Barbarian's Bride (Ice Planet Barbarians)

It's not my prettiest climax. I'm fifteen months pregnant, bloated and tired, but Dagesh kisses my neck and murmurs sweet words to me as if I'm the sexiest thing he's ever seen. He pets my pussy as I come down, and when I'm satisfied, he licks my taste off his fingers. I reach for him, even though I can't roll onto my back without flailing like a turtle. "Let me do you now."

"You sleep," he tells me, pressing a kiss on the tip of my nose. "I will wake you up with my demands soon enough."

I give him a drowsy smile, snuggle under the arm he drapes over me, and sleep better than I have in days.

* * *

I wake up in the middle of the night to a hard, horrendous cramp in my lower back.

So much for sexiness. I nudge Dagesh awake. "I think the baby's coming," I whisper. "Can you help me stand?"

"Now?" My mate jumps to his feet instantly, his eyes wide. He grabs his clothing, shoving on his boots while trying to simultaneously put on his tunic. I've only ever seen my mate rattled one other time—when Anna and Elsa were born. His antics make me forget myself for a moment, and I giggle at the sight of him.

Then, my water breaks and it's no longer a laughing matter. I wince as liquid trickles down my legs, soaking my leggings. I put my hands on my belly. "Babe?"

Dagesh is at my side in an instant, a cloak on his shoulders and boots…and no pants. He holds a cloak out to me. "Here. Here. Do you need your boots? Do you need a drink? Are you hungry? Should I wake the girls?"

The sight of him strikes me as incredibly funny—or maybe I'm just tired and relieved this baby is finally on the way. I can't stop giggling, even when he gives me a curious look. I just point.

My mate chuckles. "What, you think no one in this village has seen my cock before? They will not care. I do not care, as long as we get you to the healer."

I shake my head. It's the middle of the night, and even though I'm uncomfortable, I don't think the baby's coming right away. I haven't had another contraction yet, so there's time. "Help me change clothes?" I whisper. "And let's let the girls sleep for a while longer."

Dagesh helps me change into a loose, floor-length tunic-dress, and I pace near the fire as he puts on hot tea. I'm tired and want to sit down, but sitting is uncomfortable. Then again, so is standing. Everything kinda sucks, but I've been through this once before, and I know it's temporary. Soon, the baby will be here and most of the discomfort will melt away.

Then I'll just have a baby boy to hold.

Or a girl, I remind myself. Analay is a kid. He doesn't know for sure that I'm having a boy. Rokan's knowing isn't always right. Analay might not even have the knowing like Rokan does. He might just be a kid with an active imagination. No sense in borrowing trouble.

Dagesh holds my arm and helps me circle around the fire, his expression watchful. "Tell me when to get the healer," he says to me. "I will wake her if needed."

I shake my head. "We've still got time."

As I pace, we talk about names for the baby. Dagesh's parents were Adash and Geshta, and we debate honoring them with those names. Maybe I'm being picky, but Geshta sounds too close to my mate's name, and I like Adash, but I don't want to consider a boy's name because it feels like I'm agreeing with Analay.

"What about Miriam?" I ask. "It's my mother's name. A good, Jewish name. Or Esther. That was my grandmother's name."

"What does it mean, Meer-ee-yum? Or Es-tur?"

I immediately start leaning toward Esther, just because it's easier to pronounce for him. "Well, I don't exactly recall what Miriam means, but Esther means 'star.'"

He brightens. "I like that idea. If we have a girl, it is a star."

"It'll be a girl," I say grimly, and hiss as another contraction ripples through my belly.

20

DAGESH

It is a girl.

I hold my newest kit in my arms as Maylak fusses over my mate. Nora has a proud, triumphant look on her pale face as she smiles up at me.

"Analay was wrong," she says, her expression tired but defiant. "Not everything is set in stone."

My mate worries too much. Analay can say whatever he likes, but only resonance will decide my daughter's mate. Until her khui sings, it is not worth fussing over. I smile down at her, rocking our newest. Es-tur, my little star, is light in my arms, even though No-rah and Maylak both exclaimed over what a big child she was when she came out. The birth was easy, too. My mate paced near the fire for a few hours, then squatted, and then Es-tur arrived with a wail, just in time for the morning meal.