Page 47 of I Dated the Deafening Whisper

“How manybrains exactly?”

“Sixteen.” Sheshrugged. “Give or take.” She rubbed her belly, “The baby didn’tlike them.”

He groaned.“Pop-up lab?”

“Yeah. Theygrabbed some Uraddan children and were keeping them for research. Ihave asked around and found them good adoptive homes.” She picked abit of human debris off her belly. “I think I need a deepclean.”

He sighed andplucked at her clothing. She sighed. “I know, but I don’t want toleave the kids. They don’t know anyone here.”

He nodded anddisappeared, returning in a flash of black with another wrapdress.

He stripped offthe dress and helped her wash the exploded people off her body andhair.

When she wasclean, she waded into the pool and sank below the water with agauzy wrap on for modesty.

She played withthe kids, and soon, they all got out and dressed in clean clothing.She ushered them to the dining hall, and the kids all gotreasonable portions of food while Arata helped feed them.

She looked athim. “You are so cute. Someone should make you a dad.”

He looked ather and grinned.

One of theolder kids said, “Miss, why isn’t he speaking?”

“He has anactivation that is so much louder than mine is. It can hurt peopleif he just talks sometimes.”

The other onesaid, “But he talked to you.”

“He can use melike a filter. He is my husband. This is King Arata.” She smiled,and the kids looked at him with wide eyes.

He pointed atIvetha and signed, Queen. The kids looked at her. The oldergirl said, “You are a queen?”

“Yup. Buttoday, I was a battle bitch who explodes people.” She smiled. “Butonly the people shooting at us.”

The kidssmiled.

The kids ateuntil they were full, and their foster parents arrived. They wereeach going in two sets of two. One older with one younger. It wouldhelp them in their settling process.

The familiestaking them in were childless and happy to take in the kids,knowing that the queen was going to be checking in regularly.

The little oneswere escorted to their new rooms with beds, clothing, meals, and noexperimental labs. The kids were exhausted, and the healers wouldhave to wait until the next day.

Ivetha yawnedand waved the little kids off with Arata standing with his armaround her barely detectable waist.

She sighed asthe kids left her field of vision.

Arata murmured,“Will you go and actually deliver our baby now? I know you are inlabour.”

“Yes. Thatseems like a splendid idea. Call Sariah, your mom, and the midwife.Not really in that order.”

“They arewaiting in our room. Akio is outside willing to run for juice orwater or whatever you need.”

She groaned,and the room shook. “I think you should carry me there. Things aremoving quickly.”

He blinked andpicked her up. She grunted, and he walked quickly to their roomwhere her sounds wouldn’t bring the palace down. Whatever washappening between her legs, it was happening fast.

Arathe arrivedfive minutes later.

After theflurry of attention, Ivetha was holding her daughter and rockingslowly. Arata looked rattled. And his mother and father had leftthem. Sariah had observed and expressed her relief at how fast theprocess had been.

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