CHAPTER SEVEN
REBECCA
Oh, what have I done!
On a scale of one to ten, Rebecca’s embarrassment rated a twelve thousand. She scurried into the bathroom while Verdan slept. While waiting for the tub to fill with oil, she blushed every shade from pink to crimson to scarlet and bordeaux.
Had I really… Oh, did I… And then!
She buried her face in her hands.
The same hands that had been wrapped around his…
A squeak escaped her lips. That was it. Her only option was to drown herself in the tub, and hope she made a beautiful corpse. She’d been so brazen! A hussy! A tramp!
And I’d loved it.
And he’d loved it.
She stripped and dove into the tub, letting the oil rise up over her nose and ears, until only her eyes weren’t submerged. The sensation was strange at first, but then the oil began to warm her skin, like she sat in a sauna. The pleasant ache in her crotch faded, as did the stiffness in her muscles.
Okay, so mind-blowing orgasms were another pleasure she’d missed from her time on Earth. Admittedly, they’d been the self-inflicted kind. With an internal groan, she slipped further in, letting the liquid cover her head.
Her confusion was to be expected. They’d only known each other a short time. In those couple of days, he’d driven her crazy by turning her life upside down.
Yet, she’d been happy. He gave her a purpose. He treated her like an equal. He clearly enjoyed bumping uglies with her. What was so great about her life that it couldn’t use a good shaking up?
Didn’t the universe owe her some fun now and then?
Of course it did. She deserved a distraction, a temporary distraction, one that wouldn’t throw her off course. One that she shouldn’t get used to, because nothing good ever lasts.
Puffing her cheeks out, she breached in order to breathe, and shrieked when she spotted Verdan lounging against the door.
“You scared the crap outta me!” she sputtered.
“Good morning,” he said, with a wry smile. “I wouldn’t recommend defecating in the bath.”
“Huh?” She flipped the mass of her hair from her face. “Oh, it’s just a saying. It means you startled me.”
He strode to the tub and knelt beside it. For a moment, he simply stared at her. Rebecca’s skin prickled at the intensity in his gaze.
Nothing good lasts, she reminded herself. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Enjoy it while you can.
He cupped her face, and drew her in for a kiss. If last night’s kisses had been fire and flame, this morning’s was molten lava, pouring itself into her body and making her soul ache for something she couldn’t even name.
When he drew back, the cold seemed to rush in and wrap her even tighter.
“I wanted to thank you,” he said, his thumb stroking her cheek.
“Oh, well, last night was my pleasure, I assure you.”
“You do not understand. Give me your hand.”
Mystified, she obeyed. Verdan placed it upon his chest.
“Do you feel that?”
“Your heart? It’s awfully fast.” So was hers.
He squeezed her fingers. “My second heart. It beats again,” he said.
“The one that stopped when Tysa died?” She knelt and pressed her ear to his chest, hearing a rumble like a pair of horses racing. She laughed. “I can hear it!”
He ran a hand down her back. “You caused that. My thanks.”
She sat back. “How? I mean, I’m not Ennoi.”
“I am aware.”
“I’m not your Avowed,” she said, covering herself with a towel. “I’m just a Human.”
His shoulders rose in a shrug. “Perhaps your dissimilar nature is the reason.”
“Do Ennoi Avow more than once?”
“Never.”
A strange sensation churned in Rebecca’s stomach.
“Oh.” She stepped out of the bath, clutching the towel to her chest. “Can you turn around?”
He raised an eyebrow at her, and gave her a knowing look.
“Just do it,” she snapped.
He rolled his eyes, but offered his back to her while she toweled off. His heart beat again. What did that mean? For her? For them? Was there even a them?
When she finished dressing, she flopped her head upside down and created a turban around her hair. “Okay, all done.” She popped her hands on her hips and stared down at him. “Well, that’s good. You need your second heart, right? I mean, it is good, right?”
From the look on his face, she presumed he didn’t know the answer to the question. He opened his mouth to speak when a scream interrupted them.
“Papa! Papa!”
“Farrah!” Verdan raced away.
Spitting curses, Rebecca ripped the towel from her head and scrambled for her shoes. She hopped along on one foot, fastening the buckles on her boots. When she looked up, she realized she’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. All the corridors resembled one another, but she was starting to get a sense of the ship’s layout. This part of the ship was unfamiliar to her. Disorientated, she took a moment to get her bearings.
Something caught her eye: a flash of silver peeking out from under a door. She crouched down, and pulled out the object. Someone had dropped a shiny piece of foil. She opened the door to reveal a small storage room. More scraps of foil lay scattered across the floor, with even some shoved under the lowest shelf in the room.
“Weird,” she said. Maybe Farrah was sneaking candy bars? Or a rat problem?
She didn’t have time to ponder the mess, nor did she want to consider the idea of space rats. Farrah’s screaming had stopped, but there had been a reason for it. Rebecca shut the door and headed back the way she’d come.
Straining her ears, she heard Verdan’s raised voice. He sounded annoyed more than angry. Rebecca broke into a trot, following Verdan’s grumbling until she found herself in Min’s room. She took in Verdan’s stance, his hands on his hips, and the way Farrah clung to the bars of the cage. Her cheeks were soaked with tears, but her face remained defiant. There was no sign of danger.
“What’s going on?” Rebecca asked, stepping into the room.
Verdan gestured at Farrah. “This… this child. This child!” He seemed to run out of words. He steepled his fingers under his chin.
“Verdan,” Rebecca said. “What happened?”
“She screamed for the most frivolous of reasons,” Verdan said.
“Min is having her babies!” Farrah said. She ran her sleeve over her face. “That’s not frivolous!”
“It is the very definition of frivolous!” Verdan bellowed back. “Stop crying!”
“She needs help!”
“It’s an animal! I thought the ship was under attack! I thought you were in trouble!”
Rebecca glanced between Verdan and Farrah. Farrah had her hand inside the cage, patting Min’s side. Her other hand clutched the fabric of her nightgown.
“Verdan,” she said. When he continued to rail against Farrah, she grabbed his arm. “Verdan! Enough!”
He turned to her, his eyes full of anger. “You stay out of this! She is my daughter!”
Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “Really? Because you’re not acting much like a father right now.”
She pushed past Verdan, who wore a stunned expression, and placed her hand on Farrah’s shoulder. “Let’s help Min, shall we? Open up the cage.”
The girl nodded, and sniffed. She stood, and unfastened the hinges, letting the front of the cage swing aside. Min lay inside, huffing and moaning. Farrah brushed a hand across Min’s fur and crooned to her.
Rebecca shot a glance at Verdan. “Maybe you should go find some pants. Come back when you’ve calmed down.”
She turned her back on Verdan. Her shoulders were tight, but she’d be damned before she let him see her reaction. To her relief, he stomped back out of the room.
“What should we do?” Farrah asked.
Rebecca took a deep breath. “You’re the expert on Min. Tell me what calms her.”
“She enjoys being brushed.”
“Let’s do that.”
Farrah worked methodically, from the top of Min’s head, down her back and across her legs. Rebecca watched the girl, admiring her focus. There’s nothing else in this moment but her task.
Verdan slipped back into the room, now fully clothed. He stood by the door, arms crossed, watching his daughter fuss over her pet.
“There, all done!” Farrah announced, putting aside the brush.
“I think it worked,” Rebecca answered. “She’s a lot more relaxed now.” Especially since Verdan stopped shouting.
“Now what?”
“Now, we wait,” Rebecca replied. “I’m sure she knows what she has to do.” She placed her hand on Farrah’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine.”
Farrah bit her lip and wrung her hands in her lap. “How do you know she knows?”
Rebecca knew nothing about labor and delivery, but she’d rather eat dirt than admit it to Farrah right now. “Animals have a sense of these things,” she said, hoping her tone conveyed confidence. “An instinct.”
“What if she doesn’t? She’s lived here since she was a baby. What if she doesn’t know?” Farrah grew more and more agitated. “What if something goes wrong?”
“Hey, hey, nothing will go wrong.” Rebecca grabbed Farrah’s hand. “She’ll be all right.”
“What if she’s not?” Farrah’s face crumpled. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “What if she dies?”
Oh.
Rebecca squeezed Farrah’s hand and rubbed her shoulder. She shot a glance at Verdan, who stood with his head bowed. She cleared her throat, until she caught his attention. Rebecca waggled her eyebrows in a get over here gesture.
Verdan frowned. “What is wrong with your face?”
“Nothing is wrong with my face,” Rebecca said through gritted teeth. “Come tell your daughter that it will all work out. That Min won’t die. That she won’t die, giving birth.”
Realization dawned on Verdan’s face. He inhaled sharply. In an instant, he was beside his daughter, drawing her into his arms.
“She won’t die, love,” Verdan said. “Min is strong.”
Farrah wrapped her arms around her father. Her sobs grew louder. “You don’t know that! Mama was strong!”
Grief, raw even after all these years, passed over Verdan’s face. He buried his face in Farrah’s hair. He held his daughter close, as if he could shield her from hurt with the strength in his arms.
“That,” he said, finally, “was not because she gave birth. She was injured long before. She held on, Farrah. Tysa held on for you.”
Verdan let his daughter weep. He rocked her and murmured in her ear. Rebecca made to rise, but Verdan stopped her with a hand on her knee. He shot her a pleading look, so she settled back.
They sat in silence until Rebecca noticed movement in the cage. She tapped Farrah. “There’s the first baby.”
All three sat and watched as Min pushed out a squirming bundle, followed by another and then another.
“Three? Is that all of them?”
Farrah, who’d been watching the babies with wide eyes, nodded. “Two or three are a typical number of young for a Stillian Koedeer. I read about it. If they are healthy, she will nurse them.”
They watched with bated breath, until Min nuzzled her babies closer. The creatures mewled and wriggled, but eventually found their way to her teats. Their sounds dropped off as they drank.
“Glad that’s it, then.” Rebecca said. Groaning, she stood. “I’m going to get some breakfast.”
“I’ll join you,” Verdan said. He glanced at his daughter, whose face fell. “If I bring you food, will you eat?”
Farrah grinned. “Every bite!”
In the corridor, Verdan placed a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. “I wish to speak with you.”
“About what?”
“I panicked when she screamed,” he said, leaning against the wall.
“That’s understandable. She freaked me out, too.”
““I did not hear what she was trying to tell me.” He rubbed his face. “I am a terrible father.”
“You’re not!” Rebecca replied. “A terrible father wouldn’t have been there at all.”
“I am trying.”
Rebecca placed a hand on his face. “You’re succeeding. Really, you are. She’s a great kid. Bright and kind.”
“There is much I cannot give Farrah. Tysa was always… Tysa was always better with people.”
Rebecca’s smile was sympathetic, but her lips pressed together tightly. He spoke Tysa’s name with such reverence. Of course, dummy, he loved… loves her.
“I’m grateful you were there to help.”
“You’re welcome.”
He bowed deeply. “I am in your debt, and I shall repay your kindness by making every effort to get you back to Earth.”
The warm glow in Rebecca’s chest faded. “Oh.”
“You have surpassed my reasonable expectations. It is what Tysa would have wanted.”
She didn’t know what to say. I don’t want you to take me back to Earth? You don’t have to do that? You’re doing what your dead wife would have done? What do you want? All of the responses on the tip of her tongue sounded ungrateful and insincere. So, she gave the only polite response.
“Thank you, Verdan.”
Nothing good lasts.