Kate stroked his lips, remembering their fight in the bath, how angry and tense both of them had been.“If by ‘doing this’ means knocking me up, then yeah, you did,” she said dryly.“But don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened.I won’t have it, Vaxa.”
“You bled because of the fight we had, the words we shared,” he said.
An unexpected smile crossed her features, although it was small.“Are we arguing again?”
Vaxa opened his mouth but then closed it, scowling.He muttered a Luxirian curse under his breath, angry with himself.
“I was just teasing you,” she said.“I’m trying to make a point, Vaxa.We argue all the time.We are both stubborn and opinionated and used to getting our own way.And that means that we are going to clash on many, many things during our life together,” she murmured, her throat burning, her heart beating with the affection and love she felt for him, just thankful that she was stilltherewith him, that their baby was still alive.It really put things into perspective.“We fight and then we make up.I think it’s when westopfighting that we are going to have a real problem, okay?”
Vaxa’an shook his head and rasped, “Luxiva…”
He wasn’t convinced and she knew that it would take time to do it.“What did Privanax determine?” she asked, instead.
“He believes that the child is growing too rapidly.Your body is having a difficult time and is exhausting itself.”
“Then you see?You aren’t the cause of this.”
“He said it was also your environment…meaning stress.You are tired and stressed.How can you not blame me for this, especially after the past few spans…after the way I have treated you?” he asked quietly.
“I simply don’t,” she said in response.She moved closer to his body, letting his warmth seep into her.They lapsed into silence before she asked softly, “You’re sure the baby is alright?”
“Tev,” he murmured, his warm breath rustling her hair.“Privanax has confirmed that the child is healthy and unharmed.”
Kate had believed him the first time but she needed to hear it again, if only for reassurance.
“Luxiva…” he murmured.
“Hmmm?”She was watching the way his chest rose and fell, lulled by the comforting rhythm.
When he paused, she looked up at him, finding his gaze.Finally, he said, “I know that there is still much to discuss between us.”
She nodded, thinking of the uprisings, that man in the marketplace, Vaxa’s reaction to her telling him…
“There is.”
He continued, swallowing thickly, his voice nothing more than gravel and smoke,“I wish you to know that even though we argue and that I raised my voice to you in anger and that we still have much to learn about one another…you must know that I hold nothing in this entire universe as more important than you.I would give you anything you ask of me.”
Her voice went wobbly when she murmured, “There you go being romantic again.”
His lips curled but only slightly.“By the Fates, every word is the truth.”
Kate looked at him, her heart thrumming happily inside her breast.It was positivelysingingfor him.
“My love has been,” he said, “and always will be yours.Until the end of our spans and into our next life.”
Kate exhaled a sharp breath, overwhelmed, ecstatic, happy.And with the worst possible timing in the entire universe, Privanax came bursting into the lab room just at that moment, his eyes darting to the two of them in bed.
“My monitors indicated your elevation in heart rate,” the doctor said, his eyes flickering between the two of them.He looked at Vaxa and frowned.“Prime Leader, we discussed upsetting her.I must ask—”
“He isn’t upsetting me,” Kate interrupted, her eyes returning to her mate.Privanax faded into the background.“Just the opposite, in fact,” she whispered, giving him a watery smile.
“Lavrix’an, I must—”
She paid Privanax no mind as she whispered to Vaxa, “I love you too.Always.”
* * *
It was later that night that they had a much needed talk, despite Vaxa’s protests against it.Privanax had ordered Kate to stay in the labs for one more night, since she’d slept the day away.And despite her trying to tell Vaxa to go home—it looked like he sorely needed one night of undisturbed sleep—he insisted on staying with her and she knew better than to try to sway him.
