31. Chapter 31
thirty-one
Hue
“Do you feel compelled to rub shit on the walls?” I ask, frowning at a very not chill Sor’en.
He falters in his pacing, his long, deft fingers knotted in his silky white hair. “What? Hue, now is not the time for strange human things.”
“I’m just trying to see where you’re at. Like between having the best day of your life and complete mental collapse.”
He resumes his pacing. “If you require a special place to engage in this calming activity, please allow me to hang a tarp first.”
“I… no, we don’t do that. Well, most of us don’t—never mind.” I sigh. “Sor’en, you’ll be gone for what, a zentic tops? I’m going to be fine.”
“Not without eyes on you, I refuse. Fuck their decorum, I will leave Melion to guard you—"
“Sor’en—"
“If something so much as disturbs your peace, I will eviscerate their minds—”
I heave a heavy grunt as I snuffle out of the sunken living room, immediately cutting him off because in the next moment, he’s there, bending to help me up.
To soothe my aches and pains with his warm, fuzzy toxin.
Which is great because it puts his bony face within grabbing distance.
“You’re going to make yourself late. You can’t do your weird spatial jump with that much extra weight.
Go and show all those other botanists how badass my mate is. ”
He releases a heavy breath I hadn’t realized he was holding, letting his head thud gently against mine. “Draya’la… I am consumed with worry, and my mood is entirely foul.”
Neither of us glances out the windows, but we both hear the hidden words behind that statement; the attacks on the dome have ramped up yet again.
The visual of that ship's nose bursting through and lodging into the dome sends a chill down my spine. I have nightmares about it more often than I’d like to admit.
Still, do my best to hide my shiver, pressing myself as far and deep into him as my belly will allow.
Offering him a smile. “I have cared for myself in harsher conditions than the safety of our cozy home, fed, rested, and well fucked.”
He huffs at that, refusing to be swayed by my humor as he checks the time on the datapad. “Hue…”
“Just go, okay?” I glance at Melion, swirling nervously by the door. “Both of you. The quicker you get it over with, the quicker you’ll be home.”
Famous last fucking words too, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
The next few moments are a toss between Sor’en ranting, hurling threats toward dangers unseen, and a holo page that seems to set him off even more. By the time I finally manage to all but shove him from the door, even my hope that he doesn’t poison someone is dwindling rapidly.
And time passes incredibly slowly with nothing to do. I’m officially in the phase of the pregnancy where I’m supposed to ride it out in solitude, for the better part. Small trips to the city for things I need or my mate forgiving, but even then, it’s a rule of thumb to stay home.
I’m bored. Like, really bored. The shimmering door and the peaceful field of flowers loom beyond it like a siren's call. I’m halfway there before I even catch myself, my back aching like hell.
Realistically, I should go back to bed. I could browse the datapad Sor’en bought for me.
Unfortunately, Xyreliths never quite picked up on the Intergalactic Viewing Broadcast, so watching TV to numb my mind is out.
It sets in then, every horrific event that brought me here.
How terribly I had lived before this. What a blessing it is to feel bored.
To be safe enough to have nothing to do, nothing to steal, nobody to scam, and nowhere to run.
That… I quite love the monster who stole me from Vortara Space Station.
That I love being his mate and that I get to work with him now, with the pretty flowers in the field.
Instead of the door, I move to the window instead, expecting to feel more guilt, more melancholy as I debate burying Mom out there in the field.
It's not where she wanted to go.
But if what the Xyreliths believe is correct, it's got to be better than perpetual nothingness.
I’ve kept her in limbo for these past ten orbits.
I sigh, a deep tendril of sadness worming into my gut when something flutters deep inside me.
My sigh is cut off short, my head and hand snapping to my large belly in shock.
When the flutter gets stronger, turning into a proper kick, tears spring to my eyes like an overflowing faucet. “H-hi baby,” I whisper. “That was odd.”
That makes up the last of my mind for me, and for a moment, I understand her desperation to comfort me. The lies and empty hope Sofaxi whispered as I had curled in her lap. She had wanted nothing more than to give me a life. A proper life.
My lip wobbles as I stroke my belly, where my little Xyrelith baby has gone still again.
In a roundabout way, my mom did give me that life.
It was the desperation to make it to Lunareth that brought me to The Solar Breeding Agency, that brought me…
home. My chest is tight with emotion as I lift my head back to the window of my home. To my mom's home, if she’ll forgive me.
I can’t go… things are different now.
I can’t leave Sor’en. Can’t leave my baby, nor could I even consider taking him from his people to the empty, horrid, dangerous bowls of space.
Where so many will hate him simply for being him.
My eyes catch on something outside the window, a bundle of flowers that must’ve slipped off the cart.
A loud, throaty groan leaves me as I rush out to grab it.
Knowing how quickly they waste without proper preparation.
The simple act of bending my back feels like I might as well snap my damn spine in two.
I’m somewhere between a bend, a squat, and a wiggle halfway to the ground when all fucking hell breaks loose.
The dome splits above my head.
I wobble, losing my balance and falling hard onto my butt as my eyes open in horror at the scene above me. It's another ship, nose piercing the safety of our dome, but this one is different only in the symbol that graces the side.
Three planets orbiting a shield. A bold TIA nestled in the heart of that shield.
The Intergalactic Alliance.
I roll over onto my hands and knees, unsteady as I try to get myself up. Two more moments pass before I manage it, and several things happen all at once. The ship's nose opens with a maniacal groan. My mate appears down the field from me, Melion at his side, and something sharp pierces my neck.
I hiss, my hand slapping against the prick, finding nothing there, but my legs are heavy as I stumble a step toward Sor’en.
He doesn’t come to me, and I don’t understand why until a heavy thud lands behind my back.
Until seven winged Riarthians, all heavily armored, their skin untouchable as they barrel into my mate, taking him to the ground.
I scream as two rough arms jerk around my stomach, pressing painfully into my large belly as they take me to the sky.
I watch in horror as the ground shoots further and further away, clinging to the person holding me all the while screaming to be released.
My eyes scan the ground in a panic, but like before, hell has opened up within our dome.
Xyrelith males phase in, their shimmering swords ready as leathery wings and our people clash.
I panic, searching for Sor’en, for Melion as the sky suddenly closes.
No, not the sky but the nose of a ship. I’m thrown to the ground, crying out as I grip my belly.
“I had been surprised to see you within his home, you know. The Xyrelith had never seemed interested in needs of the flesh.”
The rough voice slithers over my skin like bile down my throat as I lift my head, finally meeting the reddened eyes of a familiar Riarthian. I’d only seen him once before that night on Sor’en’s holopad. His gaze is no less distressing in person. “How fucking dare you!” I hiss. “You have no right!”
He laughs at that. “No need to yell. So long as your mate comes willingly, we shall house you and your hideous child together on the ship.”
I sit back on my butt, whatever they shot into my neck is making me more than a little woozy, and standing is entirely out. “Why are you doing this? What do you even want with him?”
“I want him to get back to work. It seems he can’t be trusted to do so without the proper…
incentive now that he’s stolen you.” He laughs again, his clothing pulling a little too tightly over his stomach.
As if he never bothered updating the dark green and gold of his uniform to match his expanding frame.
“Back to work?” I breathe, flinching at the horrible sounds from around me. My heart slams around in my chest so hard I fear it’ll knock me over.
“Naturally, he didn’t tell his breeder. Your Xyrelith works for me. Something of a mercenary, if you will. I point, he kills, scrambling minds, the lot.”
I shake my head, a shiver breaking out over my spine. “You’re lying.”
He tsks. “I assure you, I am not.”
I wobble, trying to wrap my dizzy mind around that for a moment, but it's getting harder. More and more of that injection setting in. The moment I realize I’m about to fall over, I lie back, wrapping my arms around my stomach.
“Perhaps he will kill you as well, once you’ve given birth to his child, of course. That would certainly be the best scenario.” His dark, leathery wings shift, flaring out.
There was a Riarthian in my pod growing up.
I laugh, a crazed, terrified little laugh. Partly because I’m scared out of my mind and also because I am very high.
The round, older male, far past his prime, glares down at me. “Has he scrambled your mind, human?”
I keep laughing, the injection making me feel silly. “You’re nervous.”
His glare deepens.
“Your wings keep flaring. You all do that when you’re nervous.”
His wings snap to his back with an audible pop.
I laugh even harder.
Oh god, I think I might pee.
“Ermal!” he barks. “Have you underdosed the human? It is awake still.”