“I’m glad to get out of the house. Honestly,” Kate murmured, stabbing a thumb over her shoulder at Vaxa’an. “He’s been a tyrant. He practically keeps me chained to the bed.”
Lainey laughed, believing it, before glancing back down to her belly. “We just saw you two weeks ago. I can’t believe how much your pregnancy has progressed.”
“Luxirian gestations are much shorter than ours. The babies grow much faster,” Kate explained. “At least that’s what Privanax believes. It won’t be too much longer now.”
“Oh,” Lainey murmured. She realized she was blocking the entrance to the house and sprung aside, opening the door for Kate. “Crystal’s here too.”
“I heard Erin and Bianca wanted to stay behind,” Kate commented, stepping into the house, Vaxa’an letting Lainey pass before he followed.
“We hope they’ll come here soon,” Lainey said quietly, remembering her argument with Bianca, wishing she hadn’t been so harsh with her words. Maybe if she’d been more like Erin, calm and level-headed, she could’ve convinced her to come along.
Crystal greeted Kate, exchanging pleasantries as Lainey stood next to Vaxa’an and Vixron awkwardly as they spoke to one another in Luxirian. Whatever Vixron said had Vaxa’an jerking his head in a hard nod, his gaze straying to Lainey briefly.
Paranoid, she wondered if he somehow knew she’d snuck out with Kirov last night, but when he didn’t say anything about it, she relaxed. She assumed that Kirov could get into some kind of trouble if Vaxa’an knew they were…involved. That must be why he wanted to keep it a secret.
But if he intended to take her with him to Troxva, it couldn’t remain a secret for long.
Lainey shook her head, wondering where in the worldthatthought had come from. In the back of her mind, however, she knew that he would be leaving in two days—one and a half now, really—and tomorrow might be the last time they saw each other.
Not if you go with him, like he wants, her treacherous mind whispered.He said he would make you a piano.
Her heart still fluttered whenever she thought about it, how she’d never heard anything more romantic in her entire life. He’d offered to make her apiano, just because she wanted one.
Lainey bit her lip, inhaling a slow breath and releasing it just as slowly. She needed to get a grip.
Kate turned to her mate and said, “Thanks for bringing me, Vaxa. You can go now. I seriously need some girl time without you hovering.”
Then Kate smiled sweetly, which told Lainey that she had the alien male wrapped around her little finger.
Vaxa’an growled a little at that. “Very well, female,” in a tone that made her think he knew exactly what his mate was doing. “Com me at the command center if you need me. If you need anything. If you feel—”
“Yes, yes, honey, I know,” Kate said smiling. She walked over to him and gave him a kiss, squeezing his forearm when she pulled back. “I’ll see you later.”
“Love you, female,” he growled.
“And I love you.”
And with one last, long look at Kate, Vaxa’an nodded at Vixron, at Lainey and Crystal, and left, the hovercraft pulling away from the terrace a moment later.
Kate sighed, a dreamy smile softening her face, as she looked after him and Lainey knew she had itbadfor her male.
Then the pregnant woman clapped her hands and looked at them both. “Now, the real question is…what do you guys have to eat around here?”
* * *
“Want some company?”came a soft voice behind her and Lainey turned from her spot at the balcony to see Kate waddling up to her. Vixron was frowning at the both of them from the doorway, probably wondering how Lainey would corrupt his Prime Leader’s mate.
Lainey waved at him before addressing Kate. “Sorry for being rude. I just…needed some air.”
It was early evening and already the temperature of the Golden City began to cool.
“No worries. I get it,” Kate said.
“It’s hard for me to be trapped inside too long,” Lainey said, feeling like she owed her an explanation. “Now that we have access to the outside, I take advantage.”
Kate frowned, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. “I am so sorry for how Vaxa kept you in that room for so long. He thought he was doing the right thing to keep you safe. I tried to tell him—”
“It’s okay,” Lainey said. “It was partly that, but mostly, it’s the memory of those cages, on that other planet.” She looked over at Kate. “But I don’t have to tell you about it. You were there too, before us.”
