“No,” Reijash answers. “Siccua could not have acted alone. She was imprisoned in the bowels of Draci III and there is no way she could have gotten free without aid. We suspect it may be a faction working with First. He has fled as well, also escaping his guards.”
The King glowers at the name of his half-brother and his eyes burn bright gold.
“If our holds cannot keep them, then we will no longer take prisoners,” the King states, standing tall and glaring down his every adviser, his son and future King sleeping peacefully in his arms. “If they come for my family, they will find I am happy to prove I am my father’s son. Let it be known.”
King Thraxcruhxas was famously merciless to those who wronged or betrayed him. During the Exodus there were those who tried to take advantage of the chaos, with multiple assassination plots against the King, some barely thwarted in time. Heads rolled and then were displayed on spikes on the roads that lined the path to the Salvation Ships.
“Yes, your Majesty. At once, your Majesty.” Reijash bows and strides from the room, the rest of the advisors following him.
It is only after the double doors close behind them and we are alone with the King that his shoulders drop and I see just how weary he is.
But then the baby in his arms stirs and Shak’s features immediately brighten. His awe is clear as he looks down at his son. The first Draci to be born in over two hundred years.
“Can I hold him?” Ana asks, stepping forward out of my arms.
The King nods, smiling down at his golden son before carefully passing him to my mate.
Seeing Ana holding a child and knowing it will soon be our own kit in her arms in a little more than four turnings of the Earth’s moon…
I swallow hard and then join them, getting my first close look at the tiny golden kit.
Large, luminous golden eyes blink up at Ana and I. He lifts small fists to his face before wiggling his entire body.
“He’s so beautiful,” Ana says, tears in her eyes as she smiles over at Shak. “How is Juliet?”
“You can ask her yourself,” Giselle says, grinning as she steps into the room. “She’s awake and asking for her boys.”
As if on cue, the kit screws up his little face and begins to wail.
And in spite of all that happened today, I cannot help grinning as well, because it is the sound of my people’s future.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ezo
I trace the outline of my mate’s bright blue wings. They broke through only a week ago but already Ana is becoming proficient at flying.
It’s too dangerous to fly outside where satellite imagery could capture us, so Ana makes do with flying around the Great Room in the Royal Palace.
We’ve decided to stay here for the duration of the pregnancy. It’s safer, there’s less exposure, and Ana likes to be around the Queen and her new kit anyway.
Plus, the flying. Ana is very fond of the flying.
After the Queen gave birth, Shak decided to clear out that room entirely so she and Ana and the new kit might use their wings to their hearts’ content. The kit cannot yet fly, but he has started to flap his wings mightily and just the other day got a few inches off of his sleeping cot.
I do not miss the irony of the fact that I can go outside the gates among the Earthlings while my Ana must stay inside for her safety. We still do not know how great the faction that stands against the King is.
I never leave without my scylathe concealed at my side nos, but still. Someone must go for groceries and the basic necessities. My military training makes me the ideal candidate.
I also accompany Shak when he returns to the ship. I have been elevated to his second in command.
Life is… Well, I’m still not sure sometimes that I was not put in stasis after all and this is nothing more than my mind’s most elaborate yearnings.
Because surely it cannot be my life: A beautiful, passionate mate. A station in life far beyond that of expendable drudge. A useful purpose. A kit on the way.
“What are you thinking about?” Ana asks me. “You look so solemn.” Her thumb brushes my brow.
“Nothing.” I take her hand in mine and kiss her fingers. “How are you feeling today?”
“About as big as a house.” She puts a hand to her gently swollen stomach. “And it’s only the beginning!”
I smile. “You look beautiful.”
She rolls her eyes but then smiles, too. “Flattery will get you everywhere. How was the outside world?”
I’ve just come back from a supply run.
“It was interesting.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Interesting?”
“I walked downtown for a little while and went into some of the shops.”