Page 93 of The Alien in the Archive

The silence in the alcove is deafening, the book glaring at me from the table. I reluctantly pick it up, the title staring back at me.

Voices of Dissent: Forgotten Rebels of the Borean Empire

It’s ridiculous. Probably sentimental drivel. But with a sigh, I open the cover. The first words on the page are a dedication:“To those who stood, even when it cost them everything.”

I close my eyes, the weight of those words pressing down on me. And then, slowly, I turn the page and begin to read.

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Iwish I could focus only on my project with Thorne—trying to get him out of the Obscuary, safe—but alas…I’m also dealing with a potential pregnancy.

No big deal.

Other than the fact that, if Iampregnant, that baby will be the first Borean child in over a thousand years.

I pace the living room of my cottage as I wait for Lyn to arrive, all under the guise of a very normal evening. I’ve scrounged up some pregnancy tests from the hospital in Mythara, but I didn’t want to take one alone. Plus…I don’t want Riley to know. He’s overprotective enough already. I considered telling Thalara, but I don’t trust that she wouldn’t spill the beans to Riley.

So Lyn is on her way.

I hope my trust isn’t misplaced.

I’ve already tidied the books on my table twice, and I’m half-convinced I should start a third round when there’s finally a knock at the door. My stomach turns, though I can’t figure out if it’s nerves or anticipation.

Or morning sickness.

Wait. Can you even get morning sickness at night?

Jesus…I know absolutely nothing about pregnancy—least of all a potential alien baby.

I cross the room and open the door, finding Lyn standing on the other side, chill as always. Her bag is slung over her shoulder, a bottle of emerald green booze in her hand. She frowns as she steps inside, taking in the sight of my oddly immaculate living room.

“You look…well, it’s tidy as hell in here but you look like a wreck,” she says. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. “I mean—not really. Not at all. I uh…I think I might be pregnant?”

Guess I’m just ripping off the Band-Aid.

Lyn’s eyebrows shoot up, her head tilting as if to emphasize the expression. “Wow. Okay, cool. So your guy is human, then.”

Shit, that didn’t even occur to me. Thank fuck I didn’t specify what species my mysterious boyfriend was.

“Yeah, he’s human,” I say. “We got reckless, things got spicy…and now I have these pregnancy tests and I just didn’t want to take them alone. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Lyn says. “I’ve got you. Wanna do it now and figure it out, or talk about it first?”

I take a deep breath, then blow it out.

“Do it now,” I mutter. “Drink next.”

“Not a problem,” she says. She heads to the kitchen and puts the bottle on the counter. “I’ll crack this open and pour a couple glasses while you’re peeing on the stick.”

I nod, already heading for the bathroom. I shut the door behind myself and read the instructions, getting more and more nauseous. Okay…so in two minutes, I’ll know.

Unfortunately, they are the longest two minutes of my entire life.

When the timer goes off on my comm, I snatch up thetest and look at the result. I stare at it, relief washing over me so strongly it almost knows me over.

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