by Rena Marks
“Location API-L5,” she said, following the tiny lines that criss-crossed on the map. Where they’d agreed to meet was where the security team waited.
“Location of Museum of Otherworldly Facts,” the computer verified, and the spacecraft lifted, the gravity and equilibrium calibrating for their weight. It zipped through the parking lot.
As soon as they reached the parking area of the museum, the hovercraft floated into a position near an empty parking spot.
“Hold,” Irina said. “Alternate spot.”
The hovercraft turned slightly. “Forward.”
They searched out the black hovercraft used by Jason’s team. A small flashing light caught her eye just as Blaze spoke.
“There.”
“Left. Parking slot A-56.”
The hovercraft settled in the space next to their own vehicle. Next to them, the door slid open.
“Computer, program command,” Irina said. “In one hundred and twenty minutes, return route.”
“Home destination verified.”
She fished the key out of Blaze’s pocket and kissed him lightly before tossing the key into a pocket on the dash. “Exiting vehicle.”
The doors slid open, and Jason and Sam tossed something inside. A small black hat for Blaze to cover up his eye-catching hair. He slid it onto his head as they positioned themselves to block the view while they slid from one vehicle to the other.
Inside their own much larger hovercraft, Reson and Lorelei waited.
“It’s about time,” Reson grinned.
As soon as the doors closed, Jason switched the newsfeed on. He and Sam buckled themselves in the standing, padded seats in the center of the area while the feed played for the ride back to Earth-Ground.
“—pressure condensed and caused the explosion at the hotel where The World Hematologists Conference of Theta Eight was being hosted by the United Matschessi Medical Facilities. No one was injured in the blast as the suite had been vacated earlier by two visiting Xeno Sapien bodyguards escorting Dr. Irina Mescar to the meetings. Several witnesses reported the Xenians receiving an urgent phone call to return earlier. It is unknown why the room received a pressure condensation around the doorway.”
Irina snorted. “No one mentions that we couldn’t have left on our own with our luggage being left behind?”
“I’m sure they’re combing through it for any clues,” Lorelei said, her face pale. “I’m really sorry about this.”
“You didn’t do anything but help us get away,” Irina said. “What will they think about you going missing?”
“I’m not sure. I know my father wouldn’t want us to be associated in any way with Xeno Sapiens. The files I had saved were the last of the destroyed evidence of any involvement. He doesn’t know I kept those.”
Irina had a feeling her father would pretend that Lorelei wasn’t missing. He would leave her on her own, never knowing whether she was cared for or not. Her heart broke for her.
It was such a shame that a parent could be so unfeeling toward their own offspring. Perhaps it was because men couldn’t carry a pregnancy, so they were more detached? Of course, it wasn’t true in all cases, but generally.
Something niggled in her mind. Perhaps Covet needed a mate. He didn’t have one—maybe genetically he was programmed to need female pheromones to be a more nurturing male? So that one day, he wouldn’t be the uncaring type of father Lorelei’s was?
Chapter Twelve
“Welcome home,” Robyn said. She stood next to Steele as they entered the main hub. Jason had called ahead to let them know they had Lorelei with them. Irina was sure Robyn had already done a full background sweep on her.
“Thanks,” Irina murmured. “This is Lorelei Matschessi. She helped us get away—and helped us get the information we needed inside the labs.” She fished the slip of paper with the older couple’s information on it. “These are also possible allies on the outside. They loaned us their vehicle to sneak away without drones catching on. They assured us they didn’t need compensation but are interested in a visit.”
“I’ll delve into it,” Robyn said, pocketing the paper and nodding at Lorelei.
“How’s Covet?”
Robyn looked worried, but before she could speak, his voice rang out.
“Well, there you are, precious.” The look in his eyes was off; the intonation of his voice odd. He drawled out his words as if he’d become another person. He was shirtless and barefoot. Before she could react, Covet lifted her hand and licked up her bare arm, all the way to her shoulder.
“What the fuck?” Blaze snarled.
“Blaze, don’t hit him!”
Blaze’s fist trembled from the force of holding it back. Covet stood calmly, blinking at him as if nothing had happened. The entire room tensed, several Xeno Sapiens stepping forward.
“Please, baby, don’t hit him. You’ll regret it. Trust me.” She worried that it was so soon from the conference where he was forced to pretend she wasn’t his and had to watch others flirt with her. “Blaze, I love you. You’re my mate, remember? No one else.”
Reson placed a grip on his bicep. “It’s just Covet, man. He’s sick. You know that.”
“Who is this prime piece?” Covet said, his eyes glued to Lorelei.
Reson dropped his hand from Blaze and stepped closer to Lorelei with a snarl at Covet.
“Covet.” Irina snapped her fingers. “Covet, how are you feeling?” Irina said, taking his attention off the new girl.
“You left me,” he accused.
“To make you better.” She stepped in closer to him. “And I have a plan now. Thanks to Lorelei’s help, we have a formula for synthetic blood for you. I can take a scope to make sure my theory is correct.”
“Theory?” he sneered. “How about if you just give me what all you human women are putting out for my brothers? Spread your thighs, precious, and let me sink into your wet heat.”
Lorelei gasped as Blaze stepped forward.
“Cove, you’re not yourself right now. Back away from my mate.”
“Go to hell,” Covet snarled. The red and blue hues on his chest blended into purple, deepening as it spread upward to his face. His dark purple skin deepened to nearly black, and his sharp cheekbones became more pronounced, almost to the point of harsh blades jutting from his skin. A vein on his forehead throbbed as he clenched his fists, ready to strike.
A hiss had him dropping into Steele’s arms. From behind him, Steele had injected him with a sedative shot.
“Jesus,” Lorelei breathed. “He’s scary as fuck.”
“Covet, stay with me,” Irina said, snapping her fingers before his eyes, which had glazed over from the drugs as he held still in Steele’s arms. “Get him onto a stretcher. Gently,” she snapped as the men lifted him and dropped him onto the hoverboard.
“He’s gotten much worse,” Robyn said. “His episodes are more and more frequent since he collapsed from the organ migration. His appearance is changing, his features sharpening, and his mind seems unable to keep up.”
“I have a crazy theory of what’s going on, but I want to be sure before I reveal it,” Irina said. “Now that Lorelei has gotten us a synthetic blood type to match him, we can scope underneath the muscle of the abdomen and see if I’m correct about what I suspect is causing all this.” As she spoke, she felt carefully around his abs. He groaned softly.
“I know you’re sore, sweetie,” she murmured. “I’m going to help you.”
Another Xeno Sapien stepped in to grab the board at Covet’s feet. Between him and Steele, they carried him to Medbay.
Amanda and Robyn followed the progression to the room they placed him in.
“What is going on with him?” Amanda asked.
“It’s just a crazy theory,” she said. “But bear with me, and you’ll see it makes sense.”
She shined a penlight into Covet’s eyes, checking his dilation. He seemed to be lost in a fantasy in his head, muttering nonsensical phrases to himself.
“Here are the facts. His hormones are making him crazy. He has a thickened, protective panel over his abdomen. All of his abdominal organs have been pushed up into his chest cavity, protected by his ribs. Naturally, it’s painful to the point of making him crazy. But the pain has come on gradually, so it’s not instantly debilitating.”
“So his biggest issue?” Robyn asked.
“It’s the sudden influx of a hormonal imbalance that’s driving him to insanity. Paranoia, bitterness, jealousy, tears. It’s triggered by smelling the pheromones of mating males and females. The hormonal imbalance is due to having his organs shrink and move around in his torso. Making room.”
“For what?” Amanda asked, bewildered.
“That’s the theory. Ladies, help me roll him onto his front, and get ready for this.”
Covet groaned as they moved him.
“Instead of a scanner, I’m going to do an old-fashioned ultrasound,” Irina said, grabbing a wand and smearing lube on his back to use as a conductor.
“Whatever for?”
“That,” she breathed.
In his emptied abdominal cavity lay a sack, cushioned up against the thick, muscled layer of his abdomen. Inside the sack squirmed something. An infant.
“A male pregnancy?” Robyn sounded horrified.
“Yes. At least we know what’s going on finally.”
Amanda palpitated his sides and back. “Why would his body produce a thickened plate to protect his abdomen but not his back?”
“I’ll have to guess that having half human genes meant that his body couldn’t produce it all the way around.”
Robyn had taken over the ultrasound, quickly mapping out measurements from the infant’s head, exposed arm, the sack itself. “I’d say he’s about four or five pounds, but I’ll know more when these totals get tallied up.”
“I wouldn’t say he.”
Both women looked puzzled. Irina went on to explain. “We know that Xeno Sapiens have a stronger DNA, and it takes over the human portion, enabling the infants to carry the same sex as their parent. In this case, Covet is male so the baby should be male. However, there is no human DNA to share. This baby contains only Covet’s genes.”
“Parthenogenesis? But Covet isn’t female.”
“No, not exactly parthenogenesis but similar. All the rules seem to be bending here.”
“Irina’s right. We have to keep open minds. If the baby wasn’t curled forward, we could probably see what he or she is before it gets too much bigger,” Amanda said.
“Amniocentesis is out of the question,” Irina said. “We don’t know what the placenta is attached to. I don’t know how an open abdominal cavity can act as a womb. What is feeding the infant?”
“The abdominal wall,” Robyn said. “When Heather, Jett, and Brax had the twins, they fed from the egg itself. When Jett and Brax hibernate in a cocoon, the shell feeds them.”
“I agree with Irina,” Amanda said. “Conventional tests are too risky with the unknown here. Unfortunately, Covet is one of the species that we have almost no data on to cross reference.”
“At least we know what the issue is now,” Robyn said.
Covet groaned.
“Let’s flip him. Covet? Can you hear me? This is Amanda. Robyn, Irina, and I are going to turn you onto your back. Can you help us a little?”
He nodded and the flip was much easier with his help.
“What’s happening?” He looked directly at Irina as he spoke.
“Just a little episode in the mess hall,” she said.
He closed his eyes as he remembered. “Shit, I don’t know what gets into me.”
“We do. It’s a sudden flux of hormones that causes an imbalance. And your body is already stressed from your organs pushed up into your chest. The liver itself is an anger organ. Moving it from the location where it resides produces extra chemicals that cause a rush of rage. Anger toward mated couples, which can also equate to jealousy you wouldn’t normally feel.”
“Why the hell are my organs shifting?”
“They’re making room in your abdomen for a growing baby. You’re procreating, Covet.”
“I’m what?”
“Producing offspring. You’re pregnant, I guess you could say.”
His eyes blazed a path down to his flat, muscular abdomen.
“Obviously, you’re not going to swell the way a female might. Instead, your organs are being shoved upward and your abdomen is being protected by the new muscled wall to encapsulate it. But trust me. There is a tiny baby inside you.”
“How? I mean…I’m not seeing anyone…”
“We haven’t figured out the how though I’ve been working on a theory. You’re good friends with Blaze and Reson—both have suddenly become sexually active. Their pheromones are rubbing off on you, and you’re reproducing asexually. Without a mate. Without a partner.”
“Fucking hell. What am I gonna do with it?” He looked bewildered, staring at his body.
“Covet, we’ll do what we can to help you through this. You know that,” Robyn said, clasping his hand with hers. “Whatever you wish to do. Adoption. Raising him or her by yourself.”
“I don’t know a fucking thing about babies. I’ve barely seen the twins. I don’t even know how old Kaden is.” He closed his eyes, leaning back.
“If you choose to raise it, you’ll learn the same way the rest of us do,” Robyn said. “You’ll have so much support. I can even start looking around for a nanny.”
His eyes shot open. “How? I thought we were keeping reproduction a secret?”
Robyn shrugged. “We’ll advertise discreetly. Announce a position, let them assume it’s housekeeping related but see which resume may contain child-rearing, nannying, or teaching experience. Once she’s hired, we’ll spring it upon her. Hey, we found Nanna Elsa, right?”
He nodded, accepting the idea.
“I’d also suggest letting others know what’s going on,” Irina said softly. “This isn’t a burden you should carry for yourself. And others need to be aware so they can take care around your aggressive moods. It’s not fair to pick a fight and not let them be aware of the consequences that could bring.”
He nodded. “I guess the sooner this is out there, the less awkward it’ll be. Shit, now I regret teasing Blaze about having blue balls. I’ll forever be known as the dude who gave birth.” He winced. “People are gonna want to know where it comes out of. Hell, I’m kinda worried about that.”
“It’ll be fine. We’re nothing if not strange,” Robyn said. “Don’t worry about the birth. A cesarean section will be easy. We have synthetic blood now thanks to your sneaky doctor and your two best friends. I’ll hold a meeting and notify the Esson Four group about your condition. They can spread the news telepathically.”
“Fucking hell.” The poor man still stared at his belly. “I have to admit I was a bit vain about having these abs. Now I know what they were protecting.”
Amanda and Robyn left the room, but Irina stayed behind to comfort him.
“I’m sorry,” Covet said. “I was jealous of you and Blaze. I shouldn’t have provoked him the way I did.”
“I know. Really, your hormones are completely out of control. Not all of this is on you. But this is the time when you’ll need to lean on your buddies. Do you want me to get them in here? Or do you want me to explain things?”
“I don’t care if you tell them. But I need to apologize. Will you get them both in here?” She caressed his forehead lightly, nodding.
She went to the door but didn’t have far to search for Blaze. He sat in a waiting area with Reson and a few others. She motioned for the two of them, bringing them into the hallway.
“Robyn is going to make an announcement about what’s going on, but he’s asking for you two. He wants to apologize, but I need to let you know that if he gets crazy angry again, you need to ignore his anger and know that it’s not him. Remember the rage is caused by a rush of hormones from his imbalanced system.
”
“How about if we just knock him out until you figure out what’s wrong, doc?” Reson cracked his knuckles.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” she said gently. “In fact, that’s why we need everyone to know what’s going on. But as his best friends, you two get the honor of knowing first. Covet’s pregnant.”
Both jaws dropped. Irina reached up and tapped them both on the chin, causing them to snap their mouths closed.
“Follow me.”
Chapter Thirteen
Irina stood with Robyn out in the hallway as Reson and Blaze visited their friend.
“Oh, no, I forgot about Lorelei with all the excitement.” Irina cranked her head around.
“She’s safe,” Robyn said. “I have her working on a project. Your elderly couple? She’s making arrangements for their visit and initiating background checks for me.”
“Has there been any announcements about Lorelei going missing?”
“Not one. If I had to guess, I’d say daddy doesn’t want to be linked to Xeno Sapiens in any way, shape or form. Especially since they obviously worked with Crested Ute and he destroyed the evidence. Lucky for us, Lorelei saved what she could.”
“The synthetic blood formulas will be a lifesaver.”
“They definitely will,” Robyn murmured. “By the way, your elderly couple are delightful. The background check was completely positive, and I called to speak to them. They’re excited about coming out here. The other doctors, Sam, Eric, and Amanda, are going to clear the day tomorrow and see if they can’t help you create the synthetic blood so you can get going on that. Blaze said he can see to Joseph and Marjorie’s visit.”
Irina smiled. “He’ll be so good with them. He’s turned into quite the social butterfly. You should have seen him at the conference.”
“I did, remember? You couldn’t look away from your mate.”
Irina laughed. She’d forgotten she wore the glasses.
* * * * *
Blaze beat his wings with a powerful stroke, feeling them lift his body to soar through the air. The only feeling that beat lift off was flying with Irina in his arms. She trusted him implicitly, and their bodies melded perfectly.
