So, Kate swallowed her questions and they lay together in silence for a few moments, just enjoying being close to each other.She loved this alien male with everything in her.But a part of her was beginning to wonder if this kind of happiness could be sustained.With the knowledge that there was unrest brewing on Luxiria, she wondered if this kind of happiness was only temporary.
Stop, she ordered herself, feeling tears sting her eyes.Vaxa lifted his head and frowned when he saw them.
“Why this?” he murmured, kissing one off her cheek, so sweetly and gently that it made more tears rush into her eyes.
“Just hormones,” she said, sniffing.
“Ah,” he said, not too suspicious, stroking her hair.Even as early along as she was, it seemed like she cried every single day.A few days ago, she’d broken down into tears when she’d accidentally knocked over a stack of books at the archives.Strange, alien pregnancy hormones…
“Come on,” she said, patting his arm.“Let’s go wash all this sweat and blood off you.”
He purred, “You like it when I am sweaty and bloody.”
“Yes,” she whispered, gazing up at him.He was holding most of his weight off her with his forearms.“But I like bath time even better.”
Kate gave a delighted laugh as he hauled her up with one single, swift motion, making long strides to their bathroom as she wrapped her legs around his taut middle.His cock was already hard between them and she gasped as it nudged her clit.
He rasped, “In this, we agree,luxiva.”
THREE
Vaxa announced Kate's pregnancy the very next morning.
She was at work, going through the scrolls that Bruxilia had found, when the woman summoned her to the central archives. There, on the silver pad that she'd seen in almost every location on Luxiria, her handsome mate filled the screen, a video of him being played.
“What's going on?” she asked, her brows furrowing when she saw him. She'd never seen him use the silver pads like this before.He was speaking in Luxirian, the language too complex and quick for her to understand fully quite yet. She recognized some words, likeluxiva, its meaning obvious enough, andravraxia, which was the Luxirian word for the mating ceremony.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was talking about her, but even when Bruxilia said the words, it still took her breath away and made tears spring into her eyes for the second time that morning.
“He is telling Luxiria that you are pregnant,” the older woman translated.“That your offspring brings hope and a new beginning for us all.More or less.”
Kate would’ve laughed had her throat not closed up with a strong emotion that she couldn’t even place…a mixture of love and pride and nervousness and excitement.
The moment Bruxilia finished her words, Kate started when she heard loud cheers and cries coming from outside.She hurried to the window, Bruxilia close on her heels, and peered out, only to see small groups of Luxirians huddled around the silver pads that were embedded into tall, stone columns that dotted the entire city.She heard similar cries echo throughout the mountain as she continued to listen to her mate’s deep, husky voice as he spoke in his native tongue.Whatever he was saying was making some people very, very happy, judging from the looks on the Luxirians’ faced just outside the archives.
“You see, Kat?” Bruxilia murmured next to her.Luxirians couldn’t pronounce her name properly, but Kate knew that it went both ways.She didn’t mind the little nickname, especially when Vaxa said it.“Do not let this knowledge of uprisings mar your view of how all Luxirians feel about you.You represent hope for many of us.Remember this.”
Kate was touched by the words and she laid her palm on Bruxilia’s shoulder, squeezing softly.Vaxa was right.Itwasa new beginning, for them all.
It didn’t surprise her when, perhaps thirty minutes after Vaxa finished his announcement, he appeared inside the archives, striding through the door with that confident gait of his.Kate had just finished scanning and uploading a batch of scrolls into the archive database and she smiled, her heart fluttering, when she saw him approach.
She abandoned her work to greet him.Usually, he came to retrieve her during the afternoon so they could have lunch—or the second meal, as Luxirians called it—together.That day, however, instead of going to the meal hall, he told her that they would be going to the marketplace for lunch.Kate had been to the marketplace once, but it had been early in the morning so not many Luxirians had been milling around.In broad daylight, it would be packed, so she knew that they were going because of the news that Vaxa had just shared with his people.Still, she felt a little flutter of nerves in the pit of her stomach.
Then she straightened her spine.Kate was the mate of the Prime Leader.He hadn’t asked anything of her that she couldn’t handle.
Bruxilia waved them off and Kate promised her that she would be back to finish the remaining scrolls she’d put aside for that day.Vaxa’s arm circled around her waist as they stepped onto his hovercraft.He pulled her close and she leaned into his bare arm, running her fingertips across his scaled skin.
He looked down at her, his fingers flexing against her side.“You will not be back to finish your work this span.I plan on keeping you in our quarters for the rest of the night.”
Kate grinned through her nerves.“A promise is a promise.I don’t have that much more to do.You can wait.”Vaxa didn’t respond, just shot her a look that told her he would be stubborn about this, and maneuvered the hovercraft up and away.
The afternoon was hot.The two suns were merciless but Kate had become used to the heat, partially because Vaxa’s blood helped her body adapt to the climate.Otherwise, she would be a sweaty mess right now.As the hovercraft hurtled down, towards the marketplace, which was low on the mountainside, the warm breeze felt good on her face and she closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air.
When she opened them, Vaxa was looking down at her.Their blood bond told her of his affection, hisneedfor her, and she murmured, “You announced the baby today.”
“Tev, I did,” was his response.“It was time.I had hoped to selfishly keep it just ours a little while longer…but you are growing more each span.”
Vaxa may not verbally express his emotion to her often, but when he said things like that, she melted and it had nothing to do with the heat.
