“A complication,” he said slowly. “The fetus has developed to the stage in which Argurma sex is determinable. According to the scans, it is a female… Our offspring is the heir to my mother’s house.” His brow drew lower in contemplation.
“Well, that’s good, right? That should give her some sort of protections… right?” Terri hazarded.
He cocked his head. “Perhaps. However, I am uncertain how this will affect our reception by my mother’s kin. Since her death, my mother’s second sister has doubtlessly been directing our holdings. A daughter of my blood would be the head of the household once she came of age. It could stir disagreement among my mother-kin.”
“Which means what exactly?” she asked. “Why would they care if she inherits your mother’s house?”
A raspy chuff left him. “Not her house in the manner you are thinking. My mother’s household refers to our line’s domestic complex, in which my mother’s home was the fore wing overlooking the great gates. Unlike the Argurma in the cities, those who live farther out in the deserts keep to our ancestral ways. The entire complex and all of our produce will belong to our offspring by law, as it was my mother’s before her, despite her sentencing.”
The reminder of his mother’s termination drew a heavy silence between them. Although he would not admit it, she knew that Veral struggled to deal with that loss. Although he claimed more than once to barely have any memory of his mother, she knew that he still hurt, and she felt that pain for him. Like Veral, his mother had been considered malfunctioning due to her programming’s inability to suppress her emotions. Terri regretted that she would never meet her, for it was clear that he had loved her dearly, regardless of how much or little he remembered.
“It’s possible that your family will be happy for our daughter’s arrival,” she murmured. “They might see it as gaining some small part of her back.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, and he curled his large arms around her and pulled her against him. Despite her belly being large enough to be inconveniently in the way, she was able to comfortably rest her cheek against his chest. His voice rumbled through her ear as he spoke.
“Word among my mother’s kin has suggested that the malfunction is prevalent and hidden quite well among us. From what I understand, they never would have discovered her if she had not become enraged when I was separated from her for my first implants upon my adolescence.” His lips tightened. “It displeases me that the implants block so many of my memories from my youth. I do not remember the sound of her voice or the image of her face. I just have impressions that come at times.”
Terri wrapped her arms tightly around him, wanting more than anything to be able to take away his pain.
“Maybe returning there will help you remember.”
His mandibles vibrated in a low, buzzing purr. “Do not concern yourself over it, anastha. Although I dislike my lack of memory, I do not suffer from it. It is far more important that we focus on our offspring.”
She let out a discontent huff and he chuffed and pressed his mouth against the top of her head, his mandibles sliding through her hair. She allowed herself to lean into him until he gently pulled away.
“Go eat. With our offspring’s accelerated growth, you will require extra nutrition,” he instructed as he strode toward the medical bay’s exit.
“Okay, and what are you going to be doing?”
“I will be on the flight deck inputting our route into the navigation systems for Argurumal. You can join me there once you are finished. And do not forget to eat a portion of axna fruit.”
She scowled at his back, but it did not go unseen. Veral chuffed as slipped out the door. Despite herself, an amused smile danced on her lips as she followed him out the door.
Before turning down the small hall that would lead her to the ship’s galley, Terri paused to admire the way the shiny blue cloth of his tunic clung to the heavy musculature of his body as he made his way down the corridor. Although he was sexy as hell in his skin-tight, flexible body armor, the sight of him in the simple tunics and robes of his homeworld that he took to wearing aboard the ship—now that he no longer seemed to feel that he needed to be armed to the teeth at all hours—never failed to take her breath away.
A gurgle from her stomach put her in motion just as he rounded a corner and led her the rest of the way to the galley. She didn’t try to hold back her delighted smile. Although she had gone hungry often for much of her life, food was one thing she absolutely refused to go without and Veral spoiled her by providing all the best supplies for the replicator to sate her appetite and most of her cravings. A lack of food was the one thing that could ruin her mood, especially with her passenger snuggled within her womb.
She patted her belly as she programmed the replicator for her favorite dishes and grinned when Krono slipped inside when the first fragrant steam drifted up from the food. The dorashnal, what could only be described as a giant alien dog with black scales and his own mane of vibrissae, grinned up at her. She chuckled and tossed a bit of meat to him which he expertly snapped out of the air.
“Come on then, Krono. I’ve got plenty to share,” she said as she carried her bowls over to the table bolted against one wall.
Krono ducked beneath the table and tucked himself against her legs, his enormous body warming her feet and calves as she slipped him chunks of food. She could practically hear Veral scolding her for sharing her food with the beast, which just made her grin broaden. He didn’t approve of anything but raw meats for his friend, but it was so hard to say no to the shameless beggar. Right on cue, Krono put his large head on her lap and whined.
“I am such a sucker,” she laughed, and she handed him another bite of meat. “This is our secret.”
Despite Krono’s “help,” Terri packed away a fair amount of food before her stomach was satisfied and she headed to the flight deck. Although it was no doubt several days or perhaps weeks until they arrived on Argurumal, she wanted to see to the plotted course for herself. She was still nervous about approaching the planet after the Argurma warriors had attempted to capture her on Earth, but she couldn’t deny an insatiable curiosity about Veral’s home and family.
Besides, he was certain that they would be perfectly safe.
2
Veral pulled up the star chart, his lips thinning. He had hoped to delay returning to Argurumal… permanently. Taking his pregnant mate to his homeworld was the last thing he wanted. He had preferred not to return with his offspring at all, but with the youngling not yet born it added new complications. Although he was certain that Terri would protect herself and their unborn offspring ferociously, he also knew that her current heavily burdened state made her more vulnerable than before.
His fingers twitched against the armrests of his chair as he settled himself and mentally sent up the command to bring up the star charts for Argurumal and his current position on the view screen. Immediately the view of space blanked out as the charts layered each other. The last chart that opened up showedThe Wanderer’sposition in the star system through which they currently traveled.
His vibrissae twitched as he shifted the charts around, looking for the quickest but least obvious route to his homeworld. Fortunately, most of the planetary security was on the desert flats, the side of the planet where the majority of the Argurma population lived in the tall cities built around and over the large ground water wells. Few bothered to scan the great dunes on the other side of the planet. It was a harder life out there, dotted with various outposts and family complexes that traded amongst themselves. Although the warriors from the great dunes were regarded as the strongest and hardiest among their species, it was no secret that few among the council worried about attack in that inhospitable landscape. An alien, even an unprepared Argurma from the cities, would find it difficult to survive in such an environment.
He frowned in consideration. He would need to keep close watch over Terri to make sure that the intense dry heat of the desert did not sicken her. Although she came from a desert environment, it was not as dry, nor was the gravity as heavy as it was on Argurumal. Despite her strength, cleverness, and resourcefulness, he was worried about his small mate. The planet would not be kind to her, and, despite his assurances, the odds were not in favor of his mother-kin being pleased with him bringing home an alien female.