Chapter Thirty-Five
Taryn
I was surprised when Serenya popped her head in the door instead of Rhydek, but I found myself smiling at the other woman.
I’d never had many friends, but Serenya had always been open and welcoming, and we shared the experience of being strangers in a new place, so it was easy to consider her one even though we hadn’t gotten many opportunities to talk.
“Saed is here to check on you. Do you need any help to dress?”
The question reminded me of my injuries and that this was the first time she had seen me since. There was no way she didn’t know about the attack or see my cheek, yet she looked at me the same way she always had.
A subtle tension inside me loosened. It was one thing for Rhydek to look at me and support my choice to keep the scars, but Humans viewed them differently. Especially when they were on the face.
“I might need help putting the salve on my cheek since I don’t have a mirror.”
Serenya nodded and stepped through the doorway before pausing again.
“Are you okay with me coming closer?”
The question would have been odd if I hadn’t been warned about how my new hormones and instincts might affect me. I tried to determine how I felt about her in the room and shrugged when I couldn’t tell a difference.
“I think I’m fine.”
She smiled as she walked closer, but she gave me enough time to warn her if I grew uncomfortable. Her scent reminded me of fresh peaches with a hint of jasmine, and I gave it a moment once I caught it laced through the thicker scents of me and Rhydek, but I still wasn’t bothered.
Shrugging again, I kept the sheet tucked beneath my arms as I turned and slipped my feet off the bed.
“It’s that jar,” I told her, pointing to where it sat so I didn’t have to walk around in nothing but the sheet.
The Morrak might view nudity as nothing important, but Serenya was as Human as I.
She’d been on Morrakan longer, but it was hard to let go of ingrained reactions, and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
She brought it over and stood in front of me, uncapping the jar. The salve had almost no scent, which was good since it had to be put on my face.
“Mirrors are something I miss, but I also kind of like not having them. I can’t tell if my hair is a mess, but I can’t judge myself if I can’t see it.”
I huffed a laugh and then tensed, remembering the pain it had brought when I awoke the last time, only now there was just a dull ache as if I had worked out the day before. It was there, but ignorable.
“I hardly had time to look in a mirror before, but they’re useful sometimes. And if your hair is tied up, it can’t get messy.”
Serenya chuckled as she scooped out a small amount of the orange goo and I turned to give her better access to the wound on my cheek.
“That would last all of five minutes before Kael ruined it. He’s destroyed all but one of my hair ties, and I’m guarding the last with my life.”
I caught her crimson markings glowing brighter from the corner of my eye, having no trouble imagining how Kael had destroyed them. Even though I still felt tired and weak, there was a thrum of desire for Rhydek beneath it that hadn’t faded since my heat.
I sobered as her fingers traced a path from my cheekbone down to my jaw. I was grateful Zharrek had been there to save me and didn’t blame him for the damage, but I was still angry that I’d been attacked, and scared it might happen again.
“How did you get over being attacked?”
My question was a whisper spoken to the room. I was prying, asking about something sensitive, and it gave her the option to pretend she hadn’t heard, but I knew she had when she cupped my cheek and leaned over to meet my eyes.
“Honestly, I got distracted. I was on the verge of my heat when it happened, so hormones were at play, but Kael took me to the Fungus Gardens and showed me not all Morraki are against us being here. They are people, they all have their own thoughts and reasons for things, and just like Earth, there are those who go to extremes, but most just want to live their lives and know a future is possible. That’s what we’re giving them. ”
Swallowing hard, I blinked back the sting in my eyes and nodded to let her know I understood.
Tension was radiating through the bond, and I was concerned Rhydek might come storming in if he noticed how I felt, so I sucked in a breath and focused on the moment. It was the only way I was going to move forward since there wasn’t a way to just skip ahead to the good parts.
Serenya fetched a simple wrap from the storage cabinet behind the bed and turned her back for me to slip it on. When we left the bedroom four sets of eyes focused on us, the scrutiny making my stomach tense and renewing the ache, but it was bearable.
“I have news you all need to hear, so it’s good that you are together.”
A sense of foreboding hit me at the healer’s announcement, but his face was still set in the pleasant expression he’d worn the day before.
I looked for signs of what would show stress in a bird, feathers slicked down to his skin or missing, jerky movements, but didn’t notice anything unusual as he beckoned me to come sit at the table.
Ignoring the worry, I glanced to where Rhydek stood with Kael, but moved to sit on the bench the Qy’shaeuhl had indicated. Serenya gave me a small smile and a nod before circling the table to the other side, and Kael came up behind her a moment later.
I didn’t get a chance to wonder if Rhydek was coming before I sensed his presence behind me, the bond warming in my chest as I looked up at him. He still carried fears, but I was getting more from him. Softer emotions that didn’t match his rough exterior.
Lips twitching, I decided he was a burnt marshmallow. The top layer might be charred and bitter, and what was inside would burn you if you weren’t patient, but there was a warm, gooey middle in there that was sweet.
His brow arched as he looked down at me, his tail looping around my waist as he stood beside me.
“I told you I was running some tests.”
Large amber eyes focused on me and since the healer seemed to be waiting for an answer, I nodded.
“Humans are new to Morrakan. We already knew Vorrashan doesn’t produce enough vitamin D to rely on, but I wanted to see if there were signs of anything else that would need support to adapt. I’ve also tested Serenya’s blood several times.”
I nodded again. I hadn’t been asked for permission, but there was a logical reason behind the tests, and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t provided him with easy access to a sample.
Plus, I wasn’t sure the Qy’shaeuhl cared too much about permission when it came to something they were studying.
“It’s not surprising that you are anemic and need an iron supplement as well, and it seems you are not getting enough calcium either. I’m scanning the local vegetation to see what the best source is, but I have other news that affects you all.”
That wiggle of worry returned, making my chest tighten as I waited. He’d said it affected us all, but he was staring at me.
“Taryn, your heat was a success. A blastocyst has implanted despite the trauma you sustained.”
I blinked, his meaning taking a moment to sink in. A quick glance at Serenya’s face told me she hadn’t figured it out yet, and Rhydek’s frown was his usual expression.
Turning my focus back to Saed, I clarified.
“You’re saying I’m pregnant?”
Serenya’s gasp was audible, and the bond inside me went as still as a river freezing in winter.
Those large amber eyes blinked once before the Qy’shaeuhl dipped his head.
“Correct. You carry the first Human, Morraki hybrid.”
My hand moved to my stomach. Besides the ache of the wounds and the tiredness from blood loss, I felt normal.
Shouldn’t I have felt… something?
Some undeniable sensation that said there was another life inside me?
But all I felt was my palm pressed to the fabric covering my stomach. It seemed like it was too soon to know something like that, but Qy’shaeuhl technology was more advanced than ours, so I didn’t question the truth of it.
The words rattled through my mind, the rush of blood in my ears blocking out any other sounds as I tried to process the information.
I was pregnant.
The idea felt foreign. It was something I had never thought about, never thought I’d have time for, although it had been mentioned during the change process.
My throat tightened as emotions surged through the bond. It wasn’t a gentle ripple, it hit like a wave crashing into me, sharp and violent, full of something raw and uncontained. For a moment it stole my breath, and I turned to look up at Rhydek.
His face had gone blank, his entire body still as if he’d turned to stone, but he glowed an intense yellow that burned. His eyes were locked on my hand where it rested over my stomach, but he didn’t seem to see what was in front of him.
“They could have—”
The words cut off, his voice rough, like it had been dragged over something sharp. His throat worked, and the bond was flooded with fear and something bleaker once more.
My chest tightened as understanding settled in. He hadn’t just almost lost me, he’d almost lost… this. Us. Something neither of us had even known existed, but now mattered more than anything else.
My fingers curled against my stomach. I wanted to offer him comfort, reassure him we were still here, but I had to handle my own emotions first.
The Qy’shaeuhl dipped his head as if he felt the weight of the news.
“It is early,” he said. “The implantation has only just occurred. Under normal circumstances, we would not have confirmed it this soon, but given the trauma your body sustained and the blood available, it seemed prudent to check.”
I frowned, trying to catch one of the questions circling my mind. There were things women did when they found out they were pregnant, questions they asked, but my brain was a blender.
“Is there anything I should do? Know?”
Saed’s large eyes blinked, slow and deliberate.