Chapter 26

Nikki sighed as she lay in the middle of their bed on her back. Xavier was currently alternating between kissing her belly and caressing it.

After the initial wild love making they’d done and finding out she was now pregnant, they had moved to the bed where Xavier had made love to her again. That time had been much slower, but still just as passionate and satisfying as always. They had slept after that, waking up just before dawn to make love once more and now they were enjoying the time they had together before the kingdom interfered again.

Nikki lifted her head slightly to look down at Xavier whose head was now resting against her stomach. He smiled up at her, as his fingers continued to caress her sides.

She chuckled, “You look way too comfortable there. And I know what you are going to say, but no.”

He frowned, “Why not?”

She rolled her eyes, “I’m not made of glass, Xavier. Besides, you promised you’d help me get used to my new powers and there’s still the meeting we didn’t get to have because of the interruption.”

He sighed, “But it was a very welcome interruption.” He kissed her stomach again, “Please?”

She glared at him, “How long am I going to be pregnant?”

He shrugged, “It’s the same as a human pregnancy, about nine months.”

“Exactly, and you want me to do absolutely nothing for nine months?”

He lifted his head and pouted at her, “You wouldn’t be doing nothing. I’ll make sure mom and Evelyn keep you occupied and then I’ll be spending lots of time with you.”

“For nine months.”

“Nikki…”

“Uh uh. Don’t you dare start pulling the King crap on me again. You know better. Besides, I’m certain that getting lots of exercise is good for the pregnancy.”

He sighed and rolled over until he was lying next to her, “You’ll be getting exercise.”

Nikki was about to say something else until the note in his voice registered. She turned on her side to look at him, her eyes narrowing when she saw the look in his eyes.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.

He closed his eyes, “Maybe it’s time to get up. I’ll get mom to…”

She growled, “Don’t change the subject! What is it?”

He turned to face her, “I’m not. I just think it would be better if you talked to mom about this.”

“Why?” she frowned, “Is it because I’m part human?”

He shook his head, “I don’t think that part of you really exists anymore Nikki. I’m beginning to think mom was right all along. Since I woke up that part of you, it’s taken over and shut out all of the part that was once human.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Everything you’ve done so far is so much like a typical wahani, not a human. And your powers were already so strong in the beginning anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if you learn things quickly. I won’t even be surprised if you are as good at some things as I am.”

“That doesn’t mean that I’m not human anymore.”

“There’s also what Teether said.” At Nikki’s confused look, he continued, “He called you my mate.”

Nikki nodded, “Everyone does, even I call myself that, so?”

He rolled his eyes, “He called you my mate in his language. My sulama. The li’ani only use that word when they are talking about the wahani. When talking about a human, they use the word sulaspo. Plus, he called our children cubs. Had he been talking about a human/wahani mix, he’d have gone with the normal word, children.”

Nikki’s eyes went wide at that. As she placed her hand over her stomach she asked, “Wait, are you saying I’m gonna have a…”

“No.” Xavier quickly shook his head, “Our children are born looking like human children, Nikki. It’s what’s inside that makes them different.”

She let out her breath, “Oh, they’re human on the outside, but they already come equipped with the latent powers, right?”

He nodded, “Right.”

Sighing, she rolled to her back and looked up at the ceiling, “Gee, there’s still so much about your world that I don’t know.”

Xavier slid closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his body, “Don’t worry, leijha’mi there’s time to learn it all. I’m right here for you always. I promise, I’ll be there for you every step of the way.”

Nikki nodded, “I know.”

He smiled and leaned in to nuzzle her neck. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment. Tilting her head slightly, she allowed her husigos to begin nibbling her skin. As he made his way down her shoulder, his hand began moving up her hip and across her stomach.

Just as his hand got close to the goal of her breast, Nikki spoke, “Since you’ll be here every step of the way, want to tell me what you meant about getting exercise?”

Xavier groaned and rolled away from her, “Go take a bath, I’ll send a message to mom to meet you in the living area in about an hour.” He got out of bed and grabbed his robe, slipping it on.

As he disappeared out of the bedroom door, she called after him, “Why can’t you just tell me?”

Her answer was the sound of the door closing behind Xavier.

**********************************************************************

Nikki walked to the former Queen’s sitting room to meet with her mother-in-law. She had taken a bath, then had a simple meal in her dining room alone until the message had come from Devnet to meet her in the sitting room.

Xavier had returned to the bedroom while she had been bathing. He’d told Nikki that he’d sent the message to his mother and was going to work out in the training room before going to work. Nikki knew he’d be back to take his bath while she was with his mother.

As she neared the door to the sitting room, she wondered why Xavier wouldn’t talk to her about what was going on, why would he send her to talk to his mother. She assumed it must be something difficult or embarrassing for him since he’d avoided looking at her once he’d left their bed. She knocked on the door and entered when she heard Devnet’s voice. Devnet, who had been sitting in one of the couches in the room, got up and walked to Nikki with open arms.

“Well, looks like congratulations are in order! I was so thrilled when I got the news from my son that the two of you will be making me a yahe’gra in about nine months.” She enveloped Nikki in a hug as she continued, “Xavier says you have questions.”

Nikki pulled away from Devnet with a frown, “Actually, when I asked him what he meant by a certain thing he said to me, he told me he was going to get you to talk to me about this.” She folded her arms in front of her, “I got the impression it was making him nervous or something.”

Devnet chuckled, “Or something sounds about right. Come on, let’s have a seat.”

Once they were comfortable on the couch, Devnet asked, “How are you feeling right now?”

Nikki nodded, “Fine. I’m just a little confused by my husband’s behavior and curious about what my being pregnant means, but other than that, I’m fine.”

Devnet nodded, “That’s good. Hopefully nothing will interfere while we talk.”

Nikki frowned, “See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Xavier was being cryptic just like that.”

“Oh Nikki,” Devnet shook her head with a smile, “He wasn’t being cryptic on purpose. I think it is a little embarrassing for him to have to tell you what you are going to be like while you’re pregnant. Especially since he’s part of the reason you are the way you are.”

Nikki gave her a questioning look, “Isn’t that how things are done? In our world a man and woman have sex to make a baby.”

“No, not that part. I meant he’s the reason why you are no longer human. Since you are wahani, your pregnancy is going to be like a wahani pregnancy, not a human one.”

“Xavier said our children will appear human.”

“That’s true. We all are born that way. When we hit puberty is when the latent powers tend to manifest themselves, some more than others. Think of it this way, if you were carrying a human child, you’d know what to expect in your pregnancy right?”

When Nikki nodded, Devnet continued, “Okay, so you know the child you carry now is a mix of you and Xavier. Therefore, it isn’t going to have a human physiology.”

Nikki nodded, “Okay. I get it. So, my pregnancy symptoms will be different than if I were carrying a fully human child.”

“Yes.”

“Xavier’s embarrassed about telling me what my symptoms are going to be like because I’m not human?”

Devnet sighed, “Let me explain first, then maybe you’ll understand why he wanted me to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Well, the pregnancy will progress much like that of a human one, but there are some differences. One is that the child will be connected to you up until a year after birth. This means that you can feel what the child is thinking, feeling, experiencing and vice versa.”

Nikki’s eyes went wide, “It will know what I’m thinking!” She slid her hand over her stomach, “It can’t know that already, can it?”

Devnet shrugged, “My guess is that when you suddenly get thoughts you know aren’t yours, that feel like a child’s then that’s probably about the time it will start to get yours.”

“Did you know Xavier and Evelyn’s thoughts too?”

Devnet shook her head, “No, Marcus and I are not ulhi’maos. I’m sorry, that’s what makes your pregnancy unique. My pregnancies were much like a human’s.”

“How do you know what I’m going to go through then?”

Devnet smiled, “My parents were ulhi’maos. I was ten when my mother was pregnant with my brother. I got to see what it was like for her and she told me more about it when I got older. Plus, I’ve been talking to the healers ever since I found out that you and Xavier were ulhi’maos. They have all the knowledge and can probably help you out too. In fact, I think it best that you see a healer as soon as possible so they can make sure everything is all right and they can keep you informed about the progression.”

Nikki nodded, “I’ll send for one when I take my afternoon break.”

“Good.”

“Okay, so I’ll be connected to my baby. Is that all?”

“You’ll also experience plenty of cravings, most likely for the foods from this world, not yours. Plus, there’s the one craving that will strike when you least expect it and will only get worse as you progress along.”

Nikki made a face, “What? Am I going to crave like raw meat or something?”

Devnet chuckled, “Or something.” When Nikki continued to stare at her Devnet said, “You’ll be craving your ulhi’maos.”

Nikki didn’t say anything for a moment, just sat there and let that sink in. Still, she was puzzled. “What do you mean, I’ll be craving? I’ll be craving Xavier?”

“Yes.”

She was silent again before asking, “Am I missing something?”

Devnet sighed, “Let’s put it this way. You know how you went into heat for Xavier yesterday? Well, you’ll be doing that quite often throughout the pregnancy.”

“What! I thought the idea of being in heat was to get pregnant.”

“In your world that’s how animals function, but our race is a little different. At least with the ulhi’maos it is. The baby is a combination of you and Xavier. A true combination, which means that it will constantly get the nourishment it needs from you because it resides inside of you. However, it isn’t connected to Xavier, so the only way to get the nourishment it needs from his father…”

“Is to let us know by sending me into heat until the nourishment is given to him.” Nikki finished.

Devnet beamed, “As usual, you are correct.”

Nikki stared at Devnet for a moment before turning away with a slight blush on her cheeks, “Well, it looks like there will be more embarrassing moments for us until the baby is born.”

Devnet slid her hand into Nikki’s and squeezed gently, “Nikki, nothing about you being pregnant with what could possibly be the future heir could ever be called embarrassing.” When Nikki started to open her mouth in protest, she continued, “Trust me, Nikki. It’s perfectly natural for the two of you to act that way. Everyone will soon learn that and they’ll know better than to tease you about it.”

Nikki sighed, “Well, at least now I understand why Xavier wanted me to do absolutely nothing the entire time I was pregnant.”

Devnet frowned, “Did he say that?”

“He didn’t have to. I knew he was thinking that, but when I said no, he still asked me too. He said he was certain you and Evelyn could keep me occupied when he wasn’t with me.”

Devnet rolled her eyes, “Well, I guess I will just have to have a talk with him too.”

**********************************************************************

“We don’t have all of the guards on the border yet. I’m still sending more over there and we are training the last batch as we speak.” stated Jules.

Zachary nodded, “And there are still two convoys that will be moved into the West Side City when the housing is up. All the other convoys have already been moved into their new homes in the southeast.”

Xavier nodded as his eyes continued to roam over the map laid out on the table between them. After he had worked out and bathed, he’d called a meeting with the security teams to find out how things were progressing and to try to find out if there were any more clues about this recent rebel uprising.

Zachary looked at his King and asked, “Have we started on the housing situation?”

Xavier blinked and looked at the C.A. as he replied, “I’ll start on it as soon as I see the permit request.”

“I turned it in days ago, didn’t you get it?”

Xavier shook his head, “No, are you sure you turned it in?”

Zachary nodded, “Yes. I wrote it up and gave it to my assistant. I told him it was the permit for the housing in the West Side.”

With a swift intake of breath, Xavier said, “Did you specifically tell him to bring it to me? Or did you just say that?”

Zachary started to answer, but went still when he realized what his mistake was. “It’ska!”

Xavier shut his eyes, “I’ll see if she has it then.”

Jules frowned, “Isn’t it part of the Queen’s duties to see that your subjects are provided for?”

Xavier sighed, “Yes, but she knows we don’t give permits unless it’s an emergency. And I know Nikki, she’s going to want to know what the emergency is.”

“So?”

Zachary grimaced, “Jules, would you want to tell your wife, the Queen, that there is a possibility that we are going to war?”

Jules looked from one man to the other and slowly shrugged, “Okay, maybe not, but she is Queen, so I’m guessing she knows things like that are possible.”

Xavier nodded, “Yes, but this really couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

Jules frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Well, they did just get married.” Kegan interjected.

As Zachary nodded, Xavier sighed, “There’s something else you should know. It’ll be announced soon anyway, so…”

Kegan’s eyes went wide, “Aliho it’ska! She’s pregnant!”

All eyes in the room turned towards Kegan at his exclamation. He shrugged, “Well it makes perfect sense and it explains why Nikki went into heat yesterday.”

Jules frowned, “That only happens to a wahani…” he paused as it sank in. He turned to Xavier with wide eyes.

Xavier nodded as he answered the unspoken question, “Yes. Nikki is wahani and she is pregnant with our child.”

Zachary frowned, “How is that possible?”

“Nikki thinks her father may have been wahani, or at least part. He never knew his parents. And we all know that our powers hit at puberty if we are looking for them. Since her father was raised by humans, they didn’t know, he never learned them and they remained hidden. Nikki’s came out because she mated with me, her wahani ulhi’maos.”

Silence permeated the room as they all realized what that meant.

Kegan was the first to speak. With a tsk, he said, “Like I said before, you’ve got it tough.”

Zachary growled a warning, “Kegan…”

Xavier held up his hand, but looked Kegan dead in the eye, “Actually, I don’t consider it tough at all to take care of my mate’s needs. However, I will get tough on your ass if I ever hear you joking about it within her earshot.”

Kegan nodded, “Understood, my lord.”

Xavier nodded, “Good. Now then, any news about what’s going on at the Western border?”

“Yes, that’s what I would like to know.” answered Nikki as she pushed open the door to the conference room and all the men went deadly silent.

**********************************************************************

Xavier swallowed as Nikki stood on the other side of the table with her arms folded in front of her. The others had been dismissed so that he could talk to her alone, but as he stood there looking at her, he vaguely wished he could call them back.

“Well?” she asked as she dropped the permit on the table, “Care to tell me what that is all about?”

“It’s a permit for…”

“I know what it’s for Xavier, I can read. What I want to know is why do they need to be moved in the first place? What happened that was so bad that they have to relocate?”

He looked down at the table and immediately realized that was a mistake. Looking back at Nikki, he saw her perusing the map on the table. “Nikki…”

She ignored him for the moment and moved closer to examine the map and all of the markers. Frowning she asked, “What are all those red flags at the Western Border? And there’s more here near the Northern Border.” She looked up at her husigos, “Is this the thing that is forcing the move.”

Xavier nodded.

“And that is?”

He sighed, “There have been a few ambushes lately. In those areas. We don’t know where they are coming from, just where they are occurring.”

Nikki looked down at the map again, “This one here, this is where Zach’s father was ambushed.”

“Yes.”

“He was killed here.”

“Yes.”

Her eyes trailed to the flags on the Western Border before she looked into his eyes, “And the ambush here, someone died?”

Xavier didn’t answer her until she straightened up, “The reason why you are moving all those people, Xavier?”

He swallowed, “Twelve of our guards who were assigned to patrol the Western Border were found dead the day before our wedding. They were found scattered among a grove of trees, like so much debris. Some of them were not that recognizable.”

Nikki looked back at the map as she suddenly felt bile rising in her throat, Xavier was at her side instantly.

“I didn’t want you to know, leijha’mi. Especially now, in your condition.”

Nikki growled, “Would you stop! I’m your feigos, your Queen! Did you think I wouldn’t know these things could happen?”

“Nikki please, I’ll handle this.”

Her eyes narrowed, “You’re expecting a war.”

He stiffened.

“That’s it, isn’t it? You are moving these people closer to the kingdom because you are expecting the borders to be attacked.”

**********************************************************************

Kristine flew into Zachary’s arms the moment she saw him coming. He held her close knowing something was bothering her. He could feel her shaking slightly and pulled her away to look into her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Kristine gave a small sniffle, “They think the gang killed Nikki.”

Zachary sighed, “Oh Kris, I’m so sorry.”

Kristine nodded, “I heard them talking this morning. They were saying that it was one of the things they were going to use against them in court. They are going to accuse them of kidnapping and killing Nikki since she can’t be found and I was so traumatized when Nikki went missing.” A sob escaped as she said, “Zach, they think the reason I won’t talk about Nikki is because I saw them kill her!”

Zachary wrapped his arms around Kristine once more and held her as she began to cry. He looked around and found a shaded alcove with a bench in it and led Kristine to it. They sat down and he continued to hold her and soothe her until her trembling stopped.

She sniffled once more and moved slightly back from him, “I’m okay now.” She gave him a teary smile, “Thanks.”

He smiled back and lifted his hand to wipe the tears away, “You’re welcome, mo’ba.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, Kris.”

Kristine nodded, “It’s okay. I can do this. It’s just that I had thought they’d let that go and were just focusing on getting rid of the gang. I didn’t know they were using Nikki’s disappearance as the reason for going through with it.”

“Right. Well, can’t say that I blame them. If it were my child, I’d seek blood too.”

Kristine glanced up at him and smiled, “Yeah, well, I think you’d definitely have the upper hand.”

They both chuckled at that before Kristine sighed again, “The court date is set for next Thursday. I think everyone is getting ready for the backlash to begin since the summons is being sent out tomorrow.”

Zachary nodded at that. “I see.” He didn’t say anything else, just sat there and stared into the distance.

Kristine studied his profile. She could tell he was thinking, but she had no idea what it was. When he’d been silent for a few minutes, she asked, “Zach? Zach, what are you thinking?”

He turned to look at her and sighed, “I just hate the idea of leaving you here alone Kris.”

She smiled as she squeezed his hand, “I’m not alone. I have my parents.”

He nodded, “I know and while I know they love you, they can’t protect you. Not like I can.”

She sighed, “Zach…”

“Please, Kris. Come with me. Let me take care of you.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” He asked as he cupped her face in his hands, “I love you.”

She curled her fingers around his wrists as she whispered, “I know.”

“Then come with me. Please?”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“They were upset when Nikki left. They’ll be devastated if I leave. I can’t do that to them Zach. I’m all they have left. I can’t let them believe I’m dead, when I’m not. I won’t be able to live with myself for putting them through that.”

Zachary closed his eyes as he lowered his forehead to hers, she was right. It would be unfair to do that to her parents. Still, he desperately wanted to keep her safe and he didn’t know any other way to do it.

“Zach, I’ll be okay. I know the rules. I know better than to go anywhere alone. And I have the necklace. I know you’ll be there if I need you. Just a little longer okay? I’ll talk to them after I graduate. Tell them I’m going to see the world, they can’t stop me then. That way I can come back and see them when I want to.”

“Right.”

“It’ll be okay, Zachary. I know it will.”

He leaned in and captured her lips in his, needing to taste her. To make himself believe she would be okay. Kristine slid her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him as he deepened the kiss. She parted her lips and allowed his tongue access to her mouth when he pressed it against her lips.

She held him tightly, savoring his taste just as much as he savored hers.

**********************************************************************

He should have known better than to keep these things from her. After all, she could read his mind if she wanted to. But he knew she didn’t have to do that. Nikki was too smart for her own good. She could put things together, solve things quickly with just the right amount of clues.

And there were clues everywhere.

She still pinned him with a glare as she waited for his answer. Sighing, he relented, “Yes. The worst of the attacks seem to be coming from the west, so we think the attack will come from there. But it’s not really certain and we just want to take precautions.”

“Do you know who’s behind the attacks?”

“We think it’s a rebel uprising. There were a number of them during my oshe’gra’s reign. Then my father literally wiped them out during his reign. At least we’d thought he did. There was an eyewitness of Zach’s father’s attack. One guard managed to survive. He said they were wearing the insignia of the rebel army.”

“Well if your father thought he’d wiped them out, could it be just a small faction, pretending to be this rebel group? Either that or they could be doing these attacks to raise a larger army again.”

Xavier nodded, “We’ve thought of that. I think they are trying to gather an army. But the problem is our scouts can’t seem to find them anywhere. Not even a whisper of them.”

Nikki frowned, “But you think it’s an uprising?”

Xavier nodded, “Yes. The attacks were too precise. Too well thought out. They knew the Chief Advisor was going to the Northern border, so they attacked. And the last twelve guards. Each one routinely patrolled a certain area. When they started to go missing, a search was sent out. All twelve were found together when they all patrolled in different areas far from each other.”

Nikki nodded. It made sense. “Okay, so we are moving the people who live there. Are some staying?”

“No we’ve moved most of them to the southeast side of the kingdom, but we have two convoys left that need to go to the West Side City. That’s the only other place to put them that’s close enough to provide protection.”

“Fine. I’ll get started on that in the morning then.”

Xavier sighed, “Nikki…”

She shook her head, “No. It’s my job and I’ll do it. I can do it, you know.” She narrowed her eyes at her husigos. “And your mother wants a word with you.”

He frowned, “I’m not changing my mind.”

“Oh yes you are, bos’de husigos eto dimo. If you know what’s good for you!” she folded her arms in front of her again as she suddenly felt the heat rising.

“Nikki, this is serious.”

“I know it is, Devnet explained everything. I know what to expect. I know about the connection and the cravings. I know not to overdo it when using my powers.” She paused as she felt the familiar skin tingling sensation, “And I’m going to see a healer later who will keep tabs on the baby and me. So, you see, everything is going to be fine.”

“Did she tell you about one particular craving?”

Nikki nodded, “Yes. She told me about the heat I’ll be experiencing still.” She gritted her teeth as she glared at him, “Like the kind of heat I’m feeling right about now.”

Xavier tilted his head and took a deep breath, immediately his eyes darkened. “Right.” he hissed.

Nikki couldn’t help but stalk him as she moved around the table. She could hear his heart beating, the way it was getting faster.

When she was close enough, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush with him, “See?” he growled, “This is exactly what I’m talking about.” He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, “It’ll happen when you least expect it to. You could be in the middle of an important meeting.”

She grabbed his head in her hands and stared into his eyes, even as hers flashed to orange. “They will know why I suddenly need to be somewhere else, it’s only natural.” She pulled him in for a deep, wet kiss that left them both breathless.

When she pulled away she growled, “We’ll continue this discussion later, I guarantee it. But in the meantime, I’ll race you to our rooms.”

Translations
sulama - li'ani word for a wahani mate
sulaspo - li'ani word for a human mate
leijha'mi - beautiful
husigos - husband
yahe'gra - grandmother
ulhi'maos - soul mate
it'ska - shit
aliho it'ska - holy shit
mo'ba - baby
oshe'gra - grandfather
bos'de husigos eto dimo - dear husband of mine