Page 30 of Monstrous Hunt
Axxol let out a low hiss. “Cockroaches are resilient too, yet I don’t see anyone but other cockroaches mating one.”
Snryx shared a tight look with me that needed no grid to communicate his righteous fury. At some point, I was going to have to put Axxol in his place.
At this time, I wasn’t sure that I could avoid killing him, which would be a blow to the squad.
Before Earth—and before Natalie—I wouldn’t have even been able to comprehend such a rebellious, dangerous act. It would have been impossible for me to execute such a plan.
Now…
Head cocked, I looked at him with new eyes. He might be bigger and more advanced than me, but I had a hell of a lot more going for me now. And the greatest factor was Natalie. My courageous, resourceful, strong, curious mate. With the squad at our back and our youngling in her belly…
I’ll find a way to kill him. I have no doubt.
* * *
NATALIE
Axxol’s vitriol stung.Yeah. But I expected nothing more from the man who’d locked me in a cave and left me injured and alone for days. He was a kidnapper. A stalker. Nothing more.
Instead, I focused on the image Rizan had printed out for me. It looked like a typical ultrasound, though it was higher resolution and in color, though the colors were based on a thermal palette thanks to Kroktl’s special vision. The pinkish red organs glowed with energy, but the tiny limbs were cooler purple and blue.
I stroked my finger over the fingers barely more than nubs. “You said limb size wasn’t comparable to a human embryo’s at this stage?”
“The length of both arms and legs is within human bounds,” Snryx said. “But the bones themselves are already denser and thicker than a human baby’s bones would be. The heart is also measuring twenty-seven percent bigger.”
“You can tell from the brighter colors how active the brain is already,” Lohr said.
“Will she be able to join your grid after she’s born?”
The two scientists shared a long look before answering. “Yes,” Snryx finally replied. “That could explain the larger skull size and higher brain waves.”
I looked up at Kroktl. “Is that a problem? Other than the Sirian cells, I mean.”
He kissed my forehead as if he could wipe away the worry creases. “We won’t know the youngling’s capabilities until she’s here. We’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
“You must remember that dyni haven’t beenbornfor millennia,” Snryx added. “We can speculate on how wild dyni might have raised their young but that’s all it would be. Our best guess.”
“In fact, you have much more hands-on experience with nurturing young,” Lohr said. “We will naturally defer to you in all things related to the youngling’s care.”
Kroktl tucked me tighter against him. “You’re the first mother to nurture and birth a dynos in modern history.”
“I don’t want her growing up in a laboratory.” I forced a bright, confident smile, even though my stomach still felt queasy. There was so much I didn’t know or understand, and with the baby developing so quickly, I sure didn’t have much time to figure shit out. Worse, I felt so inferior in all areas, despite Kroktl’s proud words and constant assurance. I couldn’t be on their grid. I couldn’t teach her anything about being dynos. If she could be on their grid, they’d have an intimate, mind-to-mind connection that I would never be a part of.
Maybe it was selfish of me, but that bummed me the fuck out. I wanted to be a part of that intimate circle—even if that meant I had to listen to Axxol’s nonstop bullshit in my head.
“I recommend we monitor the youngling’s brainwaves regularly,” Lohr said. “We have no way of knowing at what stage of development the Sirian cells may activate and attempt connection.”
Rizan grunted softly, nodding to himself. “I set my most sensitive listener to pick up the first hint of a signal so I can block it.”
“Good idea.” Snryx stared at me, his head tipped slightly. “Which gives me an idea. Though it may not be acceptable to you, Natalie.”
“What?”
“Would you consider a medical implant so I can constantly monitor the embryo without needing to physically touch you? It would be very small and unnoticeable to everyone except Kroktl, and it’s extremely limited in its abilities.”
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind that. Though I wish it could talk to me too. You made the printer work with your technology. Why not my head?”
The longer, heavier coils parted, allowing a delicate, thin implement as slender as a wire to float toward me. “The problem is interfacing with your human brain. The printer is a simple device that accepts a defined string of data and displays it accordingly. Your brain is much more complicated, and there’s no known interfacing language that we can use to make the connection.”
