by Grey, Lena
And how does my TEASE know what a Rakui is when the species isn’t even listed in Jillian’s database?
I wiggle out of Trauhn’s arms and sit up, being careful not to wake him, and use my fingers to reset the microcomputer. I’m not much of a technical wizard, but turning computers off and on again fixes a lot of glitches. When my TEASE is back online, I touch the Bioscan option and read the results.
PULSE RATE 130. HIGH.
BLOOD PRESSURE 130/95. HIGH.
Yeah, yeah. My heart is racing and my blood pressure is up. No shit.
BLOOD TYPE: O.
VITAL ORGANS: HEALTHY.
SKELETEL SYSTEM: INTACT.
I don’t care about these kinds of readings and quickly scroll past them.
EARLY OVULATION: INITIATED.
IMPREGNATION: SUCCESSFUL.
TERRAN-ALIEN CONCEPTION: COMPLETE.
FATHER SPECIES: RAKUI.
ESTIMATED GESTATIONAL PERIOD: SIX TERRAN MONTHS.
No, no, NO.
This can’t be happening. There has to be an error. I reset the microcomputer again but receive the same messages.
Oh God.
Even if my TEASE was able to initiate ovulation, instantaneous pregnancy just doesn’t happen with Terran biology. Unless SPECIES SURVIVAL MODE altered my biology to allow it to happen...
Trauhn stirs beside me. “Why no sleep, Ken-zee?”
I’m not sure if I should tell him that I’m pregnant already. He won’t understand the technology in play and will likely think I was crazy. Unless instantaneous pregnancy is a Rakui thing. Maybe Rakui males have super sperm that make instant babies who aree born in just six months.
“I’m pregnant,” I whisper, my expression grim.
“I do not understand pregnunt.”
Right. He called a baby a kit. “There is a kit.” I put my hand on my abdomen. “Here.”
“Trauhn and Ken-zee make kit?” Grinning, he sits up and pulls me onto his lap, hugging me tight.
I’m shocked by his unbridled joy. He doesn’t question the veracity of my claim, or how I know I was pregnant, he just accepts the news with enthusiasm.
A range of emotions wash over me. Ben and I had a baby scare once, six months or so before I ended the relationship. Trauhn wants me to have his baby and is thrilled by the news. Ben’s reaction was the opposite of Trauhn’s. First Ben accused me of lying and then of trying to trap him. The scare turned out to be a false alarm, but if I had been pregnant, he expected me to terminate the baby.
Trauhn’s smile fades. “Why Ken-zee sad?”
“Well, this is all very sudden. We just met and we only…mated…once. I’m not ready to have a baby…I mean a kit.”
“Kit good for Trauhn and Ken-zee. Good for Rakui tribe.”
He thinks I’m staying and won’t be happy when he finds out I’m leaving the planet and taking his unborn baby with me. “Is it common for Rakuis to make a kit this fast? Right after they mate?”
“No. Male and female mate again and again. Then, many suns pass before a female knows of kit. Elders say fast kit is blessing from ancestors.” He puts his hand on my abdomen. “Trauhn say Ken-zee and fast kit is gift from gods.”
When he kisses me tenderly, I burst into tears.
Chapter 17
Trauhn
* * *
I hold my Ken-zee while she weeps, stroking her hair to soothe her sadness. When Rakui females realize they are carrying a kit, the entire tribe celebrates the occasion with a giant feast. I do not understand why Ken-zee is so upset because I have never been happier in my life.
Finding and claiming my mate after being alone for so long brings me happiness and peace. Making a kit during our initial bonding is a sign. We are meant to be together forevermore. Ken-zee does not seem to understand this and I do not know how to explain it to her.
Perhaps it is a Terran custom for a female to weep when she discovers she is carrying a kit. I prefer that explanation over another more troubling one: that my mate is not happy about becoming a mother. That thought dampens my joy.
“Imtooyoungtohaveababy. Imonlytwentythree. Ishouldntevenbepregnant. Wasntsupposedtobeovulating. Myteasedidthist.”
I hold her while she rambles in her foreign tongue, wishing I could understand what she was saying, wishing I could converse with her, wishing I could make her happy again.
“Yourereallygreat. AndIdohavefeelingsforyou. Butthiswassupposedtobejustafling. Itsnotlikeweregettingmarried. WhentherescuecomesImleaving. HowcanIraiseanalienbabybymyself? Idonthaveanyfamilyormoney. Thisisallsoscary.”
Tears streak down her soft, pale cheeks, and I wipe them away. I do not know what else to do.
“Jillianisgoingtofreakoutwhenshehearsthenews. Maybeshellhelpmeraisethebaby. Werelikesistersyouknow. ShestheclosestthingIhavetofamily. Family. Ivealwayswantedafamily. Andyouwouldbeagreathusband. Agreatdad. Leavingwouldbeeaiserifyouwerentsohot. Orsogoodinbed. Orsohappyabouthavingababy.”
She will go on until daybreak if I do not stop her. I put a finger against her lips, and she quiets down. “Ken-zee rest now.” I pull her down to the furs with me and tuck her against my chest.
After a time, she asks, “Tomorrow, can we help find my friends?” I can hear the fear and overwhelm in her voice.
“When the suns rise, Trauhn take Ken-zee to Rakui village. Then look for more females.”
“Thankyew.”
This is a strange world to her, and she is separated from her tribe—from Jill-ee-un and her friends. And now she has a new life growing inside of her. I must be patient with my mate, give her time to adjust to her new life here, her new life with me.
I stay awake until her breathing grows heavy and even, telling me she is finally asleep. I will give my Ken-zee as much time as she needs to adjust to her new life. My mate is worth it.
* * *
We leave the hunting cave at daybreak after a quiet meal of cold gryzen and banan fruit. Ken-zee does not eat much which is concerning. She should be eating for two yet she only picks at her food.
I keep the pace slow because I know she is tired and I do not want to push her too hard. I offer to carry her, but she insists on walking. So I sling her pack over my shoulder, take her hand and guide her along the tree line.
When I woke with Ken-zee still in my arms, her scent called to me, stoking the fire that still burned in my loins. We mated again, a slow and tender coupling with much kiss-zing that satisfied me every bit as much as our passionate encounter the night before. I will never grow tired of hearing my mate’s cries of pleasure or the feel of her sheath clenching my cock when she finds her release.
Rakui males often say that pleasure sharing has an uplifting effect on their mates. Because of this, I had hoped that mating again would pull Ken-zee from her somber mood. It did not. So we travel in quiet until the suns are high in the sky.
“Will you tell me about the plant life here?” she asks, finally breaking the silence. “Itlltakemymindoffmyfuckedupfuture.”
Her interest in my world gives me a glimmer of hope. She needs joy, so I decide not to tell her about the dangerous living vines that grow from the trappol tree. Instead, I stop and pick a bloom from a flowering plant. “This is ryn flower.”
“Ryn flower?” Her eyes perk. “It’s so pretty. It looks kind of like an Urth lily.”
“Ryn flower is food.” I crack open the center bulb of the flower to reveal a thick, creamy center and hand it to her.
She looks at me with a question in her eyes. “Uh, are you sure it’s safe?”
I nod. To prove it to her, I pluck another bloom, crack open the center, scoop out the cream with my finger and pop it into my mouth. “Now Ken-zee eat.”
“If you say so.” She eats the ryn cream. “Hmm. It tastes a little like nut butter. Not peanut butter, really. More like cashew.”
I do not know what nut butter is but pick more blooms to eat, grateful that she is ingesting sustenance. When we both have enough, I crush the flowers in my hands and sprinkle the
m on the ground.
“Why did you do that?”
“Ryn on ground is good. Grow new ryn to feed Rakui.”
“Oh, I get it. Itsthewholecircleoflifething. Notgoingtobreakintosongareyou?”
I smile. Ken-zee reverting to her native tongue makes me happy. I enjoy hearing her voice even if I do not understand what she is saying. We travel further before stopping again.
“This is zimzee tree.” I tug on one of the large, flat boughs. My tribe uses the boughs in many ways. The most common uses for them are padding under a sleeping fur or as ground coverings when hides are scarce.
“It smells good,” Ken-zee says. “Like pine.”
I will have to take her word for it. Pointing to a low, prickly bush, I say, “Plutcy bush bad. No eat.”
Ken-zee bends over to examine the sharp needles. When she reaches out to touch one, I stop her.
“No touch.” How do I describe the danger of being stuck by the poisonous needles, which cause instant though temporary loss of muscle function? Ah, yes. “Plutcy bush stun like Ken-zee gun.”
She yanks her hand back. “Goodtoknow.” She looks into the distance. “How much further until we reach the Rakui village?”
I glance at the sky. “When the suns fall to here,” I point below the trees in the direction of the black water, “we reach village.”
“Not much further,” she says, relieved. I begin moving again but she stops to pick something up. “What’s this?”
In her palm she holds a round, smooth object made of foreign metal. Panicked, I snatch it from her hand. I have never seen anything like it before.
“Hey, I was looking at that.” She is angry with me, but the object does not look safe.
“Danger.” I throw it as hard and as far as I can. When it lands somewhere in the distance, it makes a loud sound with light and smoke. My instinct serves me well. “Magic fire ball. Danger from rogues.”
Ken-zee throws herself into my arms and I hold her tight. “Holyshit. Thatwassomekindofbomb. Orahightechhandgrenade.”
It bothers me that the fire ball was found in plain sight on a well-traveled Rakui path so close to his village. Rogues usually leave my tribe alone. Perhaps it is a trap.
“What’s wrong?” Ken-zee says quietly.
“Trauhn not know. Listen for danger.” She nods and draws her stun blaster.
We stand still for some time, listening intently for signs of a nearby rogue. All I hear are the typical sounds of the forest. A wandering rogue must have misplaced the weapon. I relax my grip on Ken-zee. “We are safe for now, my mate. Do not worry.”
The encounter increases my urgency to return to the tribe. Remmel and I could not have been the only males on the planet to see the wingless flyers fall from the sky. If the rogues know the flyers contain females, they will want them, too. I need to gather the best Rakui hunters to find Ken-zee’s friends before the rogues do.
Ken-zee tugs at my arm. “If we’re safe, why do you look so worried?”
I force myself to relax from my fighting stance. “Trauhn no worry. In hurry to return to village.”
Ken-zee smiles. “Would it make you feel better if you carried me the rest of the way?”
I nod vigorously. “Ken-zee slow. Trauhn fast.”
This time, I kneel and have her climb onto my back. With Ken-zee’s legs wrapped around my waist and her arms clinging to my shoulders, I sprint forward.
Soon, I will introduce my mate to the tribe. I know that some, like Remmel, will consider her a rogue. But our mating, and the conception of our kit, is cause for celebration. To me, she is already Rakui and I will fight for her rightful place in the tribe.
And her rightful place is by my side.
Chapter 18
Kenzie
* * *
I hold on tight as Trauhn runs through the trees, presumably in the direction of the Rakui village. Despite my added weight, he isn’t breathing hard and has barely broken a sweat. The dude has some serious stamina.
I wonder if the Alliance has pinpointed our location yet. The tracking beacons should make it easy. Hopefully, a rescue ship has been dispatched. Maybe it already landed.
Trauhn has been so respectful of my change in moods. Ever since I realized I was pregnant, I’ve been inconsolable and he’s done everything right. He held me, fed me, gave me space, distracted me with plant facts and protected me from danger. I can’t imagine a guy from Earth being so caring and sensitive. Ben would have told me to stop feeling sorry for myself and to call him when I was done being a bitch.
It’s too bad I can’t stay with him. Despite being pregnant, I still want to finish college, start my career, travel the galaxy. Can I afford to do all those things as a single parent of a half-alien baby? A baby that’ll be born three months prematurely but also right on time because alien biology is weird?
When I get back to Earth, maybe I can get a lawyer and sue the government for not disclosing that my TEASE was programmed with a secret SPECIES SURVIVAL MODE. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. Make them pay for messing with my biology and fucking up my life.
Just when I’m about to ask Trauhn if we can take a break, he slows to a walk and points straight ahead. “Rakui village is there.
All I see are more trees until Trauhn carries me into a clearing nestled against the hillside. “Wow.”
The scene before me looks like something from a history book. Ancient history. The village is flanked on one side by a large river and the hillside on the other. In the center of the clearing is a large, communal fire pit. Dozens of small, teepee-shaped structures dot the surrounding landscape and a couple dozen Rakuis are moving about with purpose.
Trauhn puts me down and lets out a whistle. Two mammoth Rakui warriors appear almost out of nowhere. They beat their fists against their chests, throw their heads back and howl. Trauhn does the same.
“Rakui Welcome Cry,” he tells me.
He did the Rakui Welcome Cry before, when he and Remmel first approached me and Jillian on the beach. It scared the shit out of us.
“It doesn’t feel very welcoming,” I said. “Idpreferafistbumporsomething.” Trauhn just shrugs.
The two Rakuis eye me warily while they speak to Trauhn in their native language. They don’t appear surprised to see me.
“Chegg says Remmel and Jill-ee-un return with more females,” Trauhn says to me.
“All of them?” I ask excitedly.
Trauhn shakes his head and holds up one hand. “This many.” Three fingers and a thumb…so four of the other girls have been found.
I grab Trauhn’s arm. “We need to find the others!”
He takes my face in his hands. “When the suns rise again, Rakui warriors go find more females.”
I wish the search party could leave right away, but it’ll be nightfall in a few hours which makes that impractical and dangerous. Are the other girls still alive? And if so, will they survive another night on their own? We really need the Alliance rescue to arrive.
“Thank God, you’re safe! I was getting worried.”
“Jillian!” I turn at the sound of Jillian’s voice and throw my arms around her neck. I’ve never been so happy to see her. “We had a few adventures on the way here which slowed us down.”
Jillian waggles her eyebrows. “I’ll bet you did. I can’t wait to hear all about them.”
She looks a little rough, but she’s in better shape than me because her face isn’t a puffy mess from crying herself to sleep the night before.
I feel Trauhn’s hand on my lower back. “Trauhn speak to elders now. Ken-zee go with Jill-ee-un to see more females.”
I don’t want him to leave me which is an unfamiliar feelting. I’m not the clingy type. “I want you to meet my friends. Can’t you come with us?”
He smiles gently and hands me my pack. “Soon. Ken-zee go with Jill-ee-un.”
“Yeah, let’s go, Kenz.” Jillian loops her arm through mine. “You’ll have plenty of time to be with lover boy later.”
> “Which girls did you find?” I ask as she drags me away from Trauhn and leads me on a path toward the hillside.
“Layla, Jade, Emily and Reese.”
“How are they doing?”
“Pretty good. Better than you, I think. What’s wrong?”
“Other than being stranded on UD237?” I laugh it off. “How are you feeling?”
“My feet hurt, but we didn’t encounter any real trouble. Now quit stalling.” She stops and stares at me. “You and Trauhn seem super loved up which means you should be flying high on orgasm-induced endorphins. Instead, you’re totally stressed out.”
Jillian is good at reading my moods. But I’m not ready to tell her about the baby. I’m still trying to get used to the idea myself.
“We found four of the girls and got to the village late last night,” she prods. “You and Trauhn should have beat us here. Instead, you’re almost a day behind us. Something more than sex happened during that extra day, so spill it.”
Sighing, I say, “We got attacked.”
“By what? The rogue aliens that Remmel told me about?”
“No, it was animals. A pack of creepy wolf-bat things that Trauhn called serigs.”
Jillian swears under her breath. “What happened?”
“Trauhn put me up in a tree where it was safe and took the whole pack on by himself.” My eyes tear up at the memory. “They almost killed him, Jilly.”
“But they didn’t kill him, did they?”
“No.”
“How did you get away?”
“I used my stun blaster to scare them off. Trauhn was in bad shape by then and passed out. So I cleaned his wounds and waited for him to wake up. Rakuis heal fast, but he still needed to rest.”
“I’m glad he’s okay.” Jillian gives me a quick hug. “Once he was rested, did you scratch that itch?”
“What a thing to ask after I just chronicled our brush with death.” Maybe I am stalling. “How about you and Remmel? Did you do any itch-scratching before you found the girls?”
