Page 74 of Champion
"Isn't Ewok too young to rule?" Anges frowned. "I remember all the horseshit about females not being able to rule, but I thought there was something about Ewok—make that Prince Alokar—being too young."
"He is," Daisy agreed with a slow nod. "But once he's recognized as heir, Vienda will be installed as regent until he comes of age. Ewok doesn't even have to remain on the planet."
As if directed by some cosmic conductor, our eyes turned toward the end of the table where Daicon looked over the spread of star maps, a fuzzy little darling perched on his knee. Daisy had given the young Kerzak the perfect nickname.
Daisy gave a soft chuckle, her eyes misting as she gazed at her mate and adopted son. "Of course, Ewok says the first thing he's going to do when he's old enough to be king is change the law so his sister can rule. He wants to be a warrior, like his dad."
I blinked back tears of my own. Daisy had always wanted to be a mother. Something out of her reach back on Earth, but here in the vastness of space, she'd been abundantly blessed.
As if sensing my thoughts, Daisy's hand smoothed over her stomach again. "We should be back to theBardagain acouple of months. In plenty of time for Agnes to deliver the baby."
"We're leaving too," Clara announced, looking sheepish and avoiding Emmy's attempt to flick her ear.
"What the hell?" Emmy grumbled. "What's the point of being the Chieftain's mate if he never tells me anything." She cast an irate gaze down the table, but I noticed it soften as her eyes landed on her mate.
"We won't be gone long either," Clara laughed, draping an arm over Emmy's shoulders. "We're taking the women we found on Ajaxiun to Tau Ceti and staying just long enough to get them settled and see some friends."
The women.
We grew quiet for a moment. Each of us recalling the seven dirty, scared human women found in the caverns below the citadel. Nansar had intended them as bribes to make his ascension to his father's throne go more smoothly. Thankfully, the turd grew a conscience as they were carting him off to prison and informed the Alliance of their captivity.
"Besides," Clara grinned, bringing us back to the present. "I'm going to have need of Agnes' medical expertise myself in the next few months." She gave her still-flat stomach a gentle pat.
"Oh my God, are you…." Daisy gasped.
Clara glanced at Agnes and winked. "Agnes and Hakkar confirmed it just his morning."
The end of our table devolved into a mass of squeals, giggles, and hugs. At the other end, I heard distinctive congratulations as Tarook shared the news.
"I'm happy for both of you… so much!" I settled back into my chair, casting a pointed glance at Emmy, Agnes, and Pearl. "But seriously, is there something in the water I need to be worried about?"
Agnes snorted, slapping a hand on the table. "No, but you might want to see Hakkar about some birth control—these guys have pretty potent sperm."
"Are any of you taking it?" Not that I held any doubt about alien medical technology, especially after it saved Adtovar.
"I am," Emmy volunteered freely. "Khaion and I want a family, but we want to get the rescue mission off the ground first. There are a lot of abducted humans out there who need us. Besides, with our extended life spans thanks to the Garoot Healer, my biological clock has moved from like twenty years to seventy."
"Jutuk and I decided to wait, too," Pearl chimed in. "Space Pearls, the restaurant his sister runs for us, is so successful that Jala and her mate Praxxan want to open more sites on other space stations."
"You're a franchise," Emmy snorted, knowing how much the idea irked a world-class chef like Pearl.
This time, though, Pearl only rolled her eyes and laughed. "Don't you hate it? Honestly, I love coming up with alien-earth fusion recipes and training new chefs. Plus, Jutuk enjoys handling the business side of things with his sister. He's already given most of his navigational duties to Bartuk."
"I've got about another year to go in my studies to get up to speed with alien medical technology." Agnes grinned. While I was still a bit hurt that she'd kept her illness from us, my joy at seeing her healthy and so very happy overshadowed it. "What about you, Willa?"
"Well…." I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I told them about Charick's idea to teach martial arts to the crew of theBardaga. Of course, I might be teaching pregnant. Charick and I certainly hadn't taken any precautions. Honestly, I hadn't given much thought to procreating—since we were two different species—until his mother mentioned grandchildren. Even then,I'd wondered if it were a possibility. I'd need to pay Agnes and Hakkar a visit and get checked out. But if nature had already taken its course…. My gaze darted to Charick. As if feeling my eyes on him, my mate glanced up, meeting my gaze. Our eyes held each other, full of affection. It wouldn't be the worst thing if I was already pregnant. Charick's mother would certainly be happy… and so would I.
A tsunami of cheering waved through the room, bringing me out of my daydream in time to spot the small blue Framaddi chef Orzon sweeping in from the kitchen, followed by several Vaktaire males, each carrying a platter of something that smelled amazing.
While the Vaktaire waiters stopped at tables along the way, Orzon made a beeline for us, his white teeth contrasting starkly with his blue skin as he grinned.
"Ladies." He sat the tray in the center of the table with a flourish. "I followed Chef Pearl's recipe to the letter. Please enjoy." With a graceful wave of his hand, he turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen.
I glanced around to find Emmy sniffing the concoction cautiously. "It actually smells pretty good."
Daisy's nostrils flared as she took a whiff. "Doesn't make me want to barf."
"Be nice," Pearl scolded, pulling the tray closer. "I've been giving him lessons."
