I show him several of the different buttons and levers. Though they’re not the same as the Mayvina, it was pretty simple to figure out as they’re similar. When I show him the throttle, I let him maneuver for a bit. He laughs when he dips us to the side and Zoe curses.
“Easy now,” I say with a chuckle. “Save your tricks for Theron.”
Zoe scampers off while I show Kevin how to put the ship back in autopilot. I teach him what to look for in the distance—formation, beasts, buildings. When some time has passed and Zoe hasn’t returned, I grow worried.
“Do you think you can man the ship for a few minutes?” I ask as I rise from the captain’s chair.
He gapes at me. “Really?”
“It’s a big job. No tricks or excitement. Just making sure we don’t run into anything. Can you do that?”
He nods, a silly grin on his face. I ruffle his hair as he hops into my seat. Once I’m sure he’s settled, I make my way through the ship. Most everyone is sleeping, though there are a few speaking in hushed tones with Eleanor. I find Zoe in the room we set up as a medical bay.
“What is it, stormy one? Are you ill?”
“After Kevin’s stunt, a little.” She smiles, but she’s pale. “Don’t tell me you left him to pilot the ship.”
“He’s thirteen revolutions old. I was hunting sabrevipes at that age.”
She cringes. “If I never see one of those things, it’ll be too soon.”
“I’m sure you could handle yourself.” I approach her and feel her forehead. No fever. “Does your nog hurt? Do you have chills?”
“No.”
“What about aches? Do you have those? Could this be The Rades coming on?”
I haven’t perfected the inoculation, only the cure. Still, I don’t want to have to use it on my mate. I want her to remain well.
“It’s not The Rades,” she assures me.
“The exposure…” I frown. “What if the R-levels were too high? What if we’re not as safe as we think?” I walk over to a cabinet and begin rummaging around. “I need to find a test for the—”
“Avrell, stop,” she grumbles.
“If it’s not the R-levels,” I continue, “it could be that Kevin—er, human’s blood. I had it on me when we kissed. Rekk! I’ve exposed you and—”
“Avrell!” She smacks my shoulder. “Look at me.”
I turn to look down at my mate, worry making my stomach twist violently. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” she murmurs. “Maybe you should try the wegloscan.”
“The wegloscan only…” I trail off, the doctor in me overriding the male. “It’s too soon.”
“The others said—”
“Zoe,” I bite out. “It’s too soon.”
She huffs and rolls her eyes. “You don’t know everything, Avrell. You only know some things. There are other things you can’t possibly know because we’re aliens in case you forgot!”
Insufferable woman.
“I studied the other females. The earliest we knew was…” I count on my fingers as I think. “The wegloscan won’t show it.”
“So you’re not even going to try?” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Why not? Is it because…you don’t want this? All that talk about AJ and a family was bullshit? Screw you!”
Fat tears roll down her cheeks as her bottom lip trembles. I grab her shoulders, pulling her close. Resting my nog against hers, I let out a sad sigh.
“I can’t bear a negative result,” I whisper. “It’ll hurt too much.”
She softens and hugs me tight. “Just because you don’t like an answer doesn’t mean you’re supposed to hide from it. Where’s the scientist in you? You don’t get the result you want, you try again. Come on, Av, you’re made of stronger stuff than this.”
She’s right.
I think back to when the females arrived. When I tried to impregnate them with my own seed in my lab only to fail. I’d been devastated because I wanted mortlings so badly. It was unnecessary to also have a mate, at the time, because I didn’t have the type of pull to those females like I do Zoe. Now that she and I want to start a family, I find that same desperation clawing inside me. I’ve always been searching my entire life. It finally feels within reach and I’m worried it’ll be snatched away before I can grasp onto it.
Zoe pulls away and walks over to a cabinet. She retrieves the wegloscan and hands it to me. Then, she lies down on the bed, baring her trim stomach to me.
“My breasts are sore, I’m nauseous, and I’m irritable, Doc,” she says, a teasing smile on her lips. “Are you going to diagnose me?”
My cock twitches in my minnasuit. “You’re always irritable.”
Her middle finger shoots up. “And you’re always a dickhead.”
“I think I should examine your breasts to make sure they’re okay,” I rumble as I approach.
“Filthy doctor,” Zoe says, a wicked glint in her stormy eyes. She slowly unzips the front of her minnasuit, baring her naked flesh to me. “Best hurry before another patient arrives.”
I slide my palm under the material, cupping her mound. My sharp claws roll her nipple around, eliciting a sharp hiss from her. I peel the material to the side so I can see her pert nipple. Leaning forward, I lick it with my forked tongue.
“Tastes normal,” I observe. I bite the flesh hard enough she gasps. Her tangy blood floods my mouth from the puncture of my fangs. “This is going to need some tending.”
She whimpers as I grab the microbots salve. I rub a dollop onto her skin, smearing the blood with the salve. The microbots work quickly to heal her wound.
“I’m going to check you, my lovely patient, and if it’s negative, I’m going to need you to undress so I can treat you.” I run the zipper all the way to her cunt. “You’ll need my massive cock inside you. Over and over, filling you up with my seed. Doctor’s orders.”
She laughs until I touch her clit. “Ohhh.”
With my eyes pinning hers, I rub at the tiny nub. I’ve learned her body and know just how many circles it’ll take to send her over the edge. I tease her, bringing her closer and closer, before gifting my mate with bliss. She relaxes, regarding me with a happy smile that sets my skin on fire.
I need to be inside her.
Right rekking now.
“Slow down, dirty doctor. First things first. Finish your examination before you cure me with your cock.”
I rub at said cock through my suit, loving how she bites on her bottom lip hungrily. “All right. Let’s get this over with.” I turn on the wegloscan and sweep it across her lower stomach near her pelvic bone.
“I love you,” Zoe says.
I drag my eyes from the device to my perfect mate. “I love you too, stormy one.”
Ding.
I stare at the wegloscan in confusion. Green. It’s green, not red. Green means she’s with child.
“Impossible,” I hiss, completely mind-blown.
“Possible.” Her eyes are watery as she smiles at me. “Avrell, we’re going to have a baby.”