NINETEEN
Beks should’ve known how deep she was in with Lihvan when it was hard leaving him just to have some girl chat with Kate.
Like, seriously. It gutted her.
There was no possible way that she’d be able to walk away from him, knowing she’d never see him again. Impossible. And perhaps it was puppy love, but she just knew that there was something deeper going on, beneath the surface, that told her the two of them were the real deal.
Just looking at how glowy her best friend was whenever she looked at her mate, Vaxa’an…that was what she felt inside. It didn’t make sense, it was ridiculous, but that was love.
It was messy and glorious and it made her feel like her heart was outside her body, vulnerable.
“Oh boy,” Kate whispered, leading Beks into what she assumed was her and Vaxa’an’s bedroom. There was a lounge area, set into the ground, with cushions surrounding a fire pit. Beks watched as her very pregnant best friend lowered herself against the cushions and patted the spot next to her. “You have that look on your face.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around how you’re here,” Beks whispered, sinking down onto the cushions. They were soft and plush and she instantly relaxed. She reached out to grasp Kate’s hands and held them. “I’m so, so happy that you’re okay. I—I thought the worst. I really did.”
Kate’s face softened. “How were you captured?”
Beks laughed, racking her brain. It had seemed like ages ago when it had happened, but she told Kate, “I was in your apartment, actually. I was cleaning it out because your landlord contacted me, saying I had a week to pack up your stuff. The bastard.”
Kate chuckled, shaking her head. “He was a dick, wasn’t he?”
“Anyways, I was taking a trash bag out to the bins and it was dark and cold. I remember being in my pajama shorts and wishing I’d brought my sweater…” she sighed. “And that was the last thing I remember. I woke up in a cage, with these other women. I was naked. I thought I’d been kidnapped and drugged by sex traffickers or something. Until I actually saw who our captors were.”
“The lizard aliens?” Kate asked quietly.
“Yeah,” Beks said, nodding, squeezing Kate’s fingers.
“Did you see the fights? In the Pit?”
Beks nodded again. “Yes, but thankfully, I wasn’t chosen. It was…horrific.”
“I was lucky,” Kate murmured. “Vaxa’an was literally the first fight that I ever saw there. And he chose me. I rebelled at first, but eventually I realized…he was probably the best guy I’d ever met. He only wanted to protect me. And love me.”
Beks’ breath hitched because it reflected many of her thoughts of late. Teasing, she murmured, “And knock you up. God, Kate, I can’t believe you’re pregnant. You’re going to be a mom.”
“I know,” Kate said, laughing. “Sometimes I can’t believe it myself. I’m scared. I really am, just because it will be the first human Luxirian child ever born. I’m worried something will go wrong.”
Beks shook her head. Kate was a worry wart, always had been. She probably kept herself up at night, going over and over all the bad things that could happen. “The baby will be beautiful, Kate, considering that its father looks like that.”
Kate’s lips pressed together, her cheeks flushing. “They are all pretty damn attractive, aren’t they?”
Beks thought of Lihvan and yes, while she could appreciate the beauty of Luxirians, he was still the one that her eye would always be drawn to. That alien did things to her…
Kate went silent, looking at Beks. Then she said, “Now, tell me everything that happened since Lihvan breached the Pit.”
So, Beks did.
It took a long time, but she managed to recount every last detail. She told Kate about her time on board the ship, about how Lihvan stirred something in her that scared her, how attracted she was to him, which Kate seemed to understand. Kate said something similar happened when she first met Vaxa’an.
Beks told her about the Jetutians, about how she’d followed Lihvan and been captured with him, about how Lihvan had saved them and managed to commandeer an escape pod that landed on Jalun.
The beginning of their story on Jalun was easy enough to tell. She thought of the first couple days together, that even though the weather was shitty, Lihvan had more than made up for it. Beks kept most of their more intimate moments to herself, hinting just enough for her best friend to understand.
The last few days on Jalun, however, were harder to recount. She told Kate about his injury, about her fear as the infection began to spread, about how hopeless she felt when Lihvan couldn’t stay lucid for more than a few moments. Beks started tearing up when she recounted that werewolf-like beast attacking her, how Lihvan had saved her just in time, but had received life-threatening wounds in the process.
Finally, she talked about their trip back to Luxiria, about Lihvan recovering and the turmoil she’d felt, wondering what she was going to do.
Kate was silent when she finished telling her tale. Beks felt better, saying everything out in the open, to the one person that had been there for her when no one else had.
“You love him,” Kate stated, as if it was so easy to see. In a way, Beks supposed it was.
“Yes,” Beks whispered.
“Did you decide what you’re going to do?”
“Yes,” Beks said. “I decided before he ever fully recovered.”
“You haven’t told him yet though?”
“No, I just…he’s seemed a little distant since he woke up. I know it’s because he thinks I’m going to leave. It’s a big decision. I don’t need to tell you that. You understand. I just wanted to make sure that I was making the right one and not doing anything so…”
“Impulsive?” Kate finished for her, cracking a smile.
“You did call me reckless once,” Beks reminded her, laughing a bit.
“That’s because you took our Professor’s car on a joyride.”
“That’s because he hit on me. He should’ve known better not to come onto his students, that creep!”
Kate shook her head but a bubble of laughter rose. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Beks whispered. “It felt like I lost my sister when you went missing.” Kate squeezed her fingers. And Beks said, “Now, tell me what happened to you.”
But Kate shook her head. “It’s a long story. We’ll get there eventually. We have a lot of time now that you’ve made your decision.”
“We do,” Beks agreed.
“Besides, I’m sure your mate is missing you,” Kate singsonged. Mate. That word made her flush.
“We—um—haven’t had sex yet,” Beks told her, voice lowered.
“My, my,” Kate started, astonishment coloring her tone. “Beks Bridgett…I’ve never seen you act shy about sex before. This is a first.”
Beks rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious. We haven’t. I’m a little nervous about it to be honest.”
“Don’t be,” Kate said, eyes twinkling. “Seriously. After you…ahem…adjust to his size, you won’t want to let him out of bed for a week or two or three. Luxirian penises? Game changers.”
“Oh my God,” Beks breathed, her lips twitching. “You did not just say that.”
Kate flashed her a secretive smile and then continued with, “But be careful. Luxirians are potent, if you know what I mean. I’m pretty sure Vaxa’an got me pregnant that very first time.”
“Oh,” Beks murmured, looking down at their hands. She remembered the conversation with Lihvan, the longing on his face when he talked of children, of family. She smiled softly. “I don’t think I’d mind.”
“Okay, who are you and what did you do with my best friend?” Kate demanded.
“I mean, obviously I’d like to have Lihvan to myself a little while longer, to carve out a place for myself here and get settled. But if it happens, it happens. I know he’d be a great father.”
“Jeeze, you have it bad, don’t you?” Kate teased, shaking her head. “My best friend is in love and talking about babies. I’d never thought I’d see this day.”
“Hell, me neither.”