I laugh, even as I know I’m just as whipped. One smile from our human and we’re all hers, entirely. And I like it.
“Both of us…” I reach out and touch her belly. “Missed both of you. Am I right?” I hold my breath.
Her face goes pale. “I…” She steps back from Gorde’s embrace, her hands falling to her sides.
“Danica, it’s all right.” I reach out and touch her arm, which has gone cold.
“It’s better than all right,” growls Gorde. “It’s fantastic. It’s what we wanted from the very beginning. Our own young!” He tilts his head to peer at her. “What’s wrong?”
She stares, then shakes her head, a quick snap. “I should have told you as soon as I, ah, knew. I was processing it. I’m sorry; I’m…really excited.” Her face looks anything but.
Cold unease presses onto my chest, and I push it back. “Are you nervous? Dr. Daneth says humans bear Zandian young well, and you will have the best medical support during the…process.” I wave my hand, unsure of which words to use.
She blinks and bites her lip. “The idea of a baby. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.” Her eyes well up.
Gorde pulls her into his arms. “This is the best day. We have you, and now a young on the way. This is exactly what Zandia needs—what we all need.” His face glows and his eyes are lit up with joy. “Just look at us for one moment and you’ll see that this is everything we’ve dreamed of. The culmination of a lifetime of plans.”
He speeds up as he speaks, stroking her shoulders. “You’re ours more than ever, now. This cements us together forever.”
She shivers. I reach out to touch her hair, place my hand on her neck in what I hope is a comforting touch. “You don’t need to worry about a single thing. This Zandian baby, and you, will be kept safe from all ugliness and all predators.” I know she’s still probably terrified about being on auction, her escape, all the creatures who would harm her. “I will personally kill any foreign being who threatens you or Zandia. Is that clear?” My voice rises with passion.
Danica stills. She takes a breath. “Completely.” Her smile seems forced. “Let’s go to the sleepdisk.” She takes my hand and Gorde’s. “I want to feel you inside me now. Please.”
And as we make love, both of us taking turns to make her cry out in pleasure, I sense a strange difference in her, something I can’t understand. So I double my efforts, bringing her as much passion as I possibly can, enough to drown out the little voice of doubt in my head.
Chapter 10
Gorde
Beside me, Danica vibrates with energy. Her foot taps fast and she clenches her fingers together as Bayla runs the scan over her bare belly. “What do you see?” Her voice is taut.
“Relax.” The midwife’s voice is soothing, but Danica squeezes my fingers harder than ever.
“There’s the heart.” Dr. Daneth points to the screen, where a pulsing blob of white and black motion blurs in front of my eyes.
I peer forward, my heart leaping to match the pulse of the tiny thing. “It’s so small.” I hear the wonder in my own tone.
Dr. Daneth chuckles. “Actually, it’s quite big f
or the time frame.” He blinks. “Growing faster than expected. If this growth rate keeps up”—he shoots a look at his mate—“Bayla, can you pull up the chart?”
She nods and a hologram springs into the air between us. The doctor gestures. “If we assume a linear curve to the enlargement rate, the young will be approximately forty-five percent larger than a typical Zandian baby by the end of gestation time, and we may have to consider alternative birthing procedures.”
“Which are what?” Danica twists to look at him, eyes wide.
I press her hand as Bayla soothes, “Danica, it’s completely safe for the young. If necessary, we’ll make a small surgical incision—”
“You’ll slice me open?” Her face has gone pale and she trembles. “No, you can’t. You can’t. You can’t…” She struggles to sit up, grabbing Benn’s hand as well for leverage.
Dr. Daneth and Bayla shoot each other a look, just as I snap, “Cut her open? By the stars…”
“She’ll heal!” Bayla raises her voice to be heard over all of us. “Please, listen. She’ll be fine. We’ve done it before. We provide medication to mitigate the pain, and it’s a simple surgery.”
Danica relaxes. “I’ll…heal?” She blinks and lowers herself back down.
Dr. Daneth clears his throat. “ It won’t hurt, Danica. You and the young will be fine. The recovery will take a few weeks, but you’ll be back to normal in a short period. We don’t even know if it’s necessary.”
“Oh. I…oh.” She takes a deep breath and touches her stomach. “All right. I understand.”