She nods, drawing the material up, revealing her pale skin. I have the urge to cover her nakedness with my palm, but that won’t help her in this moment. She needs medical attention and I won’t stand in her way of getting it.
“It is probably too early to tell, but I will feel better at least ruling it out,” Calix says, his brows furrowed in concentration. He waves the wegloscan over her stomach, watching the lights as they turn green. “Ahhhh.”
“That sounded like a good ‘ahhh,’” Quinn squeaks out. “Is it good?”
Calix smiles as Emery, who approaches, peeks at the results of the wegloscan.
“You love that greasy mort?” Emery asks Quinn, gesturing at me.
Quinn nods, flashing me a beautiful smile. “I do.”
“I love you too,” I tell her.
“Good, then you’ll really love the baby on the way,” Emery says, resting her head on Calix’s shoulder.
He grins at us. “Congratulations are in order.”
It takes a moment for Quinn and me to process their words.
“Baby?” Quinn gasps as I choke out, “We’re having a mortling?”
“From the data Avrell has collected from the humans, it’s unusual for them to detect pregnancy so early. Something about our sperm progresses the gestation cycle considerably.”
“Like puppies,” Emery chimes in. “Least that’s what Molly always says.”
“What are puppies?” I ask, confused. “Is it a disease?”
Quinn giggles. “Puppies are adorable little pets. Like Legolas, but pudgy and furry.”
“Hmph,” I say, trying to wrap my mind around what puppies are.
Hophalix starts squawking, clearly hungry, and Emery excuses herself. Calix administers a few other tests while Quinn and I grin at each other, holding hands.
A mortling.
We’re having a mortling.
Whenever the Kevins show up, we’ll blow them out of the sky and keep our home safe for our future family. Pride surges through me.
I won’t let one single Kevin threaten my happily ever after.
They may be the villains of our story, but I’m one determined hero. I’ll fight with my bare hands, ripping the nogs off every last one of them, if it means coming back to my mate and our mortling.
“I’m going to give you as many mortlings as you want,” I tell Quinn.
“What if I want fifty?” she challenges, a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Then fifty you shall have.”
Calix snorts. “We do not have the resources for fifty additional mortlings. Please refrain from overpopulating the facility.”
I think about the Reserves and what sort of future that holds for us.
“This is our story,” I tell him with a cocky grin. “We decide how it goes.”
I stay glued to Sayer’s side as we watch the blip of the Mayvina as it nears the facility. Almost here. It’s surreal. Soon, we’ll be rejoined by our family plus a whole horde of humans.
Hadrian. Theron. Avrell.
I miss my brothers.
I am especially thrilled for Avrell to return. Calix is more than capable, but I want the most experienced doctor to care for my Quinn as she grows with our mortling in her stomach. He’ll be able to safely deliver our mortling. I’m already bursting with questions to ask him.
Everyone is flitting about as we prepare for the arrival of the rest of our faction. Molly has her hands tied with her two mortlings, but she’s great at barking out orders to Draven, who carries them out explicitly. The old Navigation Bay that was turned into the human sector has been readied with more beds and seating to accommodate the additional humans. Galen and Emery have been busy in the Nutrition Bay preparing food while Breccan has been pacing the halls near the Decontamination Bay. I know he’s most eager to see Hadrian. Aria and Quinn have been fussing over last minute details while Grace watches over the other mortlings. Everyone is on pawns and noodles as Molly says. Or is it nins and peedles?
“The Big Bird has landed,” Sayer says, exhaling a rush of air. “Let’s go greet our friends.”
I follow him out of there, eager to ask Theron a million questions about the coming threat and his thoughts on it. The next couple of hours, we watch through the glass as Breccan and Draven painstakingly put each suited body through a rigorous cleansing process. Once the humans are cleared, they enter the hall where they’re greeted by Calix. He quickly assesses them before pointing them to Sayer, who then shows them to where Aria is so she can give them the grand tour.
At one time, I’d hoped for a whole harem of females. The idea sounds silly now when all I care about is one. One female is better than all the females combined.
I recognize Theron and Hadrian bringing up the rear. Breccan hugs Hadrian for a long time. Theron moves past them, rushing through the process, and then bounces into the hall wearing a wide grin.
“Missed all of you mortarekkers!”
We all hug him, but I’m the first to break away and tear my gaze back to Hadrian and Breccan.