Page 41 of The Omega's Unexpected Bounty
Graden’s eyes darted back and forth while he thought.
Tiny stood up on the bed. “Please, you two. Don’t fight.”
“We’re not fighting,” said Graden. “No technology is perfect.” He turned as if speaking to himself. “Is it possible?”
“No,” I said although hissed was more appropriate. “There are multiple protections. Hormone levels, nanite spermicide and several other ways Tiny could tell you about. You talk about perfect technology, well this is perfect foryou. You turned me into–”
Tiny’s voice rose until it was louder than us. “Will you be quiet? Graden didn’t mislead you. It was my fault.” His chin lowered, and he turned from my gaze. “I turned off your birth control.”
***
Chapter Twenty-Two
GRADEN
My throat clenched as the sulfur betrayal scent filled the bright purple force field. Caan fisted his hands, and tanned skin turned red. Meanwhile, his little simulacrum stood on the mattress and looked up. Its legs shifted back and forth as if to keep balance while Caan panted.
A strained voice I hoped would never be directed to me, drew out. “Youbetrayedme and don’t you dare say it’s because you know me!”
My eyebrows rose. In another life, we would have smiled together while we imagined our child, but this isn’t that world. This would benefit me more than it did Caan. I could only imagine his turmoil as the dank smell of moldy vegetables rose.He’s frustrated and with good reason.
“I know you, Caan. But that’s not the point. I’m a copy with some exceptions.” He held out his little arms to show the obvious one. “My top directive is to protect you.”
“By letting me get knocked up?”
My hand grabbed Caan’s, and to my relief, he didn’t pull away.
“You are an Omega,” said Tiny. “An exceptional one. You’ve fought Soturi sized men and regularly escape death. I have a perfect memory of how many times you almost got killed, more than you know.”
Caan’s voice turned venomous. “You turned off the birth control, so I wouldn’t die?”
“Essentially yes. You’re on a planet with someone who is kind, and you’re protected. It’s highly unlikely you’ll dodge bullets or have people chase you.
“This should be my choice,”
“Technically it still is.” He tapped his head. “Depends on how you look at it.” The purple orbs around us flickered while Caan rocked his head back and forth and pounded both sides of the wide bed. The vibration sent his simulacrum back and off his little feet.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? All my life I fought against Omega expectations. Trying to live the way I wanted. This is worse than having somebody betrayed me. It’s like having a brother… no, myself!” He wheezed while the floating medical spheres whined. “All these times Tiny. I thought I could trust you, you…” His breathing quickened while his skin flushed red.
“Caan,” I said quickly. “Turn him off now.”
“No! He’s got to answer for this.” His shaky hand lifted him up as he screamed. “I gave you life! Let you… let you…”
I winced while the orbs raised their pitch further. “Off, or else I will have the spheres electrocute him. Everything that makes him unique will disappear.”
Caan’s lips mashed together and screamed over the alarm. “Sim Off. Autry, Wayne, Boone.” The last three words meant nothing to me, and I presumed they were nonsense code words. It was as if someone cut invisible lines that held the simulacrum up when he slumped in Caan’s hand and moved no more.
Caan hugged himself while tears ran down his face. I laid next to him and held him tight. It was several minutes before the shakes stopped. During that time, I tried to think of the perfect words. We were both men, but we were different sexes. It was stereotypical, but they were always the more emotional ones. Hence the necessity of Daras, our middle sex. Typically Soturi found a Femeni or Omega first, and why we didn’t have one – although there were other reasons. This wasn’t supposed to be a real pairing, but our upcoming child didn’t know that. If I suspected this would happen, I might’ve searched for a Dara. The two men who dove with us in happier times, I heard moved in together. A momentary twinge of jealousy shivered through. They had no child but were delighted with each other. My son was growing within, but happiness wouldn’t be in my future.
There was a question I had to ask but after several minutes, it came out hostile with no way to soften the blow. “Is it so bad to be an Omega or pregnant?”
He pushed himself off me quickly. “How wouldyouknow? The big stomach, mood swings, sore feet. Having to squeeze something out of me and being turned into a baby machine. You wouldn’t know anything about that!”
“Caan.” I kept my voice as calm and quiet as I could. “You don’t know either for you’ve never had one.” I squeezed his hand tightly. “I would never have manipulated you this way. Despite the circumstances and the political ramifications of no child. I gave you my word.”
His jaw tensed while he stared. “You’re happy!”
“I cannot answer that with one word, and you know this. We weren’t matched in the lottery, but it should be obvious how much I care about you. Every Soturi wants a child, and now one is on its way. And yet you lie in bed with tears on your face betrayed by a creature closer than a brother. How can I feel any joy right now?
