Page 39 of Devin
“Then it should be ‘Charlette’.” She looked around, shaking her head as if everyone else should agree with her. “I mean, it’s only right. To honor his mate. That’s what he would have wanted.”
“It is already done,” Devin said, stepping in, afraid Kave would bow to the mate’s request. He had been against naming the city ‘Humility’, but he would not countermand his warlord. ‘Haxit’ was a much more fitting name.
“Then undo it,” she snapped.
“I will not,” Devin stated firmly. Charlette stood, crossing her arms and leaning toward him with a glare in her eye. She opened her mouth but Kave stepped in.
“It matters very little in the long run. You’re going back to Terra and-” Kave explained.
“Back? What gave you that idea? I thought I was protected and cared for, for the rest of my days.”
“You are not pregnant,” Kave said.
“How do you know that?”
The look exchanged between Jane and Humility told Devin that they had tested her, probably while she was unconscious.
“You are not pregnant. You are not a mother. You will be well compensated and sent home,” Kave said.
“I demand to speak with Athen about this!”
At that point, Kave did something Devin had never seen before. He acted like a true Mahdfel warlord.
“He has no time for grumbling Terrans. I am the last word!” He drew himself up to his full height and stared down at Charlette with a menacing glare.
Charlette glanced around, looking for a sympathetic gaze. She’d burned all of her bridges, apparently, because there were none. Left with no other option, she reverted to what she did best - hysterics.
Jane was ready for her. A comforting hand on her shoulder and Charlette was out before the first screech fully formed.
“Last rites are at sunset, whether she is awake or not,” Kave said.
The gathering dispersed. Val assisted Jane and Meadow off to an afternoon nap. Humility waved Kave’s hands away as he offered to carry her. Devin watched his mate’s retreating form. In opposition to Charlette’s case, Devin knew that if he met with an untimely demise that Val, pregnant or not, would be welcome to live out her days here. That thought comforted him.
After watching his mate disappear into his own quarters, Kave sighed.
“That went as well as could be expected.” The warlord was gone, replaced with his usual goofy grin.
Devin sighed as well, turning toward the city. “We have work to do.”
Kave slapped him on the back, and Devin resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the warlord.
Chapter 23
Val
Val had never planned a funeral before, and she was glad the others took most of the responsibility for organizing it. It was generally her feet and arms that were put to use, getting things from the replicator and trying to make their “guests” comfortable.
She needed the distraction. Devin had finally stopped pushing her away physically at least. Oh, he was perfectly polite, but emotionally, he was hiding behind a wall as sturdy as his buildings.
She could see him in his city. The bones were there, and more details fleshed out as the hours passed. Walkways grew out of the sides of buildings and water features sprang up from nowhere. It seemed like magic, but she knew that robotic drones followed every careful detail laid out by Devin.
The city had another two weeks before habitation, so a limited number of mates and Mahdfel chose to attend. Most of the wives that were too pregnant or had newborns chose to stay back at base camp. Val’s quarters and several others were converted into waiting and staging areas as the shuttles arrived.Val greeted them, ushering the women to a quiet place to nap, eat or gather, depending on their conditions.
There was plenty of cooing over the various baby bumps. The doctor arrived and duly began examinations of Jane, Meadow and Humility. She herself got a quick scan, and by the look of dismissal on the doc’s face, Val inferred that she’d failed her pregnancy test. It was a relief, really. One issue at a time.
Despite having spent only a few hours at the base camp, Val was treated like an old friend. It didn’t take long to figure out why some of the ladies were quick besties.
“Hey, Val!” This was from one industrious wife named Georgia. She’d been an accountant in her old life. “Would you like to join the pool? We’re only playing for replicator credits, but you know, it’s no fun unless you can win something. Replicator credits don’t mean much for you, I guess.”
