“Oh my God, she’s waking up,” came a familiar voice. A flash of red hair appeared. “Erin, Erin it’s Lainey. How are you feeling?”
“Lainey,” came a second soft voice. “Don’t crowd her. Give her some space.”
Cecelia, Erin knew, that soft voice unmistakable.
Her vision sharpened, though the room still swam a bit. “Where am I?” she whispered, her throat so dry that she imagined it could tear like paper.
“In the command center,” another voice chimed in. When Erin’s gaze connected with Kate’s, the brunette smiled gently, something wrapped tightly in her arms. She was cradling it like…like a baby. “In the Golden City.”
Erin’s breath hitched, but her head gave a hard, dull throb.
“Enough. Out. All of you,” came a fourth, hardened voice. When Erin looked over at the new voice, she saw it was the old Luxirian doctor. What was his name again? “Even you,lavrix’an. I am sorry.”
“Of course, Privanax,” Kate said, inclining her head.Privanax, that was his name. From the bundle she was cradling, Erin saw a small, chubby arm emerge, the flesh tinted a soft blue from the light.
“Wait,” Erin whispered, struggling to sit up, confused and disoriented and dizzy.
Privanax forced her back down into a supine position and Erin turned her head to see thatallthe women were there, now filing out the silver door. Kate, Beks, Cecelia, Taylor, Lainey, Bianca, andCrystal.
“Crystal,” Erin whispered, stunned and relieved. The blonde came over before she left, pressing her lips to Erin’s forehead. Tears swam in Erin’s vision and she grasped for her hand. “You’re okay.”
“Yes, I am,” Crystal whispered, squeezing her hand, though Privanax frowned at the blonde, giving her a hard look. “I’m here and safe. Now, you rest. We can talk later.”
Then Erin watched as she, too, left. When the room was cleared, all except for Privanax, Erin felt a little more centered, a little less overwhelmed.
“I am sorry for that, female,” Privanax said. “I told them they could wait, but I did not want them here when you woke. I did not expect you to wake for another span.”
“I—it’s okay,” Erin said, finding her voice. She looked down at her body. She was in a light-colored tunic, her legs bare and strangely pale. There was a heavy ache just over her right breast, and when she peeled the neckline of the tunic back, she saw a white bandage pressed there.
Then she remembered. Po’grak had stabbed her. In the forest. The spaceship, Laccara, the vaccine. And then Jaxor—
She inhaled a sharp breath. “Where’s Jaxor?”
Privanax frowned before he turned his attention back to his glowing screens lining one of the walls of the small room.
“In his cell, I imagine,” Privanax said.
“His…cell?” Erin whispered. Then she remembered the dungeon. The darkness. The vomiting, and then she gasped, pressing her hand to her stomach.
Privanax peered down at her as she struggled to form words.
“Is…” Erin trailed off, wondering how to ask something she hadn’t fully accepted for herself. “Is there a…a baby still?”
Privanax’s lip pressed together and Erin felt a sharp relief, tears stinging her eyes, when he said, “Tev, the offspring is well. Surprising, considering the state that you were in.”
Erin hadn’t even admitted it to herself. That the bouts of her sickness in the dungeon hadn’t had anything to do with the food Kossira had been giving to her. She’d reasoned that surely it would be too soon to have morning sickness if there was a child…then again, she remembered that Luxirians grew quickly—the baby Kate had held in her arms just now was evidence of that.
“You knew you were pregnant,” Privanax said.
“I thought it possible,” Erin whispered. Well, technically speaking, she’d thought it impossible because she hadn’t had a period since arriving on Luxiria. But there she was…pregnant. “Does he know? Did you tell him?”
“I have told no one,” Privanax said.
Erin didn’t know what to make of that. It hurt to swallow and she asked, “Do you have some water?”
Privanax filled her a gobletful and watched as she sipped it. The cool water felt heavenly as it slid down her raw, dry throat.
“I must ask,” Privanax started carefully, “if the child was conceived…willingly.”
