Chapter 44
Nahash supported Cass on his coils, his anxiety spiking as she cried out in pain, clutching the scales under her hand with punishing force as she squatted within the circle he formed with his tail.
“You sure you want to do things this way?” he asked for the hundredth time as he stared down at the pool of water befouled by the fluids that had poured from her body when her “water” broke.
She nodded her head in determination. “I can’t bear the thought of lying in a hospital bed like I’m an invalid. Giving birth is the most natural,” her tone went high-pitched as another contraction hit her, urging her to push, “process… in the world.” She huffed and puffed, then bore down, her eyes clenching shut as she grunted.
“Shouldn’t we clean the water?” Nahash asked, tension rippling through him as he worried about his mate, their son, and how he was going to handle being a father—if he even survived the stress of his mate’s labor. He had no idea how she was handling it, given all the pain she seemed to be in. It distressed him that he couldn’t do anything to ease her pain.
“Nahash, relax.” The midwife, Anieria, said in a gentle tone as she kneeled to check the baby’s progress. “Your mate and child are doing well. The water will not harm him. He has been swimming in that fluid this whole time.”
Another contraction hit Cass and she bore down again, clutching Nahash, squeezing his tail as hard as she could as she tried to push the baby out.
“He’s crowning,” Anieria said. “Keep pushing!”
*********
When his son slipped out of his mate’s body, Nahash almost slipped into unconsciousness. It was such an overwhelming feeling to watch his child being born. Surely an egg sac had to be much easier. It was little wonder Iriduans kept the males out of the crèches, though he didn’t think Iriduan females suffered through such difficult labor. If he hadn’t been determined to be there for Cass, he would be outside their birthing chamber with the rest of his friends, waiting for the news of the healthy birth of his son.
However, when the midwife placed his boy into his arms, he forgot all his concerns—and all the worries that had ever plagued him—as he looked down into the unfocused blue eyes of the miracle he and Cass had created. His son was perfect, right down to his ten little toes. Every last part of his body was covered in scales, and scans showed that his penis was tucked inside his body in a reptilian fashion, though like his father, he also had a second hole for solid waste elimination. They would watch him carefully to ensure he had no problems because of his physiology, but the Akrellian doctors were familiar with internal genitalia like his, since it was similar to their own.
The little boy in his arms represented his future and the happiness he’d found in the present. With the rejuvenation injections his mate was receiving from the Akrellians, her life would be extended many decades past a normal human lifespan, also extending her fertility. They might have more children, or they might not.
It didn’t matter. They already had this one perfect child.
Nahash Junior, Cass called him. Nahash would call him Nashi, for short.
********
Nahash stared at the creature in the cloning tube, trying to ignore the pulsing of technology that threatened to break through his mental shields. It was almost painful to be in this place, and he could tell that the Lusians didn’t like having him there either, though he suspected their tech was better shielded from his psionics than that of other advanced species. He wasn’t going to lower his shields to find out.
He was here for one thing, and one thing only. The gift he’d asked them to create for his mate.
She’d told him all about a certain type of animal she had always wanted while on Earth, and he’d gone to the Lusians and described it, asking if they knew what she meant. Fortunately, they did, and even better, they had access to a way of cloning that animal. Apparently, they had an extensive collection of DNA accessible to them—much of it from Earth, which seemed to be a pet planet for them. Nahash tried not to dwell on the fact that Earth was also a pet planet for the Iriduans. As long as the Lusians and Ultimen remained there to guard it, the Iriduans wouldn’t dare move against the humans.
“Ruffus,” he said, trying out the name Cass had given the other creature from her stories about her life on Earth, what Cass called a “bulldog.”
It made a chuffing sound from a blunted, flat face that looked odd to him, but he wasn’t going to question what Cass found “cute.” She said dogs were great pets, and had lamented that Nashi wouldn’t be able to have one when he was older. Apparently, every boy needed a dog.
Nahash didn’t think Nashi would care at this point about some four-legged fuzzball with sad eyes and a flat face, but he knew that Cass would, and if the dog lived as long as the Lusians said it would, it would be there for Nashi when he grew old enough to notice anything other than his hungry belly or wet diaper.
Right now, all Nahash cared about was bringing a smile to Cass’s face. He wanted her to be happy, and he would do anything to make that happen. Even make a deal with the Lusians that forced him to be on their ship, surrounded by tech that threatened to rip apart his mind with its noise.
Ava’s Lusians were an odd bunch. They were different from the ones he’d seen in the past. For one thing, they appeared to be male, which he wasn’t aware was possible—though information on the Lusians was spotty at best, and much of it was probably inaccurate, given their secretive nature.
They also appeared to care about Ava, which was another thing that surprised him and didn’t align with what he’d been told about their species. Everything he’d known about them prior to meeting these Lusians said they had no emotions at all. He didn’t know if Roz and his crew were an anomaly, or if the galactic civilization at large had been deliberately misled by the enigmatic aliens.
At the moment, it didn’t matter to Nahash. Given their concern for the human female, they were more willing to aide him in pleasing her friend.
The one Ava called Roswell, or Roz, gestured with one hand to the tube. “As we promised. The canine is ready for you to take him now.”
Nahash spared a quick glance for the Lusian who’d had the courtesy to stay out of his head and instead spoke aloud. Then he returned his attention to Ruffus. “Will he be safe for Cass and Nashi?”
“He is only a puppy, so will require training. I believe your mate is qualified for that endeavor. With proper training, he will prove to be a reliable and safe pet around your son. This was a good choice on your part.”
Nahash nodded his understanding and motioned that he was ready to take the dog.
When Roz opened the tube with his mind and floated the dog out of it and into Nahash’s arms, the puppy licked madly at Nahash’s face, wriggling in his hold until Nahash feared he would drop the little squirmer.
He held it out away from him to avoid the sloppy tongue, and the puppy whimpered sadly. “What do I do with this?”
“Give it to your mate.” If Roz was capable of sarcasm, then Nahash suspected he intended it, though his tone gave nothing away.
“I meant right now, to avoid its licking.” The puppy dangled from his hands, its back legs kicking as it tried to gain purchase so it could attack him again with its tongue.
“It is not venomous.” Roz still didn’t have any emotion in his tone, but Nahash was now certain the Lusian was laughing at him.
Feeling embarrassed by the Lusian’s implied mockery, Nahash brought the animal close to his chest slowly, jerking his head back as it lunged to tongue his jaw excitedly. He turned his head this way and that to dodge the disgusting wet tongue. “Return me to my home as soon as possible. I need to offload this thing with Cass.”
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Cass took comfort in the conversation between the other women as they all worked out in her home gym, which she’d been able to secure equipment for thanks to supply ships that visited the colony every few weeks. It wasn’t quite a human gym, but close enough for her to use it to regain at least some of the tone she’d lost during her time cooped up on Iridua.
Her friends were less enthusiastic about working out, but they joined her for an hour every other day when they had time and gamely attempted to keep up with her workouts, using the time between sets to chat. Afterwards, they’d enjoy a late breakfast before going about the rest of their daily duties.
She usually loved these moments with her friends. Their stories were fascinating, and they all had different perspectives on their abductions from Earth and on what they missed from home. There were some stories she couldn’t share with them—like those that mentioned Halian—but they never ran out of things to talk about and probably spent more time chatting than sweating, but it was usually enough of a workout to get her endorphins pumping.
Only lately, she’d been thinking about those people she’d lost in some way or another, like Jia and Cici. She’d also been thinking about her father and wishing he could have lived to know that she finally had that grandchild he had always asked for.
She also felt a little homesick for Earth. It struck her how much she would never experience again. No more Christmas cheer showing up in stores in October, no more pumpkin spice lattes as soon as Fall arrived. No more trick or treating, or over-commercialized Valentine’s Days that she still relished, like all holidays.
She missed all of that, though her life was fuller now that she had Nahash and Nashi. She wouldn’t change a thing about her life now if she had the chance. She would never give up Nahash and Nashi, but knowing that didn’t completely erase her homesickness.
“A puppy!” Ava squealed, clapping her hands together, which startled Cass out of her thoughts.
She set down the weight bar and sat up on the bench to see that Nahash had undulated into the gym—which was a small room attached to their growing home built of locally sourced wood and stone. In his arms was an impossible sight. A little bulldog puppy squirmed in his hold, its mouth lolling open and a pink tongue hanging out as it looked from one of the fawning women to the next and then the next.
Ava was practically hopping up and down. Claire was more subdued, but still had a smile on her face. Joanie had her hands clasped in front of her, a sappy smile on her lips.
“Where’d you get a puppy?” Joanie said. “I want one!”
Nahash only had eyes for Cass, and the other women stepped aside as he slid towards her. When he was close to her, he thrust the puppy out with both arms, dodging the tongue that swiped out to lick his face before it was out of reach of the puppy. “For you. His name is Ruffus, but you can change it if you want.”
Cass gently took the puppy in her arms and cradled him to her chest, reveling in the warmth of his little squirming body as she petted his silky head. He instantly calmed in her arms, exhaling in contentment before laying his head on her hand and dropping off to sleep instantly, in the way of babies when they felt safe.
“Where’d you get him,” she asked, tears blurring her eyes as she looked from the bundle of fur in her arms to the mate she loved more than life itself.
He looked down at her, his gaze intense, his eyes dilating. “I asked the Lusians to make him for you.”
“What?” Ava’s voice intruded, reminding Cass that they had an audience. “Roz never told me he could make a puppy. I’m going to have a talk with him! I want a pet!”
“I’d like a bird—perhaps a crow,” Claire said thoughtfully. “I wonder if Roz can make one of those for me.”
“I’ve always been partial to pet reptiles, err, nevermind,” Joanie said, clearing her throat when everyone but Nahash turned to stare at her.
Nahash ignored the other women, his focus entirely on Cass. “I thought he would cheer you up. Do you like him?”
Cass lowered her head to kiss the puppy on his soft little ear, which twitched beneath her lips. “I love him.”
She looked back at Nahash, her heart full to overflowing with love for her mate. He was so incredibly thoughtful. He’d recognized that she’d been down lately and he’d known exactly what she’d needed without her saying anything. He reminded her of what she had right there on Hierabodos. She was the luckiest woman in the galaxy, and she knew in that moment that Earth had stopped being her home the moment she met Nahash.