Chapter Twelve
A welcome aroma woke Victoria from a deep and restful sleep. It was something warm, comfortable, and familiar that she couldn’t quite place. Yawning widely, she stretched her arms out across the bed and looked around. The light in the room was clear and bright, intended to simulate daytime so she knew it was morning.
There was no sign of Allik. His side of the bed was cold and the sheets were smooth and unruffled but she recalled him being there, holding her close all through the night. Even in sleep, she’d known that he was there and it had comforted her. She smiled to herself. Holding her was the least he could do after fucking her into oblivion the way he had.
As she shifted, she winced. She was a little sore from last night’s exertions, but the twinges she felt were a welcome reminder of the pleasure she’d experienced. As she sat up, wondering where Allik was, she heard clattering sounds coming from the living room. It sounded like plates being laid down on the table. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation of food. Wrapping a sheet around herself, she padded through to the main living area.
“You are awake,” Allik observed as he thrust an empty plate out toward her. “Come and eat. You will be hungry.”
“I am,” Victoria replied. “With all the excitement yesterday, I forgot to have lunch… and dinner.”
Allik’s face fell into a concerned frown and she got the distinct impression that if she didn’t placate him, he would sit her down and feed her himself from now on. Before he could say a word, she raised her hand to silence him. “I won’t make a habit of it,” she promised. “Yesterday was an exceptional day.”
“Yes, it was.” Allik waited for her to sit on the floor by the table and then he joined her. She found it remarkable that a man of his size could comfortably sit at such a low table while he ate. “Tell me, how did you know what to do to save the child?”
“My friends and I didn’t just get together to read steamy romances,” Victoria said indignantly. “Although you should probably be grateful we read plenty of those because I learned a thing or two from them.”
Allik grinned and she returned the smile. He looked so much less intimidating when he was happy. His scars were barely noticeable when he smiled. Victoria picked up a piece of meat that looked something like the synthetic bacon she enjoyed back home. She held it to her nose. No, it wasn’t synthetic bacon. This stuff had a stronger aroma.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It’s bacon,” Allik replied and she felt a bit foolish for asking. “Real bacon. Those are sausages and that white thing with the yellow center is an egg.”
“From a hen?” she asked.
“Of course it’s from a hen.”
Victoria ignored the slightly patronizing tone in his voice. He obviously didn’t have the same experience of eating artificial foods that she did.
“How come you have so many of the same foods we do?”
“Well,” Allik said, “we’ve had contact with Earth for more than a hundred of your years now and we’ve adopted many aspects of your lifestyle—food, clothing, things like that. We brought many of your animals back to our homeland before they became extinct on your planet. They thrive on our nutritious gases and clean air. The meat we produce is the finest in the universe.”
“And we have to make do with synthetic substitutes,” Victoria said.
“And the supplies of real food we send you,” Allik replied. “Anyway, you were telling me about you and your friends.”
“Oh, yes.” Victoria speared a sausage with the funny little two-pronged fork that Allik had supplied for her to eat with. “As I was saying, we didn’t just read erotic romances. We studied philosophy, history, politics, and the occasional medical text.”
“And is that where you read about CRP?”
“CPR,” Victoria corrected him with a smile. It was not often that she had the opportunity to demonstrate her knowledge. It amused her to realize that there were some things that the humans might have to teach his technologically advanced race. “Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”
“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” Allik repeated. “And you learned this from a book?”
“Yes, and a few other things. How to deal with a burn, how to bandage a wound, that sort of thing. My friends and I used to practice wrapping each other in bandages.”
“What else did you and your friends do?”
Victoria took a bite of her sausage, savoring the delicate spiciness that infused the meat as she thought about her friends. “Well, we talked mainly.”
“About what?” he asked.
Victoria’s brow furrowed. There was something about the intense interest in Allik’s eye that made her wonder if his line of questioning was as casual as it appeared. Not that she could see what harm could come from answering him.
“Well, we talked about the things we read. My friend Caroline was quite interested in the Victorian era. That’s where we got the name the Hyde Ladies’ Circle from. She read about these women who started a club to indulge their sexual fantasies.”
“And your group did the same thing?”
“What, indulged our fantasies?” Victoria scoffed. She definitely wished they’d done that. “No, we just talked. Oh, and we liked to bake every now and then. Cakes, cookies, that kind of thing, but only when we could get hold of sugar. Those artificial sweeteners are no good.”
“That sounds surprisingly domestic,” Allik commented.
Victoria scowled at him. “We didn’t have a lot of options for ways to entertain ourselves. We weren’t allowed to do anything. We weren’t even supposed to meet each other without our guardians present.”
“I know, I know.” Allik held his hands up in an apologetic gesture. “It sounds like an interesting group. So, when did you find time to plot to overthrow the High Council?”
That made Victoria laugh out loud. “We didn’t. Well, not really,” she explained. “We talked about how things could be different, better for us. We produced a few leaflets and distributed a few banned books, that was about it. Caroline used to buy twenty-first century memorabilia on the black market, but that was about it. We weren’t rebels.”
“The High Council thinks you were.”
Victoria nodded. She knew precisely what the High Council thought of her friends. They had arrested Caroline Chatterton, after all, and put her on trial when she hadn’t actually committed any serious offence.
“I know,” Victoria replied. “I still can’t believe they arrested Caroline.”
“Our intelligence indicates that they planned to execute her.”
“Execute?” Victoria felt the color drain from her cheeks. “No, that can’t be right. We don’t do that. It can’t be right.”
“I’m afraid it is,” Allik said gently. “That’s why we were given orders to take you and the other members of your group to Taar-Breck. You were in terrible danger if you remained in New Cambridge.”
“But we were no threat,” Victoria stammered. “It’s not as though we were part of the resistance, not really.”
“What do you mean, not really?” Allik probed.
“Well, I helped them out every now and then, but I didn’t like their methods. That was more…”
She left the sentence hanging. It was one thing to reveal that she’d been involved in illegal contact with enemies of the state but she didn’t want to give away anyone else’s secrets.
“More what?” Allik prompted. “I need to know, Victoria.”
“It was more Elizabeth’s thing,” she replied, deciding that she really could trust Allik.
“Elizabeth Chatterton?”
Victoria nodded her confirmation.
“When did you last see Elizabeth Chatterton?” Allik asked.
“The day after Caroline’s trial, Elizabeth came to my house and asked me to get a message to her sister,” Victoria told him. “I threw a note over the fence into their garden with Elizabeth’s necklace in it, so she’d know it was from her. She was meant to come to the old post office but some of your people turned up instead. We slipped out the back way and ran off in different directions. That was the last I saw of her.”
“And you have no idea where she went?” Allik asked.
“No, but I’m sure she found somewhere safe. She’s resourceful for someone so young.”
“Says the worldly nineteen-year-old,” Allik teased. “I will need to report what you have told me to Commander Rossingham. His wife is anxious for news of her sister.”
Victoria nodded. Of course, Caroline would be worried sick, wondering what had happened to her younger sister. She took another bite of sausage and chewed it slowly. Then, she realized, to her shame, that she had been so caught up in all that was happening to her, she hadn’t considered the fate of her closest friend.
“Lucy?” she cried out. “What about Lucy? I left her at my house and my stepbrother will be furious that I’ve disappeared.”
“Lucy is fine,” Allik said. “She was on the shuttle that was attacked yesterday but she was unhurt. She is on board now with one of my superior officers.”
Victoria was relieved to hear that Lucy was alright but, knowing her friend, she would have been terrified by the incident on the shuttle.
“Can I see her?”
“Not until we’re all settled on Taar-Breck,” Allik said. “She needs time to adjust to being with her new mate, just as your other friends need to get used to theirs.”
Victoria considered what he’d said for a moment. “So, Caroline’s set everyone up with a match?”
At Allik’s nod of confirmation, Victoria rolled her eyes. Caroline had certainly taken a great deal of responsibility upon herself but now that she knew the danger they were being saved from, she was more willing to forgive. Besides, she couldn’t say she was entirely unhappy with being paired with Allik.
“And you promise I’ll see Lucy soon?” she asked.
“You will,” Allik confirmed. “Now, finish your breakfast, then you can go and visit Kyree while I report to Commander Rossingham.”
Victoria nodded enthusiastically and took another bite of sausage. She was anxious to speak to Kyree and find out how the baby was getting on.
Suddenly her brow crumpled. “I’ve no clothes, Allik.”
“Check the closets,” he said. “I think you’ll find something you can wear.”
“One of your shirts?”
“No,” he replied, “as much as I liked seeing you in my clothing, I do not want other men to enjoy that view of your legs.” His possessiveness gave her a surprisingly warm feeling. “I have had some clothing sent for you.”
Although she’d always craved independence, Victoria was surprised by how much she liked that he had thought to provide clothes for her. There was no harm in letting him organize some things for her, she supposed. She just hoped he didn’t think it gave him license to dictate every aspect of her life.
* * *
As soon as Victoria walked into the medical bay, Kyree rushed over. “Oh, Victoria, I’m so glad you are here,” she said breathlessly.
“Why? There’s nothing wrong with the baby, is there?” Victoria felt a panic rising inside her.
“No, she’s fine. She’s awake and sitting up but to be honest, she terrifies me. She’s so small and delicate.”
Victoria laughed and let Kyree lead her over to the makeshift bed that had been set up in the corner of the room for the child. She was sitting up and gurgling happily to herself, with no signs of ill effects from the drama of the previous day. Victoria scooped her up and snuggled her close, enjoying the fresh, clean baby smell.
“She smells like honey,” Victoria said.
“Speaking of smells.” Kyree sniffed the air. “Your odor has changed.”
“What?” Victoria spluttered indignantly. “It has not.”
“It is not a bad thing,” Kyree said. Victoria saw the other woman’s eyes trailing down to the red bite mark on her shoulder, just visible where the neckline of her dress gaped a little. “Allik has claimed you.”
“Yes.” Victoria’s cheeks reddened. She had no reason to be shy with Kyree but suddenly she felt a little awkward. “Do I smell of him?”
“Not exactly. It’s hard to describe, but a woman’s odor changes when she mates with one of our males. It becomes a sort of feminine version of his.”
“Oh.” The corners of Victoria’s mouth turned down as she tried to subtly catch her own scent to see if she could detect the change.
“It is so that a man knows that a woman is taken.”
“What happens to women who aren’t already taken?” Victoria asked.
“An unattached male may claim her,” Kyree replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
“By force?” Victoria wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that.
“Not usually,” Kyree said. “Anyway, you have no need to worry. Everyone will know from your scent that you are Allik’s and, of course, they will see the bite mark.”
“Yes.” Victoria found a stool and sat down, balancing the baby on her lap. “He bit me. Is that normal?”
“Some men do it to assert their dominance, particularly if the female is spirited and needs a firm hand.”
“I’m not sure what to think about that,” Victoria replied. Was it a compliment that Allik had bitten her? Did he recognize that she was no pushover? She looked down at the face of the little girl all rosy-cheeked and smiling and decided not to dwell on questions she couldn’t answer. “Has she been feeding okay?”
“We gave her some mashed yarrak root. She seemed to like it.”
That was a good sign. An unhealthy child probably wouldn’t have much of an appetite.
“And milk?” Victoria asked. “She needs milk.”
“Yes, we were able to synthesize breast milk for her that matched samples we took from the mother’s body.”
Victoria grimaced. That sounded like a truly horrible thing to do, but she supposed it was necessary. Kyree seemed completely unfazed by it and Victoria realized she was going to have to be less sentimental about things if she wanted to survive on Taar-Breck. Its people didn’t appear to have the same emotional responses that humans would.
“That’s good then.” She examined the cute pink playsuit the baby was wearing. It had initials embroidered on the collar.
“GB,” she said out loud. “Do we know her name?”
“Yes, we got it from her parents’ personal effects. Her name is Gardenia Barron. The parents were Gerald and Lucinda.”
Victoria sighed. As only people from the upper levels of society were generally able to travel, the chances of her knowing the deceased couple had been quite high. Gerald was the brother of her friend Elizabeth’s lover. Victoria had only vaguely known Lucinda but she’d seemed a pleasant enough woman. She hadn’t realized the couple had a child, though. Perhaps they’d kept it quiet because they planned to flee from New Cambridge.
“You know them?” Kyree could clearly see the thoughts going through her head.
“Yes. They’re William Barron’s brother and sister-in-law.”
“Our new ambassador from Earth?” Kyree said. “I suppose that explains why they were traveling to Taar-Breck.”
“They were probably going to see him,” Victoria said regretfully. “What will happen to this little one?”
“I don’t know. Do you think the ambassador will take her in?”
Victoria really wasn’t sure if William Barron would take the child in and care for her. She didn’t actually know much about the man, except that Elizabeth had lost her head over him. She was generally a good judge of character, so Victoria supposed that meant he was decent enough. Babies were a lot of responsibility, though, and William had only been appointed as ambassador to Taar-Breck a few weeks ago. She wasn’t sure he would have the time or inclination to look after a baby.
“He might take her in,” Victoria said. She looked down at the little girl’s enormous blue eyes and nodded her head. “Of course he will. Who could resist such a beautiful little girl?”
“She is very pretty,” Kyree agreed. “But her name is awful. Gardenia—what does that mean?”
“It’s a type of flower.”
“Ah, I still don’t like it.”
Victoria smiled at the distaste in Kyree’s voice and then screwed her nose up as an unmistakably foul smell wafted into the air.
“She needs changed,” Victoria said, looking expectantly at Kyree.
“Oh, no.” Kyree shook her head vehemently. “I’ve already changed her once today and it’s terrifying. She’s too small and fragile for me to cope with. I’m going to need you to help me.”
“You need to practice changing diapers,” Victoria said. “I can’t be on call twenty-four hours a day.”
“Yes, you can,” Kyree replied and Victoria suddenly felt a sinking feeling. “I need you to take care of her until we get to Taar-Breck.”
“That’s almost two weeks. What’s Allik going to say about that?” Victoria waved what she was sure would be her get out of jail free card.
“Allik will say it’s a good idea.” A deep male voice came from behind them.
Victoria turned and scowled at Allik as he strode into the room. “You realize if I have a baby to take care of, we won’t have any time alone.” She stared at him pointedly, hoping that his healthy libido would get her out of caring for the child. She didn’t have much experience with children.
“They sleep a lot, don’t they?” Kyree said and Victoria scowled at her treacherous new friend.
“They also cry a lot.”
“I do not mind,” Allik said. “It will be good practice.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed. “Practice for what exactly?”
“For rearing our own offspring, of course.”
“I beg your pardon,” Victoria spluttered. “We’ve only just met. Who said anything about me having your babies?”
“I did,” Allik said unashamedly. “But don’t look so shocked. I am willing to wait.”
“Are you?” Victoria scoffed and then blanched as she realized that she might already be pregnant since they had taken no measures to prevent her from conceiving. Her hand drifted to her abdomen and she glared at Allik.
“Don’t worry,” Allik said. “You are not carrying my child.”
“You know that for sure?” Victoria had no idea how he could sound so certain of the fact.
“Yes. We are of a different species, you and I,” he said as though she needed to be reminded of the fact. “You will need to take special hormone supplements before you can conceive my child.”
“You’re positive about this?” Victoria had to check. Having an unplanned pregnancy sprung on her would be too much to take.
“Yes, I will have you to myself for a few years and then I will fill your belly with my child.”
Well, that was her told. It seemed romance was well and truly off the agenda for Allik. I’m going to fuck your bottom. I’m going to claim you. I’m going to fill your belly with my child. Victoria scowled and a wicked thought occurred to her. She got to her feet and thrust Gardenia into his arms.
“Well, if you want to be a daddy, you can start practicing now. Her diaper needs changed and I have to warn you, it’s a stinker.”
With that, she flounced off. She didn’t look back, but she could hear the gasp of horror he gave and Kyree’s snort of delight. There was bound to be a spanking in her future for that one, but Victoria didn’t care. If it taught him a lesson about planning out her life for her, it was worth it.
* * *
Victoria paced back and forth across the floor of Allik’s bedroom. Although he’d told her that she should consider his private quarters to be her home while they were on board the ship, she still didn’t feel entirely comfortable staking a claim on the space. It was clear that Allik intended for their relationship to be permanent but she had her doubts. There were things she wanted from life that didn’t seem compatible with being the captured mate of a dominant alien. She still had thoughts about finding a way out.
As she waited for him to return to the room, she grew increasingly nervous. When she’d dumped the baby on him like that, she’d half-expected that he would chase her down immediately and throw her over his knee for a thorough spanking. Wondering whether he was angry with her, if he would take it out on her bottom, was becoming hard to bear.
She heard the main door opening and sank down onto the bed. The moment of reckoning was here at last. She glanced up warily as Allik came into the room. Immediately, she warmed at the sight before her. He was carrying the baby, nestled against his broad shoulder. In his free hand, he held a large suitcase. Victoria had expected him to be wearing a look of annoyance but, instead, what she saw was contentment. He was actually smiling. Clearly, baby Gardenia was working some sort of magic on the gruff warrior because Victoria had never seen him look so at peace.
“These things were retrieved from the shuttle,” Allik told her as he put the traveling case down. “Kyree tells me that there is clothing for the child and other necessities.”
“That’s good.” Victoria was still a little on edge as Allik took a seat next to her. Rather than handing her the child, he sat the little girl on his lap. She looked so tiny but, with her arms and legs flailing as she kicked out in obvious glee, she appeared pretty robust.
A look of deep satisfaction passed across Allik’s face as Gardenia snuggled into his chest.
“She does not fear me.” His tone was full of wonder.
“Of course she doesn’t,” Victoria said. “Why would she?”
Victoria felt a tug at her heart as Allik indicated the scarring on his face and gave a hopeless shrug. “You said it yourself,” Allik said. “I am a monster.”
Victoria reached out and touched his arm. “You know I didn’t mean it,” she said. There was a look of skepticism on Allik’s face. “Well, maybe I did, but I was referring to the way you were behaving at that moment, you silly man.”
“You are not afraid of me either,” Allik observed.
“No.” Victoria had to admit that although she was sometimes a little wary of him, he didn’t actually scare her. “But right now, I am a little worried. Are you going to punish me?”
“For what?”
“For leaving you to change her dirty diaper.”
Allik laughed. “No, I will not punish you for that. I provoked you.”
Victoria blew out a theatrical sigh of relief. “So, you’re not angry?”
“I was shocked,” Allik confessed. “But changing a baby’s diaper is not the worst I’ve endured.”
Victoria gave him a sympathetic smile that he instantly turned away from. The exaggerated attention he gave to the baby told her she’d made him uncomfortable. Whatever had happened to him, Allik clearly did not want pity.
“You’re a natural,” Victoria complimented him as he bounced Gardenia on his knee. “Do Taar-Breckian men have much to do with their children?”
“No.” Allik shook his head. “I may have been the first in history to clean a baby’s bottom.”
That didn’t really surprise Victoria. It was the same in her society. Most men spent little time with their children, except when they were parading them about on social occasions. Her own father had been better than most, she supposed, but he had let her down badly by passing on guardianship of her to her odious stepbrother, Jonathan.
“So, I guess I’ll be changing her diapers for the next two weeks,” Victoria said.
“That would be my preference,” Allik said. There was a gleam in his eye but Victoria couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not.
She rested her head on his shoulder and reached out to touch the baby’s cheek. Allik put his arm around her and drew her closer. For a moment everything felt perfect. Victoria almost convinced herself that they had a future. Almost.