Page 34 of The Alien's Pet

When she had firstcome to Krotev, Azis had told her she had been given a fertility treatment, but she had been here for more than a year and she had not become pregnant. Alice had been here less time and she would soon have a bouncing baby boy.

She chewed on her cheek nervously. What if she couldn't get pregnant? What if she was infertile? What if she could never give Korrev a baby? Would he dump her? Would he get another mate who could give him children?

The idea of Korrev impregnating someone else filled her with rage. She didn't want Korrev to have another mate. She certainly didn't want him to get someone else pregnant.

Alice cleared her throat, reminding her that she had asked her a question.

"How do I look?" she asked sarcastically.

Alice gave her a little smile, obviously too polite to say anything.

Karin knew she looked horrible. She was struggling to gain weight, she was pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, and her cough made it seem like she had gotten infected by the plague.

"You look perfect. Just like you."

Karin rolled her eyes as she took a sip of water. "You're just like Korrev. A terrible liar. Both of you are too blunt to be dishonest. I know I look horrible."

She had been self-conscious about her appearance when she was a young woman, but Karin would do anything to look like she was once. She looked absolutely ghoulish. What if Korrev lost interest? The idea seemed silly to her, especially since he had done so much to make sure she was rescued.

"It will be over soon," Alice said brightly, like the good-natured person she was. "And then we can resume our playdates. Except now, with a baby in tow."

Karin smiled. That would be nice. Babies were cute, and both Kyvan and Alice were attractive. She was sure their son would be a cutie pie.

A wave of dizziness hit her as she lay back down. "I don't think I'll ever get better. It's been two months since I was rescued and I still feel so tired. All I want to do is sleep and I can barely digest a meal."

"Do the healers know what it is?"

"They said the poison is out of my system, my body is just recuperating, but since I'm human, it takes longer. They're giving me all these tonics and pills, but to be honest, I don't think they're doing much."

Korrev had been forcing her to go visit Azis twice a day, until both Karin and Azis were growing tired of each other.

"I miss the sun," Karin blurted out, breaking the silence. "And the beach. And hot dogs. I regret not going to the beach more when I was in New York. I think I just assumed it would always be there."

Krotev wasn't chilly, but it definitely didn't get as hot here as it did on Earth. The palace was warm since she didn't usually wear clothes, but she hadn't explored Krotev as much as she would like. Not to mention, she was still shy when it came to her nudity.

Alice closed her eyes. "And ice cream and a bonfire with chocolate and s'mores."

"Chocolate. I would give my left arm if I could have a chocolate bar." Karin felt like she could eat three boxes of chocolates. It was the only thing she was truly craving.

"I'm sure Korrev would be more than happy to send for one if it meant you would eat."

Silence.

Korrev might be spoiling her now, but she wasn't foolish enough to expect he would do it forever. For goodness' sake, Karin didn't even know if she was going to be punished for the stunt she'd pulled. She clenched her buttocks, just thinking about it.

Karin couldn't ask him for chocolate when she didn't even know where she stood with him. She knew he desired her and he didn't want her to depart back to Earth. But what else? Alien men were just as complicated as human men. Why did they have to make everything so complicated?

"Leave him out of this," she murmured as she looked at Alice's pregnant belly again. She wanted to touch it, to feel the baby kick, but she felt too shy to ask her. She had never touched a woman's pregnant belly before. Babies had been the furthest thing from her mind, but now that they might be in her near future, it was all she could think about. "Are you sure you're not pregnant with twins? No offense, but you look like an overindulged cat."

Alice gave her a reproachful look. "Thanks for the compliment. That doesn't terrify me at all."

Karin winced. "Sorry. I've never given birth. I'm sure everything will be fine."

She wasn't even sure how giving birth here worked. Did they have epidurals? She couldn't imagine pushing out such a big baby with no pain medication.

"Have you thought about names?"

"Not really, Kyvan wants to name him after his father, but it's quite a mouthful. I don't think I want to give such a difficult name to a baby. Since I knew it was going to be a boy, I thought it was going to be easier, but no such luck. Do you think you would ever want to have a baby?"

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