Page 20 of Thrilled By Her Protector

With everything freshly laundered, it was time to fill the matching dressers and closets with all the precious clothes, blankies, bibs, and other baby bits Caro and Jasper had received at their baby shower. Today was a continuation of the girl night they’d had last night, and Jennifer looked down at her fingernails and bit her lip.

Maybe they were wrong not to include the five newcomers last night. Maybe that was why Aliza had been particularly snippy when she’d told that lie about Jennifer leaving the compound. She wasn’t sure if she forgave the female for the fib, but she knew she needed to be the bigger person. She was so lost in thought, Jennifer didn’t even notice Daeja had moved next to her until the pink haired female nudged her gently with her shoulder.

“They are trying to fit in, you know,” Daeja said softly.

“I know.”

“Perhaps they need more than just manuals and lectures?”

“I think you might be right,” Jennifer admitted, feeling slightly chagrined.

“I understand things have not been decided for you and Zircon, but you must know Aliza was exercising a sense of worth she never exhibited before. On the ship, the females were treated worse than when we were back on our planet. Being here, meeting females like you and Caro, Kim, and Candy, well, I believe they gave her a boost of confidence.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Daeja, and I appreciate it. But Zircon is not mine,” she said it, wincing at the sharp pain that filled her—her Owl’s reaction to a statement she knew was false.

“I hear the lie in your voice when you say that Jennifer Dylluan—I mean, Jennifer,” the pink haired female corrected herself.

Daeja was so much more than an Alien Drakein now, though. She was Heliodore’s mate, and over the past few months, she’d become a very close friend. Her experience as a nurse and healer were invaluable. She’d even shared her knowledge with the medical experts working for the DPCA.

More importantly, Jennifer trusted her. She’d come to care for Daeja, just as she had Candy. With Caro and Kim, these women made up her closest friends. Heck, that wasn’t right. They were more than that. They were family.

“You know something, Daeja? If you were anyone else, I’d deny that, but you’re right. My personal relationship with Zircon has always been complicated.”

“Complicated? I do not understand. For me, it was simple. I saw Heliodore, and I knew he and I were meant to be. My Drakein recognized myrevolkoimmediately.”

Jennifer smiled and nodded her head. Oh, she knew the feeling alright. How many years had passed since the first time she’d seen him? Too many. And all the while she’d kept a wall between them, blaming her role as their handler and the ethics demanded of her by the job.

But there was no denying what occurred between them every time they touched. The lines had been blurred, and she didn’t know if she could ever go back. Heck. Did she even want to?

Daeja frowned as she watched Caro, Kim, and Candy and Jennifer waited for her to speak. She’d learned early on the female required a bit more patience when gathering her thoughts. But that was okay. Jennifer was good with silences.

“You know, I have discovered an anomaly with the pregnancies, but I have not wanted to worry the women,” Daeja whispered.

“Is something wrong?” Jennifer asked, her instincts immediately on alert.

“No, no. They are all healthy, it’s just, well, it seems the gestation periods of Kim and Candy have sped up.”

“What?”

“Look at their stomachs. And see how low they are carrying?” This used to happen on Drakeinan, but very rarely.”

Jennifer looked at the three pregnant women, and she frowned. Daeja was right. She hadn’t noticed before, but maybe it was because she wasn’t looking. All three women looked very similar in size and the way they were carrying. When the heck did that happen?

“What are you talking about, exactly?”

“Sometimes, when members of the same family or Clan were expecting, the younglings synchronized to be birthed at the same moment—like multiples, but from different parents.”

“You are telling me the young these women are carrying are communicating with one another?”

“Yes. Do not look so shocked,” Daeja explained, laughter smiling in her pink hued eyes.

“How could I not be? How is that even possible?” Jennifer asked.

“There are many planes of existence, Jennifer, and I do not pretend to know them all or to even understand, but the Drakein believed when this happened, it signified an incredible bond between the offspring. We called itKinakein.”

“Kinakein? Is it dangerous?”

“I suppose, like anything else, it could have complications. Some of our people feared it and would sometimes separate the pregnant females. Keeping them away from one another so we did not have mass births at once.”

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