Khiva dressed quickly and quietly as the sun began its ascent the following morning.

Into a satchel, he packed a couple changes of clothing and loaded a small stack of credits onto a card. He was planning to meet Kavik at the depot and then they would venture into the colony’s center together to rent transport to the southern tip.

When he was finished, he walked around to where Evelyn slept on her side of their bed. All night, they’d both slept restlessly, right next to one another. In the early hours of morning, Khiva finally sensed that she’d fallen into a deeper sleep and she hadn’t awakened since.

Slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her.

Last night…

Last night had not gone well.

The blame was all his.

Khiva looked down at his leeldra, her features softened in sleep. His chest ached at her beauty and he couldn’t help but press a kiss to her forehead.

Slowly, his eyes moved down her body, which was lying on top of their blankets since the mornings were warm on Dumera. Normally, they slept nude, but last night, she’d clothed herself before bed. Even still, his gaze sought her belly and he pushed her top up until he could see it.

The flesh was still smooth and flat, but he wondered how long it would be before the evidence of what she’d told him last night would begin to show.

His hand shook as he placed it against her belly.

A child.

Khiva blew out a rough breath, too many emotions welling up within him at that knowledge that he couldn’t process how he truly felt.

And last night…last night he’d reacted as a typical Keriv’i male would, which shamed him.

Keriv’i males had very little involvement in their offsprings’ lives, though even Keriv’i felt that it was unnatural. And even from an early age, Khiva felt the absence of his father like the loss of a limb.

He’d told his leeldra once that he would not uphold the Keriv’i tradition of children being raised by the mother’s line if he sired offspring of his own.

His demeanor last night might’ve convinced her otherwise, however, and he wondered if she would ever forgive him for it.

Guilt had eaten away at him all night long, knowing that he’d hurt her with his indifference. From the moment he’d stepped inside their dwelling the night before, he could sense her excitement about something. She’d been glowing with it.

His jaw clenched, remembering that glow fading, only to have dismay take its place, when he opened his mouth and loosened his tongue.

A low growl rose in his throat and he rubbed at his eyes, tired, sore from the day before mining, emotionally emptied.

Khiva sat there until he knew he had to depart to meet Kavik. He realized with a pang in his chest that this would be the first time his leeldra would be separated from him since the night that Madame Allegria had whipped his back raw.

For the millionth time, he questioned whether he should leave.

But he knew that he must. He had to make contact with Dhrika. He had waited twelve years and this was the most promising lead.

“Please understand,” he whispered down to his female. “I need to do this, leeldra. Then I will make this right between us.”

He felt like the worst sort of villainous male, to leave his female after she’d told him she was pregnant with his child, especially after his behavior the night before.

But ever since Kavik had told him about Dhrika, Khiva had thought of almost nothing else. It was a culmination of the questions of twelve years…with the answers possibly only a few short days away.

It could not wait any longer.

He just prayed to the demavs that his female would forgive him for it.

Khiva pressed another lingering kiss to her forehead, deciding not to wake her to say goodbye, considering how little sleep she’d gotten the previous night. She needed her rest.

Then he rose from their bed, picked up his satchel, and after one last look at his female sleeping, he left.

Kavik was waiting for him at the depot. The usually chaotic space was quiet and calm. It was still too early for the first transport vessel to begin making drops to the mines, so it was easy to locate Kavik.

The Keriv’i male nodded at him in greeting. And another punching shot of guilt struck him. Because whenever Khiva saw Kavik, he was reminded of the Keriv’i, his Krave brothers, still on Everton. Dravka, Tavak, and Ravu, still continuing to allow Madame Allegria to sell their bodies for her own exorbitant profit.

A part of Khiva felt that he’d abandoned them there, that he could have done more to convince them to leave. There was mining work on Dumera. They would have a steady stream of credits and Khiva could’ve helped them find dwellings.

“Khiva?” Kavik asked, cocking his head to the side.

It took him a moment to realize that Kavik had been speaking to him.

“Yes?”

“Where can we acquire a transport rental?” Kavik repeated.

Khiva shook himself.

Focus on this for now, he told himself.

“Follow me,” Khiva said, jerking his head towards the colony’s center. “It is this way.”

When Eve woke, she already sensed that Khiva had left and that knowledge sent a fresh wave of despair through her.

As she pushed herself up in bed, her head felt foggy and her temples pounded from the amount of tears she’d cried last night. She felt incredibly hungover, yet she hadn’t had a single sip of sweet wine.

And as she stood from their bed, dizziness made her stumble back into a sitting position, the room spinning. A few moments later, she felt nausea consume her body, churning her stomach, saliva filling her mouth.

Immediately, despite her dizziness, she raced to the washroom, barely making it to their toilet when she vomited up the contents of her stomach, losing whatever remained of last night’s failed celebration meal.

Morning sickness, she thought, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.

It had finally hit her.

And as more waves of nausea drowned her, until she could throw up no more, she finally leaned her cheek against the wall of their washroom, the coolness soothing.

Eve took shallow breaths in through her nostrils before exhaling slowly. The dizziness wouldn’t subside, nor would the pounding at her temples.

And when she felt her gut churn again, she was actually glad that Khiva had left early, if only so he wouldn’t have to see her in that sorry state.