“Everything okay, darlin’?” Molly asks, rushing over to Grace.
Grace nods slowly, almost dazed. “Doesn’t he smell good?”
“Shoot the monkey!” Molly exclaims. “You’re dazzled by the baby daddy smell. Something tells me you’re going to be nine kinds of pissed about this when you get some fresh air. Come on, sweetie, let’s get you some goldenroot candies.”
She tugs Grace away from Sayer and out the door. Draven darts his gaze between Sayer and me, then narrows his eyes. Thankfully, he’s not much of a talker and exits quietly behind his mate. As soon as they’re gone, Sayer blinks away his daze.
“Where’d Grace go?” he asks, his voice hoarse.
I stalk over to him and throw my arms around him in an embrace. “Rekk, Say. I thought I lost you.”
“Lost me? Why would you lose me?”
I palm his face in my hands and look into his eyes. “Her carrying your mortyoung connects the two of you,” I admit, pain tugging at my heart. “I don’t know how to make it stop.”
He finally seems to find his way back to me because his body relaxes. Leaning forward, he presses his lips to mine. “You should take off your minnasuit.”
My cock thickens at his words. “So you can rut on me wishing I were her?”
As though I’ve struck him, Sayer pulls back. His features are contorted into an angry scowl—a look I’m not used to seeing on his handsome face. “I have work to do,” he bites out, turning his back on me.
“Sayer,” I choke out, running my fingers down his back. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too. I don’t know what overcame me or how to make it stop.” He turns and his dark eyes flicker with fury. “But if you assume I could so easily toss you aside for someone new, perhaps you don’t know me as well as you thought.”
“You hurt me,” I mutter, pain lancing through my chest. “Seeing you with her…”
“You hurt me too,” he replies. “I’m just as much in the dark about all this as you are. Cut me some slack, Jareth.”
Not Jare or mate or any of the other names he likes to call me.
Jareth.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” I tell him gruffly.
The only response I get from him is a nod of his nog.
I leave before I break down crying like a mortling.
5
Grace
“This is so excitin’,” Molly prattles on as she tugs me by the arm and down the hall. Our destination is unknown aside from—what had she called them?—goldenroot candies? I let her tug me along because otherwise I’d be turning on my head and letting my raging pheromones lead me right back to Sayer’s arms.
The last place I want to be. The last place I should be—at least if I’m going to keep my wits about me.
“They keep candies for me in the kitchen. I crave them something fierce these days.” Molly gives her stomach an affectionate caress. It’s so easy for her, so natural, being pregnant. She glows with happiness and contentment when she isn’t thinking about her daughter and whether or not she’ll get another comm transmission from her.
I palm my own belly as Molly guides me down this turn and that. The baby inside me does a little flip—or at least that’s how it feels—and I jolt. Molly stops when I gasp.
“Something wrong, sugar? Should I get Avrell?” she asks.
“No!” I say a little more forcefully than I intend. “No,” I repeat, more calmly. “Thank you. The baby moved, is all. I’m afraid I’m not quite used to the thought of being pregnant. I never planned to have children.”
“You sure you’re okay?” she says with an assessing gleam in her eye.
“I’m fine, I promise.”
“If you say so.” We resume walking. “You never wanted a family?”
I lift a shoulder. “I never gave it much thought. There wasn’t time.”
“No time? What do you mean?”
“Well, I spent most of my young adult life going to school, apprenticing in labs and then doing advanced studies. I’ve never even had a relationship.”
“You never had a boyfriend or anything?” Her big eyes widen. “Really? But you’re so pretty!” she exclaims. We reach the cafeteria and she guides me to a table. A cluster of aliens perks up at our entrance, but she waves them away. “Wait right here, I’ll fetch us some candy from my secret stash and we’ll have some girl talk.” She bounces on her feet and squeals. “I’m so excited. Aria and Emery are sweethearts, but they’re kind of BFFs and I’ve been something of a third wheel. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I have a good feeling about you. You’re going to be my new BFF.”
With that, she flounces away, leaving me gaping after her. The group of aliens is seated at a table on the opposite side of the room. Even though Molly had cautioned them away, they still study me with blatant interest.