Page 49 of Warrior's Captive
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“My mother has commanded. Her first few requests to bring you home were very sweet.”
“And the last few haven’t been?”
He said nothing.
Vivian sighed. She couldn’t closet herself away from his family forever, though it brought up the uncomfortable topic of the future, and what her feelings were for Tai’ri. Her plans for herself. All the things parents would want to know. He wasn’t pressuring her, but obligation weighed. He was giving her so much, and if all he asked in return was that she come to a family gathering, how could she say no? She could meet him halfway.
“It would be nice to meet your mother,” she said. It wasn’t exactly a lie.
She was struck when his answering smile strummed a deep chord of warmth in her—because, evidently, she was pleased to make him happy.
“Let’s get you home,” he said quietly. “You’ve been on your feet long enough today.”
* * *
His almost bondmate collapsed into an exhausted heap on the couch when they returned home. She noticed his amusement, struggling into a seated position to begin taking the delivered packages up to her studio.
“I’ll do it, Viv,” he said. “Sit.”
She looked stubborn for a moment, then sighed. “Alright. But just put them somewhere. I’ll organize the supplies.”
She gave him a brilliant smile, taking the sting out of her territorial words. That territorial streak sparked joy. It meant she was beginning to see his home as hers, beginning to stake a claim.
Even if she didn’t really want to meet his mother.
After convincing her that her packages weren’t going anywhere and yes, she really did need a nap, he left her curled up on her bed then slipped into his office and accessed his data unit.
“You have intel?” he asked Evvek, responding to the comm request that had been waiting since lunch. It hadn’t been marked urgent, so he’d ignored it. Had to remind himself to slow down, enjoy the parts of his present life that brought him happiness, even if that happiness was complicated. He’d never be able to get this time back, and he wanted memories of Viv, big with his child and content. Maybe when everything was resolved, he could look back and pretend like their life had begun in a normalish fashion.
He wanted that for her, too. Her first pregnancy should be filled with nothing more taxing than what colors to dress the baby in. What meals to nourish her body with.
“Yeah, following up on missing males was a stroke of genius.” Evvek sounded excited, but looked uneasy. “I began with compiling missing persons reports, male victims, but it occurred to me. The reason they can get away with this is because therearen’tany missing persons. You start killing males left and right, then you make it harder on yourself. Media attention, males start carrying weapons, etc. Aliens get trafficked, it’s just some lurid news story, theBdakhun’spet project. Our own people start turning up dead and missing, there’s an outcry. So I focused on males who reported physical assaults accompanied by short term memory loss.”
“You think males are being snatched, their sperm extracted, and then tossed back on the street?” His jaw clenched.
“Lure a male to a location where you can grab him. You can even use a female, seduce him. That would almost be easier. Prime the pump, so to speak.” They exchanged a pained look. “Then you knock him out, steal the goods, and disappear. You’ve got material to use to impregnate the females.”
Tai’ri rubbed a hand over his face. “Haeemah’s Mercy. And I just walked right into their laps. I thought my capture was opportunistic, but if they’ve been doing this to others . . . what’s Zhiannur doing?”
“As soon as his feet hit planetside, we’ll be on him.”
“But he isn’t on Anthhori.”
“No, and there’s too much signal interference to know what shuttle he’s on. There are dozens of interstellar freighters in orbit right now, plus the private small crafts, and—”
“Yeah, I know. Alright, inform Vykhan. TheBdakhunwill want to alert the public.”
Evvek rolled his eyes. “What’s she gonna say? Males, party in twos? Don’t accept any offers if a hot female tries to take you home? Best thing we can do is keep going after the head of the snake and cut it off.”
“I agree, but the decision is hers.”
“Sir . . . are we going to tell these males they may have children?”
Tai’ri thought about Shira. “I don’t know if the human women will want us to. I’ll need to speak to theBdakhunabout that soon.”
He signed off and stared at his console, considering the situation with him and Viv. Even if these new mothers were unable to mate—what were the odds, after all—they could still be matched with warriors on Yedahn who would care for them . . . if the women didn’t want to return home with their half-Yadeshi babies, and the biological fathers were unfit. He made a mental note to discuss a reunification program with theBdakhun.It would have to be handled with extreme care.
