A grin lit up Kur’tok’s face. It was the first time I’d seen him look comfortable since everyone’s arrival.
“I know you,” Kur’tok said. His tail moved lazily back and forth in amusement. “You’re the one who crashed the ‘ship.’”
“How does he know that?” Levi complained, crossing his arms.
I flashed him an angelic smile. “I told him, obviously.” I leaned my head against Kur’tok’s buff arm. “He’s my filum, right? That means we tell each other everything.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “I have other traits besides ‘guy who crashed the ship’, you know. I’m also a great dad.”
Pride shone in his eyes as he mentioned Dai’zee. And this time, I shared his pride. I felt no flicker of jealousy because I had my own baby on the way. Like Kur’tok, I wasalsomaking progress.
Kur’tok licked his lips, taking a second to form his thoughts. “Levi and Jaeyoung. You two humans... both carried Maeleon offspring?”
“That’s right,” Jaeyoung replied. His dark eyes gleamed with a special joy I only saw when he talked about his child, Kii’ran.
Kur’tok’s tail swished thoughtfully. “And you were safe? You and the offspring were both healthy?”
Levi and Jaeyoung exchanged a glance, then nodded at him together.
“I see,” Kur’tok mumbled.
Sensing his anxiety, I rubbed his arm. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Now that we’re back in the village, I’ll have access to not one, buttwohealers at all times. Jae and Fhi’ran will take great care of me.”
“And so will I,” Kur’tok promised in a growl.
“Duh.”
Kur’tok looped a tentacle around my midsection, then drew it across my belly. It wasn’t swollen, but it definitely wasn’t flat anymore, either. I knew Maeleon-on-human pregnancies were fast, but I didn’t expect it to be a freaking race.
I glanced up at Kur’tok. His expression was tender as he touched my softly curved tummy. A rush of affection struck me. He was so perfect. I wished he could see himself the way I did.
“There it is,” Levi announced.
We stopped on a low grassy slope. The Sweetfields sprawled ahead of us, its colorful stalks swaying calmly in the breeze.
I shuddered with feeling. It wasn’t the first time that I’d noticed the air smelled sweeter and more uplifting than I remembered. It was like my senses had sharpened. Had the pregnancy affected me in other ways, too?
Kur’tok stared at the village with a wistful expression. I held his hand. He squeezed me back gently.
“I’m fine,” he assured.
“It’s okay to not be fine,” I reminded him. “Whatever you’re feeling, it’s okay.”
Kur’tok said nothing, but he rubbed his thumb softly across the back of my hand.
“Uh, guys?” Levi said suddenly. He looked around with a frown. “I think we’re down one person. Wasn’t there somebody else with us?”
I stopped. I scanned our group, then looked back over my shoulder. The Maeleons were all accounted for, and so was my friend group.
But Assistant 23 was nowhere to be seen.
“Uh oh,” I said. “Levi’s right.”
He sighed wistfully. “It’s so nice to hear that.”
Kur’tok growled under his breath. “Where did he go?”
“He was with us when we left. He can’t have gone far,” I pointed out. Quickly scanning the environment, I noticed Kookee staring in a particular direction. When I squinted, I saw a blurry figure running in the distance. “There!”
