Briannas Prophecy

by Tianna Xander

  Sarcha began his examination, looked into her eyes. He took her pulse, normal things that surprised her. She didn’t expect him to take her pulse.

  How else would we know if we were alive? Niklas was laughing at her now. He knew she had no experience with aliens to speak of.

  Aliens?

  More advanced life forms. Does that make you feel better? She felt like sticking her tongue out at him.

  He gave her a smoldering look. I like your tongue. He smiled slowly. I can think of lots of interesting things that involve the use of that particular part of your anatomy.

  Brianna looked away and blushed. That just wasn’t fair.

  “How have you been feeling, Highness?” Sarcha asked. His eyes were on hers now. With the examination paused, the doctor was exercising his bedside manner. He frowned a bit, reached out and touched her forehead. “Your color is up, have you been feeling feverish?”

  She shot Niklas a dirty look before she turned back to the doctor. “I’ve been really tired and sick to my stomach. I’ve been having a hard time keeping things down when I eat.”

  “Um hmm… Have you, ah, missed your cycle?”

  Brianna blushed again. “Yes, I have.”

  Sarcha pulled a small square box from his kit and held it over her stomach. He smiled. “I am honored to be the first to congratulate you both.” He turned and smiled at Niklas.

  “We’re pregnant?” she squeaked. She’d hardly dared hope. Although she’d known Niklas so short a time, she knew this was right. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and bear his children—even though he could be an overbearing, anal-retentive jerk sometimes.

  “Yes, Highness, you are.” He looked at the results of the remarkable test he’d given her. Sarcha nodded. “By my calculations, you are three months along.”

  “Three months?” they said in unison.

  Sarcha smiled again. He gave them both an understanding look. “I would guess it happened at your bonding.”

  Niklas grinned.

  Brianna frowned. “You’re looking awfully proud of yourself.” She looked at Sarcha. “You’d think he was the first man to get a woman pregnant or something,” she said dryly. The doctor looked up at her and smiled.

  Sarcha gathered his things together. His testing device beeped, drawing his attention. His smile grew wider. He turned back to Niklas.

  “Your mother will be very pleased. I must remember to congratulate her on the impending arrival of her grandchildren.”

  “Twins?” Brianna cried. This was unbelievable. “I’m having twins?” Her face was a mask of shock.

  Sarcha shook his head. “Triplets, two boys and a girl. Again, congratulations, Majesties.” Sarcha bowed, then left during the stunned silence.

  Brianna burst into tears, and Niklas was still in a state of shock, a smile firmly planted on his face.

  “Triplets?”

  “Is that all you can say?” Brianna cried. “You never told me how many children you wanted. How many are too many, Niklas?” Brianna sobbed. She was going to get fat, really fat.

  Niklas sat on the bed next to her and pulled her into his embrace. “Such silly things you think, Laharra.” He kissed the top of her head.

  * * * *

  “I will be honored to watch you grow heavy with my child. Children,” he amended. “You will only grow more beautiful as their lives grow within you.” He reached down, covering her still flat stomach with his hand. He rocked her gently as the sobs subsided to little hiccups.

  Niklas held her until her body went limp with exhaustion and her eyes drifted closed. Still he held her. He sat on the bed holding his life in his arms and thanked the Gods that he found her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  With the initial shock over, Brianna was forced to come to terms with the fact that in just six short months she would be the mother of three. “Triplets?” She laid her hand over her stomach.

  Niklas assured her that he was thrilled to know triplets were on the way. “Laharra, how could I not be pleased to know that we have been blessed so well, so soon?”

  “Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Brianna shouted, tears in her eyes. “You think three is too many, don’t you? Oh God! I’m going to get so fat,” she rolled away from him, sobbing.

  Nervous, Niklas ran a hand through his hair. This was untried ground for him. He had no idea how to handle a hysterical pregnant woman. “I said no such thing, Laharra. I merely said we have been blessed.”

  She sat up and wiped her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a baby. I know it makes you uncomfortable.” She gave him a weak smile. “You’re always so in control of everything. I know it must pain you to not know what to do with me when I get so emotional.”

  Niklas sat facing her. He leaned forward and framed her face with his hands and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “Why would you think you disappoint me, Laharra? You could never do that.” He kissed her softly on the forehead.

  * * * *

  She wrapped her arms around him, her hands resting against his firm muscular back. “I hope not. I do love you. I wouldn’t want anything to come between us. Ever.”

  “I would have nothing between us as well, Laharra.”

  Brianna held him tighter and reveled in the warmth of his embrace. “Would you just hold me for now, Niklas?”

  “I would hold you forever, Laharra,” he replied, rocking her in his arms.

  She heard the soft strains of a song. It was beautiful, although she didn’t understand the words, and comforting. She drifted toward sleep in Niklas’s arms, listening to him sing in his language. He had such a beautiful voice. It was a shame she didn’t understand the words he sang so well.

  “Tonight I will give you a language disc to listen to. It is time for you to learn the language of your people.”

  “Yes, Niklas,” she whispered. “Niklas?”

  “Yes, Brianna?”

  “I love you, Mi Daru.” She tilted her head back. Even half asleep, there was no mistaking what she wanted.

  * * * *

  Niklas grinned and placed a kiss on her puckered lips. “Rest, Laharra, while I hold you safe in my arms.” His answer was a soft snore. Niklas bowed his head and prayed. He again thanked the Gods for bringing them together. He wondered what wonderful thing he had done in his life to deserve her.

  Never had he thought to find one such as she and bring her home from so far away. He stared down at her as she slept, loving the way her eyelashes formed dark gold crescents on her cheeks. He continued to watch her as she slept, thanking all that was good that he had found her, that she was his El’edal.

  Her charm, wit, and sense of humor would be legendary on Terrna. His El’edal could make a weeping woman laugh and a grieving man smile without even trying. He blinked as the moisture in his eyes threatened to overflow. He hadn’t shed a tear since reaching manhood, yet they threatened to come now. He smiled down at Brianna. He had his El’edal to thank for that. She had awakened his slumbering heart. She had taken an empty shell of a man and taught him to love. Even if she couldn’t manage to save their world, she had already saved him. That had to mean something.

  Niklas scratched Killer behind the ears as he bent his head toward hers, his lips brushing her hair as he inhaled deeply. He took in the sweet scent that was his Brianna. She always smelled sweet, like berries. He would be forever grateful for her, his beautiful gift from the Gods.

  * * * *

  Brianna slept comfortably in his arms, more so than she had in the last few weeks. She woke after an hour, feeling refreshed and hungry.

  Niklas surprised her by suggesting an evening alone in their quarters. He even replicated a pizza for the occasion.

  “I thought I would never see another pizza again,” she cried, snatching up a slice. She crammed half a slice in her mouth as if she’d been starving. Reaching down, she tossed Killer a piece of pepperoni as he danced around her feet.

  Niklas smiled
, pleased. He would have replicated more Earth foods for her, had he known she would react this way. She ate more tonight than he’d seen her eat at any one time in the last three months on board. He wondered if her eating habits had contributed to her weight loss. Before, he had attributed her failing appetite to her being upset over being abducted, then her pregnancy. Perhaps she didn’t find Terrnan food enjoyable. The thought never occurred to him that she might have been missing the culinary delights of her world. He would have to change that.

  “I would like to see you eat like this more often, Laharra,” He said, watching as she took a third slice of pizza. “You are growing far too thin. Even now, when you should be gaining weight and getting thicker around the middle, you are too thin. I have been growing worried about you.” He watched her eat, his elbow resting on the table, his chin in his hand. He’d been even more worried since he found out she was carrying their children. She should be gaining weight by leaps and bounds, not losing it to the point of emaciation.

  He observed her closely, troubled. When had those dark crescents appeared beneath her eyes? He noticed for the first time how her clothing hung from her like poorly fashioned sacks. She’d lost so much weight. Why hadn’t he noticed it before? Had he been so self-centered, worrying only about himself and his people?

  Niklas berated himself. She was in his care, and he was failing her. She had gifted him with her heart, soul and body, and he had abused her trust by neglecting her health. He had been ignoring her needs for his own base desires. Never again would he fail her. Never again would he make the mistake of placing his own needs above that of his beloved Brianna.

  “Thank you for the pizza, Niklas. It was delicious,” Brianna said, licking her fingers.

  Niklas, distracted, watched as she stuck the tips of her fingers into her mouth. He swallowed repeatedly trying to keep his mind on mundane things. Not what that tongue would feel like sliding over his body. What it would feel like if she took him into her hot, wet mouth. He shook his head and looked away. “Excuse me?”

  Brianna smiled. “What were you thinking? You looked like you were a million miles away.”

  He stood up, gathering the dishes. “I was just thinking that I have never seen you enjoy a meal more.”

  “And you probably won’t see me enjoy a meal more. Pizza is my all-time favorite.” She stood and helped him remove the dishes. They took them to the replicator counter and set them down. “You know, I’ll never tire of seeing the dirty dishes disappear before my eyes. No more dishpan hands or food particles stuck to the clean dishes in the dishwasher. Woo hoo!”

  Niklas grinned, “It is fast becoming one of my favorites as well.” He found, to his surprise, that he would gladly consume dirt if she would only keep eating like she did tonight. “What other kinds of foods do you like? I had Shona program the replicator with hundreds of Earth dishes I thought you might enjoy.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that before?” Brianna asked. “Do you mean to tell me that while all of this time that I’ve been trying to choke down that other stuff you call food, you were capable of feeding me something I like?” She shot him a dirty look.

  Niklas shrugged. “I honestly didn’t think of it before. Besides, you do have to get used to eating Terrnan food. It will be served at State dinners and other formal events. It wouldn’t do to have our Queen gagging on the food at a bureaucratic dinner.”

  * * * *

  Brianna sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Let’s make a deal of one day on, one day off.”

  Niklas looked at her, his head tilted to one side. “Let me see if I understand you correctly. One day you eat Earth dishes, the next you eat Terrnan?”

  She nodded, “Yes, except for cravings.” She shook her finger at him. “Cravings don’t count. If I’m craving Earth food, you have to give it to me, even if it’s not the right day.” She shuddered. “The same goes for Terrnan food. Although I don’t see that happening.” She looked at him and grinned. “Especially if it’s in the middle of the night.”

  Niklas raised his brow.

  She loved that about him. He looked so darn sexy it made her shiver.

  “Do you plan on having many of these midnight cravings?”

  She shook her head. “Oh, I hope not. I plan on keeping you busy in other ways,” she skimmed her hand lightly up his arm to cup his cheek. “Just look at the bright side.”

  He looked skeptical. “There is a bright side to getting up in the middle of the night to replicate food for these cravings you expect to get?”

  “Sure there is. At least you won’t have to run to a twenty-four hour grocery store. All you’re going to have to do is hotfoot it to the replicator.”

  Niklas leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “Hmmm…hotfoot it to the replicator, huh? What’s in it for me?”

  Brianna put her hands on his broad shoulders and swallowed thickly. “Um…” She licked her lips and tried again. “I um…think we could arrange something.”

  “A trade of some sort?” He nibbled her ear, suckling the lobe softly.

  “Um hmm.”

  He slid his tongue around her ear, holding her as her knees gave way. “We may have a deal, Your Highness.”

  “Oh, yes,” she breathed. “I believe we do.”

  Niklas straightened, keeping one hand on Brianna, holding her steady. He reached behind him and pulled a case from the shelf behind him. “First, you have to listen to this. You only have one more month left,” Niklas said as he opened the case. He pulled out a flat orange piece of plastic. At least it looked like plastic.

  Brianna frowned. “What’s this?” She took it and turned it over in her hands, examining it.

  “It’s the language disc I’ve told you about.” He took the disc from her and placed it into a slot on the wall. He then opened a small drawer and took out two very small items, which resembled ball bearings. He placed them in her ears. Soon she could hear soft strains of music. Oh! They were headphones, well, sort of. “Wait, this must be the wrong disc. I only hear music.”

  “That is all you will hear, Laharra. It is a subliminal disc.”

  “Oh, I guess I wasn’t paying attention when you mentioned it before. Sorry.” She bit her lip and shrugged.

  “No need for apologies, my love. You have had much on your mind of late.”

  “You’re not kidding. That’s the understatement of the year.” She smiled crookedly. “How does this work? Do I have to be listening or does it work whether I’m paying attention to it or not?”

  “It works best when you are quiet or sleeping, but it is working now as well.”

  Brianna nodded. “Cool, I don’t suppose you have any of these on math or science do you?” Her look was so hopeful it made Niklas grin.

  “Sorry, all of the educational discs are on Terrna. We only have the language discs with us,” he apologized.

  Brianna frowned. “Bummer.”

  “Why don’t you lie down and listen to the disc while I take your mind off talking for a while.” Niklas leered at her.

  She gave him a scorching look. “Sounds promising. Just what did you have planned?”

  Niklas stepped closer, the leer remaining on his handsome face.

  She grinned and backed up. It was a dance, one of seduction. He took one step forward, then Brianna took one step back, until she backed into the edge of the bed. Brianna knew that look. She struggled to keep her breathing slow and even. Heat already pooled in her stomach. It was a slow burn that began as soon as he looked at her with need in his eyes.

  He took her in his arms, gently laid her on the bed, and covered her body with his own, careful not to put too much weight on her. Desire burned in his eyes. His mind was a smoldering sensual haze, filled with hunger and love for her, combined with the yearning he felt for her body. Their minds melded, and, as before, their link grew stronger. Every melding brought their hearts, minds, and souls closer.

  Brianna felt the clothing separating them. The whisper of her silk camisole slipp
ing over her skin, the rough material of the jeans he’d come to love wearing scraped sensuously against her sensitive flesh.

  He removed her clothing slowly, reverently. Indulging himself, he kissed every inch of her newly exposed body. When he finally removed her panties, revealing the golden hair at the apex of her thighs, Brianna was writhing on the bed. Her mind, unable to focus on anything but the ache deep in her belly, she barely kept herself from crying out for release.

  He kissed her lower abdomen, licking his way from one hip to the other. He lapped at her skin, tonguing the crease of her thigh. Brianna’s breath hitched with anticipation. Part of her wanted this, the other wanted him to enter her, to feel him thrusting against her with abandon.

  He dipped his head to her moistened center, and she moaned her pleasure. She fisted her hands in the sheets. Then they moved to bury themselves in his ebony hair of their own volition.

  He suckled and laved, bringing her to a fevered pitch. Brianna screamed her release, grinding her hips upward, her thighs closing, holding him against her.

  Niklas crawled his way back up her trembling body. He kissed her briefly, allowing her to taste her own essence. Then pulled away slowly to stand and remove his clothing.

  He towered over her, his bronzed skin glistening with a fine sheen of perspiration. Brianna let her gaze wander lower, giving him a seductive smile. He was tan all over.

  He slowly lowered himself to the bed. His warm skin brushed against hers, the downy hair on his chest teased her erect nipples. He kissed her deeply, and suddenly she couldn’t think. She only knew she wanted Niklas beyond the sex, beyond his good looks. She loved him more than life itself. In that moment, she realized she would gladly die for him.