes was obvious. “Not that the president’s daughter would listen to reason.”
“I’m certain she listens to her own reason,” said Orix in an attempt to be diplomatic. Jordan Saunders struck him as a determined woman who would fulfill her duty at the cost of herself, so it was certainly within the personality parameters he’d observed for her to ignore Dr. Wy’s warning and fold back and forth between the Earth and the consulate.
It was unnecessarily risky, since they could communicate electronically, though he imagined the President of the United States wanted private debriefings from her daughter; debriefings she was certain wouldn’t be monitored by alien technology. Still, it was a thoughtless risk to both Jordan Saunders and every uninfected woman on the station. He tried to mask his disapproval and focus his attention on Mac.
As though the two women sensed his desire to be alone with her, or perhaps they simply observed the way he leaned closer to her, and she drifted toward him, as though drawn by a magnet, they excused themselves and moved to a different part of the room, both whispering and giggling as they went.
“Your friends seem easily amused.” By the way her lips turned down in a frown, he knew he must have phrased that wrong. “I mean that as a compliment, not as a disrespectful observation, Mac.”
“It’s difficult to be in a foul mood when you’re with the little ones. I’m sure Amelia and Rebecca are terrified of the future, and effectively quarantined here, they have limited interaction with their daily lives on Earth, but they’re finding comfort in the babies.” She rubbed the little boy’s hand with her thumb gently as she spoke, making it obvious she did the same.
“They are quite soothing.” He looked down, somewhat startled to find the child that had attached to him was curled up against his stomach now, her head drooping forward as she nodded off to sleep. He adjusted her position slightly, so that her head could rest backward rather than forward, and a fluttering sensation in his hearts took him by surprise when she cuddled closer to him, letting out a soft sigh of contentment as her eyelids drooped.
He’d never felt anything like it before, and he might’ve feared the nanotechnology inside him was malfunctioning, allowing his cardiac system to fail, if he hadn’t known how unlikely that scenario was. Instead, it had to be an emotional reaction to the child’s proximity and show of trust. It was disconcerting, but oddly liberating.
“You look very good like that, General.”
He looked
up, meeting her gaze, and unsurprised to see her heated expression, since there had been a definite note of huskiness in her voice. “It’s unfamiliar to me, this nurturing, but not unpleasant.”
Her lips twitched, a sure indicator she was trying not to grin at his expense. “Not unpleasant at all, except for the diapers.”
He couldn’t hide his appalled reaction. “I don’t change diapers, Mac.”
She winked at him. “We’ll see. In the meantime, was there something in particular that brought you by the nursery, or did you feel the urge to volunteer with the children?”
Carefully, so as not to dislodge Lily and wake her from her slumber, he slid closer to the woman making his hearts thunder audibly in his ears. “You know very well why I’ve come, Mac. I needed to see you.”
And he certainly had, if he judged by the way his body had now relaxed, and his pounding head had settled down into an almost nonexistent thump. The tiniest headache lingered, but was nothing compared to what it had been before he’d entered the nursery and was soothed both by the child and by being near Mac again.
She frowned at him. “I was beginning to think you had changed your mind.”
He frowned. “You requested space, Earth woman.”
“Not two days without any sort of contact from the man who bluntly stated he wanted to mate with me, Dazon male,” she said in exactly the same severe tone as him.
“I’ve been busy,” he said more harshly than he intended. When she flinched, he deliberately gentled his voice. “I’ve been debriefed until there’s nothing left in my brain, Mac. There was no time to visit you, but I thought of you every waking moment.”
And during the brief stretches of sleep he had managed to steal over the last two days, he had dreamed of her. They hadn’t been particularly sexual dreams. Rather, they had been soothing images of her smile, or a casual touch of her hand against his bicep. Just flashes of possibilities more than actual images or dreams, they had been soothing in a way, but also a maddening reminder of what he had not yet obtained.
Her expression softened, and she nodded. “I thought a lot about you too, Orix. I was thinking that we don’t know how much time we have, do we?”
He shook his head.
“Before Ha abducted me, I was counting down the days until I died. I was in unbelievable pain and trapped in a body that would do nothing I wanted it to. I couldn’t even use the computer except with vocal commands, so I had no outlet there. I was a burden to my mother and father, and though I know they love me, it was a lot for them to handle. They’re both in their seventies, and they should’ve had time to retire and enjoy themselves. My life seemed fruitless and pointless, and I bitterly dreamed of all the things that I would never have. And then Ha came.”
“You were one of the abducted?”
She nodded. “As far as Dr. Wy can tell, every documented case of Kaiser’s Syndrome was one of the abducted. I was only at his mercy for a short time, and he certainly didn’t have time to experiment on me beyond the superficial. I wasn’t part of his first round of breeding experiments, and I’m thankful for that. When Inquisitor Breese and Commander Darvig freed us, Dr. Wy offered me the nanotechnology treatment. For just a moment, I was tempted to tell him no.”
His brow ridge furrowed in confusion. “Were you frightened of the alien technology?”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Partially, but I was honestly afraid I might live again. I realized he was offering me a chance to have a normal life once more. It was a scary prospect, but I accepted the treatment. I couldn’t not do so in good conscience, knowing it would free the burden from my parents and allow them a few years to enjoy their retirement before they passed away.”
“I’m glad you made the decision you did, Mac.” The pain in her voice was leaching into him, making his chest tight and his eye burn. He blinked and cleared his throat, trying to clear the unwanted reaction.
“As Ha’s experiments became clear, and several Earth women discovered they had been impregnated against their will, I found a purpose. First, it was simply emotional support, but then the babies started to be born, and several of the mothers didn’t survive. We lost six of the fourteen women who had pregnancies they didn’t lose or terminate.
“There were some happy results, like for Jessminda Patel, but there were so many babies left with no one who wanted them. I had a purpose, and it felt good. It also made me realize I shouldn’t waste what time I have, and even before the newest threat emerged, and the realization the Dazon Empire could take away everything we have and hold dear tomorrow, I had already decided I had to live again.”
He looked down when her hand closed over his, his skin heating at the touch they shared. His eyes widened with shock at her next words.
“You make me feel alive in a way I’ve never experienced before. I don’t know what kind of future we have, if any, but I can’t see wasting the opportunity to find out. If you’re free this evening, I’d like you to come to my quarters.”
Chapter Three
Mac was still a little surprised by her own temerity at having invited the general to her quarters. She wasn’t blatantly planning to sleep with him, but she hadn’t ruled out the possibility either. Her stomach was a ball of nerves by the time her door chimed at the appointed meeting time. She smoothed her hands down her clothes as she made her way to the door to press the button to open it.
The general wore his black fitted uniform, but he seemed more casual or relaxed for some reason as she examined him. There was nothing tangibly different about his appearance, but he seemed different.
Summoning a smile, she waved a hand for him to cross the doorway. “Please come in.” As he stepped inside, she wondered if perhaps the change was in herself rather than in him. She certainly felt different tonight as well, and it went beyond the surface changes of having left her hair brushed down her back and wearing leggings with a silky top that enhanced her figure. As soon as the door closed, she put her hand on his bicep, which was a bit of a stretch since he was so much taller, and indicated he should have a seat on her sofa. “Do Dazons drink wine?”
He shrugged. “I’m not quite familiar with what it is. My translator tells me it’s a fermented grape beverage.” He looked slightly appalled at the idea.
She barely bit back a grin. “It tastes better than it sounds.” She busied herself in the kitchen for a moment to pour them both a glass of white wine. When she returned, he had taken the seat as suggested, practically swallowing half the sofa with his large frame.
She sat down on the other half and handed him a glass, watching with interest as he took a sip. His nose wrinkled, and it was clear he didn’t care for the beverage. She hid her grin in her glass as she took a drink of her own before leaning forward to place it on the coffee table. He did the same with an air that suggested he wouldn’t be reaching for it again. “I thought the wine might help us relax. This is all sort of awkward, isn’t it?”
His brow ridge furrowed. “Awkward? I don’t find it awkward, Mac.”
She arched her brows in surprise. “You don’t? A couple of virgins on the verge of…whatever we’re on the verge of?”
His skin deepened in color, particularly in the facial region, which suggested he was flushing. “Technically, I’m not a virgin.”
She scooted slightly on the couch, turning to be more comfortable and also to see him better. “Really? I thought it was fairly rare to have a mate in your society?”
“Valena was not exactly a mate. It was a temporary arrangement. We both knew that.” He seemed uncomfortable discussing the topic.
She nodded in sympathy. “For me, I simply didn’t have time to get serious about anyone before I got sick. I was one of the lucky ones,” she said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. “I was struck down early and severely, and Kaiser’s Syndrome dominated my life until the last few months.”
“It’s strange that what Jorvak Ha and his minions did has had both beneficial and malignant repercussions.”
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br /> She nodded. “Let’s not talk about him though.”
Instead, they spent the next hour talking about their lives and getting better acquainted. As though an invisible band pulled them together, they seemed to shift naturally toward each other, until she was lying across his lap as they spoke. There was no pressure or demand that she sensed from him, and she was surprisingly relaxed to be cuddled so closely to him.
In fact, she was relaxed enough to make the first move, stretching her neck so she could touch her lips to his in a coaxing, exploratory kiss. He tolerated her light touch for a moment before a growl emanated from him, one that rumbled through his chest and made her body vibrate, as his fingers twined through her hair and pulled her closer so he could deepen the kiss.
Unfamiliar sensations raced through her body. She had felt attraction before, and of course she’d had a kiss in the past from more than one person, but none had felt like this, as though the entire world was distilled down to this point. She pressed closer to him, eager to feel more of the enthralling sensation sweeping through her, and clutched his shoulders for support as she shifted on his lap to straddle him.
As the kiss deepened in intensity, she allowed her hands to roam over his chest and shoulders, admiring the strength coiled in the frame below her. He was easily capable of breaking her in half, but he handled her with a hint of delicateness, as though she was the most precious thing in the world, and he didn’t want to break her. It was another new sensation, to feel cherished and protected.
As her hands roamed, she accidentally pressed a button on his neck, and they both yelped in surprise when his uniform abruptly disappeared. Her face was hot, and she didn’t know whether to apologize or giggle as she sank against his golden-brown skin, reveling in the heat pouring off of him. “That was … I’m really sorry.”
