Page 66 of Healer
Epilogue - Jutuk
"Let me be sure I have this straight. The youngling Daisy and Daicon rescued from the mines, is the crowned regent of the Kerzak?"
I wanted to make sure I heard my Chieftain correctly. The rumble and clank of the space station engines were an aggravating but necessary hindrance, as was the oppressively humid heat thick with the smell of oil and metal common to the engine room.
I needed to speak to my ship, the Bardaga, without being overheard. Thankfully, my sister and her mate ran security operations on the Ardeese Valout, so getting past space station's surveillance came easy. Staying out of range of prying ears not so much, hence my occupation of the engine room.
Personally, I'd been stunned to learn my War Chief had adopted an orphan, but finding one's mate does strange things to a male.
"Not crowned yet, but yes." My Chieftain said with a chuckle. "He is Prince Alokar Vey, next in line for the throne, long thought dead."
"How are Daicon and his mate handling it?" The one thing I knew for sure about my War Chief—he safeguarded those he cared about.
"They are protective of the youngling, of course," Khaion said in a voice that indicated he didn't blame them in the least. "Princess Vienda and her mate are just as protective. Thankfully,Ewok was very young when he was taken so he remembers little of what happened."
"What's the plan?" I might be stuck on the space station for the time being, but that didn't mean I wanted to be left out of the loop.
Khaion let out a heavy sigh. "I have spoken with the Alliance council. No one wants the news leaked until we can ensure Ambassador Yaard is neutralized. The Ambassador is expected to attend Duke Ako's birthday celebration at the Citadel. The plan is to rendezvous with the Alliance council, arrest Yaard, and install Ewok and his sister as regents."
"I didn't think female Kerzak were allowed to rule?"
Khaion laughed at my confusion. "A situation to be remedied by the young king. His new mother and the other human females feel strongly about a woman's right to rule."
"At least we'll get rid of Yaard," I snorted. "He was always a nasty fucker."
"I forgot how much you enjoyed Earth's curse words," Khaion chuckled. "I also have good news to share."
"Yes?" Curiosity bubbled inside me. I already knew Hakkar had rescued his human, and both were safe aboard the Bardaga.
"Daisy and Daicon are expecting a youngling."
"That's great news!" The words burst from my lips. Younglings were always a source of great joy for the Vaktaire. Hearing that our species could not only mate but also conceive with humans came as a happy surprise. "How is your mate, Emmy?" Khaion had been the first of us to mate with a human female. While I hadn't met the other females yet, I knew Emmy and could only imagine how she kept my Chieftain on his toes.
"All the females are well and happy in their mating."
"All the females?"
"Agnes and Hakkar have mated as well."
I laughed, more from the sappiness of the situation than my joy at hearing yet another of my brethren found his mate. Some might think the hand of the goddess Valana guided each of my crewmates to find his mate in the female he rescued.
Not me.
I had suspicions that my brethren completed the true Vaktaire mating ritual with the human females. The valakana proved hard to survive. My sister mated with a Stranac, a warrior species, and she had forgone the Vaktaire mating ritual for fear of his harm. For a frail, delicate human to survive seemed impossible. While I was happy for my brethren, personally, I wanted a true mating—one I knew the goddess blessed.
"What?" I came out of my thoughts to catch the end of what Khaion was saying... something about kismet.
"I was saying that perhaps you will be as blessed as well and claim Pearl as your mate."
"She threw a knife at my head." I reminded him.
"You probably scared her," Khaion laughed.
"She scared me," I muttered.
I'd used my sister's connections to gain entry into the Baron's suite, intent on contacting Pearl to let her know rescue was nigh. Pearl wasn't in the harem chambers, although purchased by the Baron as a sex slave. Rumor had it that she proved herself an excellent chef and earned a place in the kitchens.
I'd found her alone, chopping a pika root into translucent slices. Her long, delicate fingers handled the knife with confidence and precision. The sunlight streamed from overhead, sparking strands of red in the rich brown hair she wore pulled back into a low, messy bun.
