“Did you kill him slowly? Make him pay?” she asked, her round eyes open and concerned.
Zekke gauged her reaction as he said, “I did. He died a slow, painful death.”
Ava held his gaze. “Good. That’s good.” Her answer surprised him. Most females would be repulsed to think he took great pleasure in killing anyone slowly, even a Turei. Killing was a necessity, not something to be enjoyed.
“What about your family?” he asked.
“My dad was a high-ranking military man. He was killed in the initial attack.”
“They do target all military installations first.”
Ava nodded her head in understanding. “When I made it home, I found my mom dead. The roof of our house had collapsed on top of her. I can only hope she died instantly,” she choked out in a broken voice.
As tears ran down her face, Zekke caught one on his finger. “The other humans occasionally leak water. Why?” He tasted the tear with his tongue. “It’s a little salty.”
Ava laughed through the tears. “It’s like blushing. It’s just something we do when we are extremely happy or extremely sad.”
They talked about home, their families, her military squad, their lives in general. It was new ground for Zekke, but once he’d told her about killing the Turei captain, he felt the wall around his heart shatter. The more they talked, the more his uncertainty fell away, leaving no doubt he wanted her as a mate. She was an incredible, strong female.
Chapter Twelve
Zekke
With each passing standard day, they had seen progress. They had all but eradicated the Tureis in the one city and were now moving on to others. Collaboration with Ava’s old squad was almost nonexistent, though—the human leader, Jamison, limited contact as much as possible.
Walking into the dining hall, Zekke stopped short at the sight. Ava sat with Rhett. The sound of her laughter drifted to his ears as he watched the two of them talk. He took in the sight for a mere second and then headed over. He placed his hand on her shoulder; she looked up and him and smiled. “I thought you were busy?”
“I have to eat sometime!” He grinned. “Let me get some food, and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” Still smiling, she watched him walk away.
“You really care for him, don’t you?”
Ava turned her attention back to Rhett as he spoke. “Yes, I do.”
“It shows.”
Zekke placed his tray on the table beside his mate and took a seat. Ava smiled at him while looking at his food. “Umm…that looks good.” She grabbed a piece of fruit from his tray and popped it into her mouth. “I was right. It is good.”
At times, Zekke worried about her. Each standard day her appetite increased, and she needed more rest. “Would you like me to get you some more?”
“Nah, you eat. I’ll go get it.” Ava pushed up from the chair, leaving Zekke with Rhett.
“You still haven’t mated her?” Rhett accused, glaring at him.
“No.”
“What are you waiting for?”
As he turned the question over and over in his mind, he didn’t know what was holding him back. He cared for her, enjoyed her company, even missed her when he was on duty. He couldn’t imagine his life without her.
“I am not sure,” he said honestly. Rhett raised one eyebrow. Zekke opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance. An outburst of gasps sounded around him. He turned and spotted Ava lying on the floor with a small amount of blood in her light hair.
Zekke erupted from the chair, raced to his mate, and scooped her up. Her head flopped against his arm. “Ava?”
Her eyes remained closed as Zekke hurried to medical. Everyone scrambled to get out of his way as he rushed down the corridor. What happened? She’d just gone for food, nothing dangerous.
The doors to medical slid open as Zekke barreled through. “Cannin!”
The healer came rushing out of his office. “Commander, what’s wrong?”
“My mate fell and hit her head!”
“Lay her down over here.”
Zekke followed Cannin to the examining table where he placed his unconscious mate. His worried eyes met Cannin’s. “What is wrong with her?”
Cannin ignored Zekke and grabbed his handheld medi scanner. Holding it two standard inches away, he started with her head and then scanned her entire body. When Cannin frowned, Zekke demanded, “What? What is wrong?”
Rhett, along with Tullan and Macce came rushing in. “What happened?” Rhett asked.
Zekke just shook his head and turned back to Ava. Unconcerned about what the others might think, he clutched her hand in his and cast worried eyes on the healer. “Cannin?”
Cannin ignored his question. Opening a drawer on the metal table, he pulled out another medi scanner and repeated the exam. “Commander, I must speak to you in private.”
Zekke looked over his shoulder at the others. “Leave,” he commanded, which they promptly did. “Now tell me,” Zekke demanded.
“The results are confusing, and…”
“Just tell me!”
“She is with young.”
“Wait… what?” he asked, shaking his head in confusion.
“She is with young. That’s why she fell.”
Young! How could she be with young? How is that even possible?
He dropped her hand and staggered backward as one scenario after another played out. He hadn’t mated her. Who else had bedded her? An image of Jamison quickly formed in his mind, and jealousy consumed him. His face twisted in rage. The male had been so possessive of his mate, and by the look in his eyes, he knew they were more than comrades. He should have killed him then, but now he’d hunt him like an animal and deliver a slow, torturous death. He glanced at his mate and felt soul-wrenching pain. Without a word, he stormed out of medical.
Ava
Ava slowly regained consciousness. She blinked rapidly and tried to clear the haze from her eyes. The healer stood next to the bed or stretcher; she didn’t really know what she lying was on. Her aching head felt warm, and as she started to touch it, he said, “Don’t. I am healing your wound.”
“What happened?” The last thing she remembered was getting more food, and then, “I got really dizzy.”
“You lost consciousness. You wounded your head in the fall.”
He finished, and then slid the scanner in a drawer and pulled up a chair. Ava didn’t enjoy the way he scrutinized her. “What?” she finally asked.
“You fell because you are with young.”
“What?” Her head was still a little fuzzy. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how to make it any clearer. You are with young. My medi scanner is showing some inconsistencies, though.”
Ava sat up a little. He wasn’t making much sense. With young. With young. “You mean I am pregnant?”
Now the healer looked confused. He placed a hand on her stomach and said, “You carry your young here.”
Ava’s hands flew to her belly. “Oh, shit! I’m pregnant!” She had worried often enough that she might be pregnant but had kept dismissing the idea. Now that she and Zekke had worked things out, she felt… happy. A baby, I’m going to have a baby!
“There is an anomaly with my scanner,” he frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Her worried eyes turned surprised when he said, “It is showing duplicate copies. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Duplicate copies,” she murmured while twisting her face in concentration. “Twins!” she shouted in stunned surprise. Her grandmother had been a twin, so it ran in the family.
“What do you mean?”
“Twins. I’m having two babies.”
“Two young?” he asked, shocked. She nodded. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, it just happens,” she shrugged.
“This is all so…” He shook his head and tried again. “I need to run some tests. I’ve never seen anyone carry two young. They are
growing at a very rapid rate, and you are not eating enough to supply your body and the young with enough nutrients. Any other symptoms?”
“I’m just tired all the time.”
“That is also due to the rapid development of the young. And now your body is doing twice the work.”
Looking around, Ava asked, “Where’s Zekke?”
The silence was deafening. Ava watched the healer closely while he avoided eye contact, shifting his gaze to some other gadget in his hand. She asked again in her authoritative military voice. “Where is Zekke?” she demanded.
“He left.”
Dread pooled in her belly, but she needed to know. “Why?”
Cannin sighed. “When he found out you carried young, he stormed out in rage.”
Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head. “He doesn’t want a baby?” She sniffed.
“He is angry.”
“Because he doesn’t want a baby.”
Cannin looked confused. “He is not mated to you.”
Surprised eyes shot to his. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Zekke kept calling her his mate. She swallowed hard, now dreading this important conversation. What hadn’t he told her?
“What has he told you about matings?”
“Nothing much. Just that I was his true mate.”
“I see.” He pulled out some other strange looking piece of equipment. “Let me do a few other tests and make sure everything is all right.”
“No!” She threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Something wasn’t right. The healer wasn’t telling her something, something important and she wanted—no, she needed to know.
“But I need to…”
“You need to tell me what the hell is going on!” Laser-sharp eyes pierced Cannin as Ava waited for answers. “Now!”
Her commanding tone made Cannin step backward. He finally relented. “Zekke hasn’t mated you…”
“How?”
“How do you mate someone?” She nodded. “His teeth. When sunk into the neck, they release a chemical that readies the female body for her mate’s seed.”
Ava shook her head and clenched her jaw. Zekke had left that tiny part out. She even remembered asking about his fangs, and he lied! Something Cannin said snagged her attention. “What do you mean by ‘readying the female body for her mate’s seed’?”
“Only a mated female can conceive.”
Dawning shone on her face as the picture finally became clear. The missing piece. “Zekke doesn’t think it’s his baby?”
“No, he never mated you.”
She watched Cannin closely and said, “You don’t think it’s Zekke’s baby?”
His eyes shifted away, his expression easy to read. “I must do tests.”
“To find out if my babies are human or Azziarin?” She cocked her head to the side and waited for the answer she knew was coming.
“Yes.”
“No.” She stood from the table. “Thank you, healer,” she said as she walked past him, heading out the door.
Ava was pissed. More than pissed, she was steaming mad. If it was possible, steam would be coming out of her ears. At least that feeling overshadowed the hurt that tore at her soul. She headed away from familiar pathways, deciding to tour the ship on her own. The last thing she wanted was to run into Zekke. He should have been by her side. He should have trusted her, given her the chance to talk to him, but no, he stormed out the minute he heard she was pregnant. Mating be damned! She’d raise her babies, and he could shove the mating thing up his… she hit a solid wall.
Looking up, she saw a familiar face. “Rhett, what are you doing?”
“Looking for you, actually. I stopped by to check on you, but Cannin said you’d just left. What are you doing in this part of the ship?”
She shrugged, “Just looking around.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I can smell the lie.”
“What?” She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head in anger. Something else he’d conveniently forgotten to tell her.
“I said, I can smell your lie.”
“I heard you the first time, I just didn’t believe you,” she shot back, annoyed. “I do not lie!”
She glanced up at him. It didn’t matter how much she liked Rhett, all men lied—as evidenced by Zekke, and he was supposed to be her mate. And now, it turned out she wasn’t even mated to him. “Bullshit.” She tried to step around him, but he stepped in front of her. She closed her eyes and said through clenched teeth, “Please, move.”
“No. Not until you tell me what is wrong. Where are you going?” He stood with crossed arms staring down at her.
“Fine. I’ll tell you if you find me quarters of my own—and you don’t tell Zekke.” She crossed her arms. Those were her terms. After a brief intense stare-down, he nodded.
He led the way until they came to an ominous door that loomed at the end of a dark corridor. “This is the best you could do?” she asked as they stood in front of the door.
“If you don’t want Zekke to know, yes.” He smirked.
“You’re an ass,” she said as she walked past him and through the door. Her new quarters were adequate, though. A small chair, a small coffee table, and a full-size bed. It was more than she’d had on Earth.
He followed her in. “Now tell me why Zekke is heading to Earth in full-on rage and you are wandering around, wanting new quarters.”
He took a seat on the table while she sat in the chair.
“Why is Zekke heading to Earth?”
“I don’t know. He stormed out of medical, grabbed his weapons, and headed to the cargo bay. He wouldn’t tell me anything, and to be honest, I was afraid to ask him. So, now I’m asking you.”
“I’m pregnant.” He got the same confused look that Cannin had had. “I’m with young,” she clarified.
His eyes widened in alarm. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, but I am.”
“I have to ask, does the young belong to Zekke?”
A humorless laugh escaped. “You’re the first one to ask, and yes, my babies belong to Zekke.”
“Babies?” he questioned.
“Babies, young, twins,” she shrugged. “I’m having two babies.”
“Two! Is that even possible?”
“Sure. Some humans have three or four at one time. My grandmother was a twin, and it normally runs in families.”
“What does twin mean?”
“Having two babies at one time. They can look identical.”
“Wow,” he said. “So, what is wrong with the commander?”
“According to Cannin, as soon as Zekke found out I was pregnant, he stormed out. I guess he doesn’t think the babies are his, and I sure as hell ain’t telling him. He lied to me, and I had to hear from Cannin that I wasn’t really mated to him. Doesn’t that make me a consort?” When he didn’t answer, she leveled a hard glare at him. “Answer the question.”
“Yes,” he finally admitted.
“That’s what I thought.” She looked at Rhett with pleading eyes. “Will you help me?”
“I cannot lie to the commander.”
“I’m not asking you to. If he doesn’t ask, just don’t tell him, please,” she begged. He nodded. His face softened as tears welled up in her eyes. He opened his arms.
She didn’t hesitate when she accepted the hug, needing the comfort. Her tears freely flowed, wetting his black jumpsuit. “Thank you, Rhett.”
“You’re welcome. Do you need anything?”
She leaned back and looked at him. “Yes. I need my weapons. If something happens, I need to defend myself.”
“If I get your weapons, do you promise to stay here? Not escape back to Earth?”
She thought about it and knew she couldn’t raise her babies on earth. If anything happened, she would need Cannin’s help. “Yes. I promise.”
“All right, then.”
An uneasy truce had been formed. Rhett was now her ally.
/> Chapter Thirteen
Zekke
The ride to the planet was long and torturous. Confronting the human male consumed his thoughts. Images of laying Jamison’s throat open and watching him die a slow death played in his mind. When they finally landed, the unwanted group of five flanked his every move. He didn’t want them there but knew Rhett had ordered them to accompany him. He vaguely remembered Rhett saying something about needing numbers in a battle.
He strode through the destroyed city, not seeing any of it. With the Azziarin presence, the Tureis had moved on to different territory.
Just as he approached the hatch, luck was on his side. The door opened, and several humans came out, ready for patrol. Zekke crossed his arms and waited for his prey. When Jamison exited, Zekke barreled forward, hitting him with a right hook. He staggered back and cupped his bleeding jaw with his right hand. “What’s your problem?” Jamison yelled as he rubbed his jaw.
Zekke never said a word as he swung again. Jamison was ready this time. He ducked and then landed a punch on his own. They exchanged blow after blow, both of them evenly matched in anger, if not physical size. Zekke hadn’t expected Jamison to be a formidable opponent. After a long fight that left both of them exhausted and bleeding, Zekke stood facing Jamison. Through clenched teeth, Zekke spit out, “Ava is with young!”
Jamison spat blood on the ground and said, “And?”
“I haven’t mated her, so it must be human.”
Jamison bent at the waist and placed his hands on his knees. His breathing was labored. “No way. It’s been too long. Not possible.”
What? Some of the anger disappeared. Zekke looked around for the first time and saw that his males and the other humans had weapons leveled on each other. Taking a deep breath, Zekke said, “I don’t believe you,” but he did.
Jamison turned angry eyes on him and spat, “I don’t care what you believe.”
Zekke: A Scifi Alien Romance (The Azziarin Series Book 5) Page 11
