Sara nuzzled his neck, sending ripples of renewed desire rushing through him. “I believe you like being married.”
“You think?” He hesitated, reluctant to say it aloud. Would she believe his Zetithian prescience, or would she tease him for being superstitious? He could wait and tell her of his vision after it was confirmed by other means, but that same intuition told him that now was the perfect time. “I also like being a father.”
Present
tense.
Would she notice?
She drew back, studying his face as though searching for a trace of deception. Then she nodded. “I felt that, too—didn’t know what it meant at the time, but I’m pregnant, aren’t I?”
Relief washed through him even stronger than the previous wave of desire. Against all odds, she believed him. “Yes, you are. Does that make you happy?”
“
Very
happy.” The pleasing aroma of loving contentment that rose from her as she snuggled up against his chest made her reply unnecessary, but he was still glad to hear it. She raised her head. “Should we go out and make an announcement?”
“I have an idea someone else will do it for us. You know how Cat is about the pregnant mates of fellow Zetithians.”
“Haven’t heard that one,” she said, clearly puzzled. “Are you saying he’ll already
know
?”
“Oh, yeah. He’ll know. You wait and see.”
She heaved a sigh. “Guess we need to get back to the party.”
Jerden watched as Sara donned a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, then stood with his feet spread apart while she tucked his cock into his loincloth. “Seems a shame to cover that up, but I suppose we must consider our guests.” Lifting the front flap, she buckled the belt. “That’s better. More like the man I first met and fell in love with.”
He grinned wickedly. “I wasn’t sure who that ethereal beauty was that I just married, either, but it’s coming back to me now.”
She stooped to pick the dress up off the floor, examining it briefly before tossing it onto the chair with his shirt. “Not my style at all, is it?”
“I dunno,” he said, shaking his head. “It looked damn good on you. Maybe you could wear it once in a while, just for fun.”
“I’ll do that.” Arching her brow, she gave him a sly smile. “Whenever you’ve been ignoring me.”
He loved that smile—the one that said she trusted him enough to tease. “Won’t be any need for it, then. Might as well toss it in the corner and let the cats sleep on it.”
Laughing, she took him by the hand. “C’mon, let’s get going before anyone wonders what we’ve been doing in here.”
Jerden was quite certain that everyone—all the adults, at least—knew precisely what they’d been up to. Jack was probably sitting on the porch with her pistol drawn, guarding the house so they wouldn’t be disturbed.
As it happened, he was right—though Jack had a chicken wing, rather than a pulse pistol in her hand. “That Tarq makes better fried chicken than the Colonel,” she declared. “I think he needs to start selling franchises.”
As always, Cat sat beside her. If they’d ever been more than ten meters apart, Jerden hadn’t seen it. Cat smiled at Sara before aiming a significant twitch of his brow at Jerden. Oh, yes, he knew.
Jerden aimed a questioning look at Cat. “Boys or girls?”
“Both,” Cat replied. “One girl and two boys.”
Jack’s smile was smug. “You probably didn’t know that part, did you?” Apparently noting Sara’s derisive snort, she added, “He’s never wrong.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt his word,” Sara said. “I just find it hard to believe he knows so much when conception only took place a few minutes ago.”
“It’s a gift,” Jack said proudly. “Just one more reason to love him.”
Cat’s voice was roughened by his purr. “I am pleased to be able to provide many reasons, my lovely master.” Even without the purr, his meaning was quite clear.
“Master?” Sara echoed. “She’s your
master
?”
Jack grinned. “Yep. I found him in the slave market on Orpheseus Prime and bought him for five measly credits. Best money I ever spent.”
Cat nodded. “Though she set me free, she remains my master. We are bonded to one another, as well as married and mated.”
Sara regarded Jack curiously. “I never noticed it before, but is that why your pupils have a reddish glow?”
Jack gazed at Cat with unabashed adoration as she caressed his cheek. “Yeah, we were bound together by a Zerkan ritual. Drives me absolutely nuts to be separated from him—and I can smell him a mile away.”
Cat leaned into her hand, purring. “I would never leave her whether we were bonded or not, but her ability to find me has been… useful.”
Sara frowned at Cat. “And the same ritual turned your eyes blue?”
“No,” Cat replied. “My eyes are blue because I was healed by a Zerkan
female
. The one who treated Jacinth was male.”
“Well, that’s about as clear as mud,” Sara muttered.
“Never been healed by a Zerkan, then? Lucky you! They’ve got this nasty green spit…” Jack paused, shuddering. “It’ll cure damn near anything, but it’s so gross I thought the sonofabitch had poisoned me at first—and that was only the beginning of our little adventure.”
Sara looked a little green herself but seemed enthusiastic. “Sounds exciting. I’d love to hear the story sometime.”
Jack waved a dismissive hand. “Would take hours to tell it all, and I’m sure you’ve got
much
better things to do.”
Her suggestive tone and knowing smile were evidently wasted on Sara, who still seemed oblivious to innuendo. “Maybe you could write a book about it.”
Jack considered this for a moment, then shrugged. “Might do that someday—if I ever find the time.” She nodded toward the lake where her children swam and splashed along with the other kids. “That bunch keeps me pretty busy these days. Might not get around to it until I’m old and gray.”
Jerden couldn’t help chuckling. If nothing else, Jack’s memoirs—if, indeed, she ever wrote them—would certainly be colorful.
“Hey, you’ve already got the opening line,” Sara said.
“I found him in the slave market on Orpheseus Prime…”
Sara grinned. “It’ll probably sell millions.”
Jack’s eyes lit up. She was nothing if not an entrepreneur. “Really? I’ll give it some thought.”
Cat leaned over and kissed her, purring softly. “And if there are any episodes you have forgotten, I will help you
remember
them.”
Jack winked at him. “I’m counting on it.” She glanced at Sara. “Bet your story would make interesting reading, too.”
“Maybe,” Sara conceded. “But I can’t write it now. Something tells me the best is yet to come.”
Jack grinned. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”
Sara and Jerden left the house and strolled out to the lake together. The kids were all splashing about in the water while the adults relaxed near the shore, lying on chaise lounges or blankets spread out on the ground. The sight of so many Zetithians together struck Sara in a way it hadn’t before. She was a part of that community now—married to one of their kind and already carrying a litter of his children. True, they weren’t blood relatives of Jerden’s, but with so few of them left, the sense of kinship was very pronounced.
That feeling was new to Sara. She’d been part of a loving family, but with others, she had always been on the outside looking in, first as something of a misfit child, then a damaged teen, and later, a woman who shunned men like the plague. Her relationship with Jerden had changed her in so many ways she barely recognized herself. She now felt no reluctance to join the group, plopping down on a chaise to soak up the sun while Jerden pulled a chair up beside her, even laughing when she heard Onca’s response to Salan’s blatant sexual overtures.
“Oh, hell no,” he exclaimed. “Not for a million credits.”
Salan clearly didn’t know what to make of that. “I don’t understand. You’re willing to do it for money on Rhylos. I would’ve thought…”
“Even
my
dick needs a break once in a while,” he said. “I fuck for a living, and right now I’m on
vacation
.” Stretched out on a chaise lounge beneath the blazing sun, he
did
look relaxed, and if he smelled the scent of Salan’s desire, it certainly didn’t show.
Salan frowned. “But don’t you enjoy your job? Jack told me you did.”
“I do. And I’ll be happy to ask Roncas to schedule a session with you just as soon as I get back to Rhylos.” Onca paused, lowering his voice slightly. “You must understand, Salan, I’ve got to draw the line
somewhere
. Otherwise, I’d be fucking all the time and
never
get any peace.”
Coming from any other man, this statement would’ve sounded unforgivably cocky if Sara hadn’t already known it to be true. Even so, Lucy snickered. “Trust me, that will change if you ever get married, Onca. You guys have a way of making your mates insatiable, and if you’re anything like Tarq, the scent of your pregnant mate will drive you wild. You’ll be doing it all the time.”
“Which is the very reason I’m staying single,” Onca declared. “When I’m off duty, I’m off duty.” He settled himself back on the chaise, closing his eyes as though doing so might block Salan from his mind. Sara wondered if he could shut off his sense of smell as easily.
Jerden leaned his head against Sara’s. “He’s obviously never been in love.”
“I heard that,” Onca said, opening one eye. “And you’re right, though I’m not sure what love has to do with it. A scent is a scent is a scent, and it doesn’t matter whose it is as long as it makes your dick hard.”
“
Definitely
never been in love,” Dax said with a glance at his wife. “Want to go for a swim?”
“Absolutely.” Ava’s hair began to wave back and forth as though tossed by the wind. Only there wasn’t any wind, at least none that Sara could detect. “Don’t forget your mask.”
“Oh, I won’t.” Dax got to his feet, holding a curved piece of a crystalline substance. “Can’t ever forget
that
.” The two of them ran down to the shore and swam out into the deepest part of the lake, well away from the children.
Salan had that puzzled look on her face again, but it was Waroun who chose to enlighten her. “Ava can breathe underwater. Dax can too, as long as he’s wearing that mask.”
“So?”
Waroun waggled his fingers and licked his lips. “Underwater nookie.”
“With a
Zetithian.
” Salan let out a whimper. “Oh,
wow
…”
“Book an appointment, Salan,” Onca said, not bothering to open his eyes. “I’ll give you a discount.”
She hesitated, chewing on a fingernail. “How long would I have to wait?”
“I dunno,” Onca replied. “I think I’m booked up through 3020, but you’d have to ask Roncas to be sure.”
Salan groaned. “That’s two whole years.”
“Gives you more time to save up your credits,” Onca said. “Don’t worry about the trip. Dax will take you there cheap.”
Waroun nodded. “He sure will, but you know, if you’d just give me a try, I think you’d forget all about those cats.”
Salan shook her head. “I’ve done that already. Not with you, of course, but with someone else, um,
like
you.”
“And you
still
want one of the cats?” Waroun tapped his lips with a fingertip. “Oh, Salan, you have been
so
misguided. He must’ve been a real dud.”
“Maybe, but you’ve got to admit that Zetithians are better looking than Norludians. At least, they are to a human.”
Waroun frowned. “Didn’t think you
were
human, Salan. Got Davordian eyes, don’t you?”
Salan nodded absently, her longing gaze still fixed on Onca, whose eyes remained closed. “I’m half human—and Davordians are more like humans than Norludians. So are Zetithians.”
Sara could definitely relate. She wouldn’t have taken Waroun over Onca, either. However, she could also understand Onca’s position, though it did seem odd for an unattached man to turn down a woman like Salan. Jerden’s refusal of her had been due to a rather unique set of circumstances. Normally, he probably would’ve been happy to be of service to her.
A strange sensation crept through her at the thought of Jerden consorting with Salan. Glancing sideways, she caught him smiling at her as though he’d heard her thoughts. Covering her hand with his own, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. No. He wouldn’t be doing anything with Salan. Ever.
A slight nod and a flick of his eyes directed her attention to Nate, who sat alone at a table a little apart from the others, his fingers drumming on the tabletop as he hitched in his chair. He’d seemed fine during the ceremony and immediately afterward, but now he looked like a man who longed to be elsewhere. He fidgeted for several moments before finally voicing his irritation. “Got something against humans, Salan?”
Salan tore her eyes away from Onca with obvious reluctance. “No, but there aren’t many of them around.”
Nate’s eyes widened. Sara thought he was about to say more, but he didn’t. The muscles along his jaw bulged slightly as though he’d clenched his teeth. Apparently he was still having rejection issues.
In light of her suspicions, Sara didn’t give a damn how he felt, but it gave her the perfect opening. “By the way, Nate. I’ve been meaning to ask you. Have you had any problems with juluva weed poisoning? Danuban’s been chowing down on it here at Jerden’s place and nearly died.”
“Not that I’m aware of.” Nate’s voice was smooth, his blue eyes gazing directly at hers with no hint of guile. If she’d thought to trip him up during a vulnerable moment, she’d failed. “Sorry to hear that about your stallion, though. He’s a fine animal. I’d hate for you to lose him.”
“Me, too.” She glanced at Jerden. “Which reminds me, we need to check out the creek that runs along the eastern border of our land. There was an awful lot of that weed growing here by the lake. Might be more of it in the creek bed.”
Jerden nodded. “We can take a ride out there tomorrow.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t notice it growing here before he got sick, Sara.” Nate didn’t bother to add a smile, which might have taken some of the sting out of his words. “You must’ve been over here enough.”
That’s it, Nate. Let’s make this seem like it’s all my fault—or Jerden’s.
Sara focused on keeping her reply civil, which was difficult when she was itching to hurl accusations at him. “Not really. I’d only been to the house once or twice. The juluva was growing on the far side of the lake.”
Nate registered this with a slight lift of his brow. “Well, that explains it, then.”
“Funny thing, though. Lowinski said he’d been exposed to juluva before.” She paused for a moment, giving the idea time to sink in. “The scan showed traces of the toxin in the older sections of his hooves.”
The muscles along Nate’s jaw hardened. He might as well have confessed. “That
is
odd.”
“Of course, we’ll probably never know how that happened,” Sara said smoothly. “But you still might want to check your pastures, just to be sure.”
“I’ll do that.”
I’ll just bet you will.
***
Jerden thought she’d handled that rather well, particularly when Nate didn’t jump up and leave immediately. However, it wasn’t long before he pleaded the need to get back home to tend his stock. After offering more congratulations—which actually seemed sincere—he left.
Nate hadn’t been gone more than ten minutes when Jack strolled over and dropped a plain wooden box in Sara’s lap. “Wedding present.”
Sara’s eyes widened. “I’m almost afraid to open this.” She glanced up at Jack. “It won’t bite me, will it?”
“Go on,” Jack urged. “I didn’t have any fancy wrapping paper, but it’s something you need.” She frowned slightly. “Couldn’t find what I wanted when Cat and I went shopping yesterday, so we took a run back to the spaceport. After poking around in the cargo hold for a bit, I found just the thing.”
Cat glanced at Jack with a smile that was as loving as it was tolerant. “I am not sure you will agree, Sara. But she means well.”
Tisana winced. “Oh, Jack, you
didn’t
. Not again.” Her husband, Leo, patted her hand. Living aboard a starship with Jack had to be trying at times, though Jerden would’ve bet it was certainly never dull.
“Nice gift there, Jack,” Onca remarked as Sara gingerly lifted the lid. “A pistol and a comlink?”
“A
universal
comlink and a
Nedwut
pulse pistol,” Jack said. “And a holster. Sara is married to a Zetithian now.” She leveled a steely-eyed glare at Sara. “Jerden needs protection. You must carry them always and maintain
constant
vigilance. Do you hear me, Sara? Constant. Vigilance.”
Sara’s jaw dropped, though she shouldn’t have been surprised. Jack had already mentioned giving her a pistol, and if she hadn’t expected the woman to follow through with the offer, she obviously didn’t know Jack well enough.
“That comlink will work on any system on any planet,” Jack said. “And that isn’t one of your run of the mill pistols, either. It’s a Nedwut pulse pistol. Even the stun setting is lethal to some species, and it’s got a kill setting on it.”
“A
kill
setting?” Sara echoed. “Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
“Maybe,” Jack admitted. “But if some crazy-ass Nedwut who hasn’t gotten wind of Grekkor’s death ever finds a way to land here and is looking to collect the bounty on Jerden, you’ll be ready for him. Nothing sold on this world will stop a Nedwut.” She paused, grumbling. “Piss-poor weaponry. Probably wouldn’t even stun a Drell.”
Lucy frowned, casting a nervous glance at Tarq before addressing Jack. “Maybe so, but that’s pretty unlikely, don’t you think? The regulations here are very tough. And no one is paying the bounty anymore.”
“There’s never been a regulation yet that someone didn’t find a way to get around,” Jack declared. “And, generally speaking, Nedwuts are fuckin’ idiots anyway.” Her lips formed a moue of distaste. “Greedy bastards.” She nodded at Sara. “Carry that with you all the time. It needs to become a part of you.” She patted her own holstered weapon. “No one is ever gonna get past me if they come after Cat. Ever.” Without another moment’s hesitation, she rounded on Lucy. “And where’s
your
pistol, Miss Lucy? I distinctly remember giving you one.”
“I didn’t think I’d need to bring it to a
wedding
,” Lucy protested.
“Don’t worry,” Tarq said. “I’ve got it. I
knew
she’d ask.”
Once the collective laughter died down, Onca gave Jack a wink. “Gonna wear yours while you’re swimming?”
“Absolutely,” Jack replied. “They’ll fire underwater.” She paused, scowling. “Not as accurately as they should, though. I need to speak to the manufacturers about that.
Definitely
room for improvement.” She nodded at Jerden. “Got a present for you, too.”
Sara burst out laughing as Jack handed Jerden a small stone. “A rock? You’re giving him a
rock
?”
“Darconian glowstone,” Jack said. “Great for setting the mood.”
Jerden nodded, tucking the stone beneath his belt just as one of Cat and Jack’s oldest boys ran past, his inky curls plastered to his wet back.
“Hey, Larry!” Jack called out. “What’s your hurry?”
Larry paused briefly, giving his mother a long-suffering look. “I gotta check the deep space coms.”
“Yeah, right,” Jack said with a wave. “Carry on.”
Grinning, Larry jogged over to one of the tents and ducked under the flap.
“Looks like you’ve got those boys pretty well trained,” Jerden remarked.
“No need with him,” Jack said. “He fiddles with that com system constantly. Pulls it out of the damn ship and carries it with him everywhere. He’s got it set up in the tent.” Jack shook her head, but her proud smile was hard to miss. “I’m surprised he doesn’t sleep with it.”
“He hates to be out of touch with the rest of the galaxy,” Cat explained.
“
I
think he’s got a girlfriend on Derivia,” Jack confided. “Those two are yakking back and forth all the time.”
“Are you sure it’s a girl?” Leo asked. “I’ve heard some of their conversations. They don’t sound very lover-like.”
“Well, I
thought
it was a girl.” Jack raked a hand through her short locks and gave her head a scratch. “Hard to tell with Derivians. I’d just as soon he didn’t take up with one of them anyway. Better to find a nice Terran girl.”
“Someone like you?” A soft blue glow emanated from Cat’s eyes.
Jack reached out, tracing the line of his cheek with a fingertip. “Aw, Kittycat, you always say the sweetest things.”
***
As afternoon gave way to evening, Sara’s parents went back to her house to rest up for their departure the next morning. Sara’s stable hands went back to the barn to feed the horses. The local guests also took their leave, though Salan elected to remain—presumably in the hope of changing Onca’s mind. None of those camping out in the tents seemed inclined to call it a night, so Jerden built a fire near the shore and everyone gathered around it, enjoying their time together, until one by one, the children grew sleepy and disappeared behind the tent flaps.