Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Zeydan
W atching the water churn like it’s being driven by an angry water god, I feel the cyborg’s worry like a palpable thing as I try not to let the water soak the bottom of my skirt. I am not a fan of the ocean—that was my brother’s domain.
“Where are we?” I ask him, shocked that there is such a large body of water on this ship. It really is an engineering marvel.
“This is the Aquilian living quarters. We had a pod that used to perform in the circus, but most of them opted to stay on Aquilia for the birth of their first child. Only one remains, and he is also expecting. He is Lila’s Aquilian mate, Nikos.”
I feel my eyebrows jump in surprise. Pregnant? I had no idea Lila’s family was expanding so rapidly. I could hear the extra heartbeats in the omega lightning cat, but I hadn’t heard anyone mention that’s why the merman wasn’t able to leave his pool. I assumed it was because he was an arrogant ass, like so many of them are. They really are the closest race in temperament to my brother, who is more of an asshole than anything else.
“Are his emotions driving the ocean? Is he unhappy?” I ask, and Link looks at me in shock.
“They can do that?” he asks me. I hear his heart rate increase with his anxiety.
“Yes. The more powerful ones can control the water, and it’s often driven by their mood.”
“Crap, I need to get across there. I’m worried he’s in pain or labor, but I can’t put the bridges out with the water like that,” he replies.
“Come here,” I order him, and without waiting for him to respond, I grab his arm and teleport us the short distance to the dwelling he had been eyeing.
When we reach our destination, he hurries away from me, tossing a, “Thank you,” over his shoulder. I move after him and descend a set of stairs into a cavern at the bottom of the dwelling. There’s a small pool of water, allowing for an easy transition in and out for the Aquilian. The water isn’t much calmer in that pool, splashing up the sides of the rock wall and drenching the small platform area. There’s no sign of any Aquilian, but I can just make out some gold and green at the bottom of the pool.
“Nik,” Link calls, seeing the same flash of color I do. “Nikos,” he calls louder, but I doubt the merman can hear him.
“Would you like me to bring him to the surface?” I offer, and he nods.
“Yes please. I want to make sure he isn’t in trouble.”
I hold out my hands and use my telekinesis, latching onto the Aquilian with a little difficulty. I struggle with all my powers that came so easily before, but I try not to let anyone know. That’s a surefire way to end up dead or as someone’s prisoner.
I draw him to the surface, and he starts to fight when he feels himself moving, but it’s a halfhearted effort, and I can see why when he gets to the surface. His belly is huge, but the two heartbeats inside are strong.
There are dark bags under his eyes, but he brightens once he sees Link. “Nik, are you okay?” The cyborg toes off his shoes and socks and drags off his shorts then steps onto the water filled platform. It’s up to his knees, but he doesn’t seem to care. I deposit the merman on the platform, and Link strokes his hand through the merman’s shiny gold hair. He leans into it and practically purrs, before his eyes alight on me, and they widen with interest.
“I am so tired. I can’t get comfortable without my anemone, and I’m so fat,” he wails, and I have to smother a smile. The cyborg is very good and doesn’t so much as change a face muscle, keeping his concern front and center.
“I know this must be difficult for you, but if you go back to the anemone and go into labor, I can’t help you with it. Only Cas and Lila will be able to reach you.” He keeps stroking the merman’s hair in a soothing way, and I watch with interest as his whole body relaxes, and the water around us calms.
“I’m lonely and so grumpy. I miss my sister, I miss Sweetpea, and I especially miss my mate.” Now I feel sorry for the poor man. I know Aquilians can’t shift during their pregnancy like some other creatures, and he would be surrounded by family and friends if he was back on his home planet.
“Can we get your sister to come stay with you until you give birth?” I ask, and they both frown.
“No. Unfortunately she is back on Aquilia and unable to be here at the moment,” Link explains, and I can tell by the tears that well in Nikos’s eyes that there’s more to the story, so I let it drop.
“Lila, Cas, Tirrian, and the children are going to visit you after the babies have their afternoon nap,” Link promises Nikos, which seems to have his mood brightening even more.
“They are? That will be lovely. I feel like I’m missing so much. Like who is that?” He points to me and looks me up and down, angling his body so he can see me better.
“Nikos, this is Zeydan. Zeydan, meet Nikos, Lila’s Aquilian mate.” Link does the introduction, and the Aquilian smiles at me, but when he does, his mouth is full of sharp teeth.
“Who are you and what do you want?” he demands fiercely, a trident appearing in his hand. Link stumbles backward but then rolls his eyes. He and I both know Nikos probably couldn’t hurt a fly at the moment. I can appreciate him being protective of his family and friends though.
“Zeydan is the god of earth and Lila’s new mate,” Link answers, and Nikos frowns.
“God of earth? Is that like our god of water, Tito? The old gods are fables, they don’t exist. They are just stories parents use to get their children to behave,” he argues, shaking his head. “There is a statute in the middle of the palace grounds, which my mother told me was Tito, but that he was just a legend because if he was real, surely he would still look after his people.”
“Oh, I can assure you that Tito is very real, but he’s a real asshole and cares for nothing but himself. It is the nature of gods,” I tell them offhandedly. “We are long lived and get bored easily. Back when we were creating life and planets and new races, it was a bit of a competition, and we really didn’t pay too much attention to them after we finished and moved on to the next one. It’s why the council was able to grab control. It started as a very small movement just before the Una’s and Aaz’axian war, but now it encompasses the whole galaxy.”
Both Link and Nikos frown as I get slightly off topic. “It’s nice to meet you. Would you like me to check on your babies?” I offer, hoping it will earn me some favor.
“You can do that?” Link asks, sounding surprised, and I feel slightly disgruntled.
“Yes, I am a god. My power may be diminished, but I can still do things most people can’t,” I reply, hiking my skirt up and securing it with the long sash before stepping into the water with them. I lean down and hold out my hands, examining the merman much like I did Lilessa. My hands glow green with my power, and I wait for the merman to give me a small nod before it sinks into his body. I close my eyes as it spreads out and can’t stop the smile from crossing my lips as it reaches their babies. Both of them are perfectly formed, and I can already touch their minds and feel their personalities. They are going to be a handful. I feel joy and laughter and endless energy, as well as a great potential for power and compassion. There’s also impatience. These babies are ready to meet the world. I can’t imagine it’s going to be long before we meet them in person.
“Are they okay?” Nikos asks in a small voice, and when I retract my power and open my eyes, there’s a wrinkle of concern between his eyebrows.
“Be at ease, my mate’s mate. They are perfect, but impatient to come out and meet their family. You really should get some rest. It won’t be long now, and from what I remember, labor can be intense.”
He and Link both sigh with relief, but the merman grumbles, “My back aches so much I can’t get comfortable. I need some kind of support, so I don’t sleep. The anemone was perfect because it molded around my body but gave me some support as well.”
“Anemones have a movable foot, don’t they?” I ask, stepping out of the water and frowning down at my wet legs. Water is really not my favorite element.
“Yes. I’ve tried to coax it up here, but it is really happy at the bottom of the pool.” Nikos pouts with his annoyance, and Link climbs out of the pool and grabs towels from a nearby shelf, handing one to me before drying himself off and putting his shorts and shoes back on.
I rub over my legs and release my skirt before placing the towel to the side. “I can bring it here for you,” I offer. “But I don’t want to upset it. Would you be opposed to me encouraging another one to grow up here?” I offer. “I can take a piece of the other one and place it in the bottom of this pool, and then use my growing powers to accelerate its growth.”
Link looks thoughtful. “Your idea of diminished powers and mine must vary greatly.”
“That would be wonderful. It won’t hurt the other one, will it?” Nikos asks, his frown turning into a small look of hope.
“No, not at all.” I close my eyes and let go of my powers, feeling my god form take shape once more. I have more control in this form, and this is going to require a little more finesse. I shake out my body and hear an intake of surprised breath from the merman. Link has already seen this form when he quizzed me about my intentions for Lila. Although I would have been annoyed at anyone else for questioning me like that, I accepted that as Lila’s mate, he and any of the others that wish to may ask questions, as is their right. I approve of him looking out for her.
When I open my eyes, Nikos is looking at me with wide-eyed amazement, and I can’t help but give him a playful wink. He startles, almost falling off the small platform he is settled on. I chuckle as he recovers and scowls at me before allowing my power freedom to sink below the surface in search of the anemone growing deep in the pool. My power is attracted to live plants and animals, and I’m surprised to see an abundance of both below. I was expecting an empty pool, but I can sense a large coral reef with thousands of living organisms, both the coral and sea life. I don’t slow my search to explore, instead searching for the anemone which should contain a resonance of Nikos’s life force if he spent much time there. That’s how I am able to zero in on it and direct my power to slice a small section off.
Happy with what I’ve done, I allow my power to return back to me, drawing the small section of the anemone with it until it’s at the bottom of this cavern. I place it into a small crevice and then pump my growth power into it. My heart rate increases, and I feel my breath start to labor and curse my diminished powers. Something that should be a breeze is taking a huge amount of effort. Finally, it reaches a size capable of holding the large merman, and I release the power, drawing it back to me. A feeling of lightheadedness plagues me, and I stumble slightly to one side. Link is quick to grab my arm and steady me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, and I nod, feeling sweat pearl on my brow.
“Yes,” I grumble. “This is what I mean about diminished power. That should have been as easy as blinking, yet I’m exhausted afterwards.”
“How can you recharge?” Link’s concern makes me feel something that I haven’t felt in a long time—cared for.
“The bio level should help if there are plants up there,” I tell him, regaining my balance, but he keeps his hand on me a moment more to be sure. I pat it in gratitude.
“I’m fine now, you can let go, but thank you.” I turn my attention to the merman. “It is done. I hope you sleep well, and it was lovely meeting you and your babies,” I say politely.
His eyes light up, and he beams at me, the mouthful of sharp teeth replaced by blinding white teeth. “Thank you so much. Welcome to the family. I look forward to getting to know you better when we can leave this pool.” He doesn’t wait around. He gives us both a wave and awkwardly slides into the water and disappears.
Link chuckles. “You made yourself a lifetime friend, I think.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “Thank you. Now let’s get you recharged. I’m sure the bio level will have you back to normal in no time.”
He leads the way up the stairs, and I follow behind him slowly, cursing myself the whole way. When I get up there, he is out on the deck and pressing a button, which has a bridge sliding out across the now calm water.
“I didn’t want you to tire yourself even more by teleporting us,” he explains, and we both walk back to the entrance and the elevator door.
It closes behind us, and he presses a button on the wall. I make note of which one it is, because being able to spend time in nature despite being on a ship in the middle of space may be a game changer. The small ship I used to travel had a little conservatory, but it wasn’t as affective as being on a planet.
“Everyone should be up there by the time we get there. This is going to be fun. We need to blow off some steam, and what better way than a family picnic? I’ll be honest, I’ve never been on one either. My family is definitely not the picnicking type, more the five-star restaurant where you need to be dressed in fancy clothes. I’m looking forward to there being no pressure to perform or impress anyone,” Link explains.
There is so much I need to learn about the family I will be mating into. “What does your family do that requires that kind of dining?”
He grimaces. “We are the owners of Pleasure Bot Industries.”
Huh, well that was not what I was expecting. I don’t socialize very much anymore, but I do keep abreast of everything that goes on through the galaxy, and I know the company he is speaking of. “And you’re a doctor? With your family’s fortune, you don’t need to work.”
He sighs. “No, but I never wanted to be a part of the business. My mother is an unpleasant woman, and I never wanted to become like her. My father is much more understanding and pushed for me to do whatever I wanted. Luckily for me, it’s his company, and she is only chairman of the board. He can replace her at any time, and it’s how he keeps her in line.”
“Being a doctor suits you. I think you made the right choice. I’ve never met your parents, but rumors of your mother’s beauty expand the galaxy, as do the rumors of how her beauty cannot outshine her devious and cunning nature.”
His face stays blank, but I see the corner of his eye twitch. “The rumors are not unfounded. Count yourself lucky. She would have tried to seduce you into her pocket. Having a god at her beck and call would suit her needs.”
“She would have overestimated her appeal. While I admire deviousness and cunning, I cannot abide cruelty,” I reply just as the doors of the elevator open, and we step out. I look around and breathe deeply. The sight before me is one I had not expected. Looking up, I notice clouds floating across a blue sky with a sun that is so realistic, I can feel the warmth soaking into my skin, a slight breeze making it so it’s pleasant instead of stifling.
My skin prickles with the presence of all the plants, and I feel a smile creep across my lips as I take notice of a large clearing beyond rows and rows of crops. The family is gathered there, and I itch to join them. The sounds of shouts and laughter and joy make my ears prickle and my tails shiver with the desire to be released. I allow them to take form, and they scamper down the rows of crops and join the family, circling the children who laugh with delight and pounce on them to give them cuddles. I soak in the love they lavish on my creatures, and the exhaustion starts to drain away.
“Come on.” Link slaps my shoulder again. “Let’s join the chaos.” He starts down a path, and I follow behind, taking in the massive area. It is going to be one of my favorite places on the ship.