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“An interspecies pregnancy?” Kanuz repeats, his tone confused. “She is, you mean to tell me,” he sputters, his hands taking mine. “My flower?”
“We’re going to have a baby,” I tell him, starting to tear up. Then I throw up again, and Carmen steps back.
“Damn. Okay. We’re going to have to figure out something for your morning sickness,” she says. “Vitamin B…” She trails off, tapping her screen. “Maybe an antihistamine. Might make you sleepy.”
“I’m already sleepy,” I say, then prove it with a jaw-cracking yawn.
I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.
A baby. I’m pregnant. With a baby.
“I want to take you to the med center and get a look at that IUD.”
“Tomorrow,” I tell her, drooping into Kanuz’s arms.
“Right now,” he says. “We’re going right now.”
“Right now it is,” Carmen says nervously.
“You’re scaring her,” I admonish.
“You are scaring me,” he says, and I notice for the first time that his greenish coloring is paler than usual.
“It’s just a baby,” I say. “A baby,” I repeat, a soft smile stealing over my face.
“Our baby,” he says. And with that, he picks me up again, and we’re following Carmen to the med center.
At this rate he’s never going to let me walk again.
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EPILOGUE
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GEN
I can’t stop touching my stomach. According to the Suevan medical team and Carmen, the baby’s growth rate is slightly accelerated compared to humans, explaining why I had such a quick onset of pregnancy symptoms.
The mirror shows a slight tiny bump, like I ate too many burritos, not like I’m carrying the first half-human half-Suevan child. Still, I touch it tenderly.
“Little burrito, what are you going to look like?”
“First, you tell me humans eat food shaped like children, and now you call our baby after food? Truly, my flower, it is disturbing.”
I snort a laugh, and Kanuz’s hand curls around the curve of my stomach. I stare at our reflection in the mirror for a moment. I’m still glowing, as I apparently will for the next decade or so, if not more, according to all the lab work I’ve had done, and Kanuz’s green scales reflect some of the shine. His handsome face rests on the top of my head, his fingers stroking my stomach so gently it makes my heart ache.
“We should go visit our first baby,” I tell him.
It’s his turn to laugh, and he raises his eyebrows at my reflection. “That thing is far from a baby.”
“I know, I know, but he misses me.”
“I did stop by the butcher for him.”
I clap my hands, and turn to face him. “Steve is going to be so thrilled you thought of him.”
“Steve only has eyes for you, my warrior princess. And I ca
By the time we get to Steve’s temporary living situation in the jungle, I’m winded.
“Tell me again about the Roth?” I ask, then cup my hands around my mouth. “STEVE! WE BROUGHT YOU A SNACK!”
The dinosaur—Crigomar—trumpets a response, and the nearby trees shake as he pounds through the jungle towards us.
“His intel has been good so far,” Kanuz admits grudgingly. “I would love it if you took a look at what he’s told us, but I know you’ve been feeling ill.”
It’s true, and it’s a
Steve finally pops into view, his red and black hide near invisible in the deep jungle.
“Hi, baby,” I croon at him. “Look what Daddy brought you.”
“I am not his father,” Kanuz replies, his expression long-suffering.
“I know, but just go with it, Prince.”
Kanuz tosses the hunk of meat to Steve, who chomps it out of the air like a good dog. Except, you know, he’s an alien T-Rex who weighs close to eight tons. Bone fragments fly through the air, and Steve makes happy eating noises as he nudges closer to me, finally curling up and regarding me with big, black eyes as he chews.
I scratch the bridge of his nose, and a deep purring growl sounds.
“Are you excited?” I ask suddenly.
We’ve both been so caught up in the surprise of it, in trying to figure out what I can eat and our duties as Warlord and Prince, that we’ve hardly had downtime to really talk about what it means for us.
“To be a father? To our actual child, and not the Crigomar?” The questions are astounded, and he grabs my wrist, tugging me to him.
Steve whuffs his disapproval.
“My flower, I have never been more excited in my entire life. And afraid. And thrilled. And happy.” He tilts his head, studying me. “And you? Are you excited?”
I take a deep breath, glad that we waited a week to have this conversation. At first, I was too shocked to feel anything. Then I was terrified.
But now?
Now I look at Kanuz and I see the male I love. I look at the Suevan jungle and the beautiful city of Edrobaz, and it’s starting to feel like home. It feels more safe than Earth ever did, that’s for sure.
Even with the Roth in the holding cells.
“I’m so happy, it makes me almost scared,” I tell Kanuz quietly.
Steve spits out a bone, and Kanuz’s lip curls in disgust and amusement.
“Do not be scared, Gen. I am not going anywhere. We will stay in Edrobaz, where you have your friends, until you are ready to move to my Perzovir. In fact…” his lips twitch to the side, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“What? Spill it.”
“My father is pla
“Oh.” I angle my head, considering him. “How do you feel about that?” I know that Kanuz’s father, the king, is a bit of a sore spot for him.
“I feel proud,” he says slowly, ru
I wrap my arms around him, pulling him tight to me.
“I’m glad we’re not leaving Edrobaz yet. Thank you.”
“I do not want to stress your human body,” he says.
“That’s not why I’m excited,” I say, smirking and pulling away to pet Steve some more. He closes his eyes in appreciation, his black and red tail thwacking the trees.
“Then why?” Kanuz asks, his brow furrowed.
“Because I can’t wait to see how Bex is going to pull off her plan to make Dergoz fall in love with her.”
He groans, a pained sound, as he rubs a hand over his face. “How many times must I tell you both this is a terrible idea?”
I laugh, and it’s an evil, villainous sound that makes Steve look around. Bex and I have been pla
“No risk, no reward,” I tell him, still gri
“Yes,” he says, sidling closer and pulling me back into his arms. “I think we did prove that, didn’t we?”
When he kisses me, all thoughts disappear from my mind.
Fu
Click here to read a bonus epilogue feature Gen and Kanuz meeting Kanuz’s dad, the king!
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