Chapter 37

Kegan grimaced as he heard another scream echo down the stairs. Besides him, Serena squeezed his hand gently and whispered in his mind.

It’s okay, dimo agalo. I’m right here.

He flicked his gaze to the woman sitting next to him, feeling the surge of courage that came from her. Returning the squeeze she gave him, he replied, Xavier wouldn’t hurt her, I know it. And Nikki wouldn’t allow him too anyway. So, what could possibly be causing her to scream like that? Not the child!

Serena gave him a slight smile. Kegan, she’s not having an animal. Would you let that go already?


What? You know how they got every time Nikki went into heat! 


I know, Kegan. But just because that’s what happened doesn’t mean the baby is going to come out an animal! Geez, where does your imagination come from?

Kegan shook his head and muttered, “Shoulda stuck to breeding my bitches.”

Serena gave him an icy glare as Evelyn retorted, “Keep it up Kegan and that’s just what might happen.” She turned to look apologetically at Serena, “The fates were definitely cruel to you, weren’t they?”

Serena rolled her eyes, “Sometimes I think so.”

As another scream reached them, Kegan flinched and came to his feet. Turning to Serena, he tugged her to her feet.

“I can’t do this. Sitting here waiting to find out what’s going to happen. Please, Ser, let’s just go home.”

Serena looked from Kegan to Evelyn and back again before Evelyn spoke up.

“It’s okay, Serena. You should go home and rest a bit more anyway. I know Nikki will expect you to be resting still. I promise to send word as soon as we know anything, okay?”

Serena sighed, “Okay, thanks Evelyn.”

Evelyn nodded and ushered the two of them out of the King and Queen’s living area, sending them on their way to Kegan’s home. She stood there watching as Kegan slid his arm around Serena’s waist and pulled her closer to him. Serena instantly leaned against him and rested her head slightly against his shoulder, indicating that she was indeed still a little tired from her ordeal in the arena.

It had been almost four months since the fall of Valin and the destruction of the arena. In that time, Serena had been brought back to the castle and placed into the royal infirmary to recuperate from her wounds.

The moment anyone had laid eyes on a shell-shocked Kegan carrying a nearly lifeless Serena, they had known that the King and Queen were no longer the most recent ulhi’maos in the kingdom. After that day, it had been interesting to see the way the two of them had dealt with that realization.

Kegan had spent most of that time looking guilty, as if he thought he was being punished for saying all those things he had to Xavier. That was until Serena had finally healed enough to be let out of the infirmary.

At that point, Xavier had offered to give her a room in the castle, but Kegan had immediately stepped in and asked Serena if she wouldn’t be uncomfortable staying with him at his father’s house since they had an extra room. She had willingly accepted and gone home with Kegan.

Strangely enough, the one who seemed to be having a tough time with the whole bonding issue was Serena. Kegan seemed more than eager to try to work things out with her and he seemed genuinely interested in her. He also sought Xavier out anytime he had questions about the bond or how to deal with a new relationship.

Xavier, being the diplomatic leader and good friend that he was, set aside any differences and helped Kegan in any way he could. Provided that he wasn’t otherwise occupied with his own ulhi’maos or with matters of the kingdom. Granted, Nikki often lent her own advice when possible and Zachary still managed to take care of most of the kingdom’s affairs so that Xavier could have more time with his feigos.

All in all, Evelyn thought that the last four months seemed to have flown by quickly for everyone she knew. With each passing week, Nikki had gone into heat more and more, requiring Xavier to stay incredibly close to her. By the last month and a half, Xavier was pretty much confined to the bedroom along with his feigos. Of course, everyone knew that he wasn’t complaining.

Neither was Zachary, who had taken over most of the responsibilities of the kingdom with the help of Jules. Despite those duties, Zachary still found plenty of time to be with Kristine, who often accompanied him around the castle anyway. In fact, Evelyn wondered if Kristine was even staying at Zachary’s family home anymore since she seemed to be everywhere in the castle along with Zachary.

If that was the case, then that probably explained why Jules seemed to disappear when he wasn’t on duty, just like Amy did. Amy was still staying at Zachary’s family home, but obviously she wasn’t complaining about the fact that her daughter was never there. And it also explained why Serena didn’t have a hard time going home with Kegan, especially if Jules wasn’t around the house.

Thinking about the way everyone seemed to be playing musical chairs with their living arrangements, Evelyn was glad that she didn’t have to play that with Charles. Granted, their relationship hadn’t ventured into the physical part yet, but she knew she was in love with him. And she knew she didn’t have to move into his place to know that he loved her.

Evelyn knew Charles was waiting for the right time. After all, she was barely going to be twenty and she was still the princess. She knew Charles didn’t want to overstep his boundaries until he had gotten a clear sign from her brother, his King. Even if she told Charles that Xavier approved of them, she knew Charles would never do anything until he heard from Xavier himself.

Still, she wasn’t complaining because right now she was happy with the way life was going for everyone and for herself. Plus, there was the most pressing matter of her nephew who was finally making his arrival into the world.

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Nikki gritted her teeth as Xavier leaned over her and whispered more words of encouragement. “Nikki, dimo agalo, kepai epvat nu’brena deh sropu, li‘ho. Esu veho meco sropu rosha-re. Stonon miace teroso.”

She glared up at him as she growled, “Esu idsa ateki teto teosla rati!”

“Idi oro, lat isti rati…”

Nikki ignored him and took a deep breath before sitting up and pushing hard once more. As the pain seared her, she screamed. “God! It burns! Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me it would hurt this much?” she hissed.

“It’ll be over in a little bit, dimo agalo. Push just a little bit more.”

She hissed once more, “You push! I’m tired of pushing! After this, I’m never going to push again!”

Xavier grimaced as she gripped his hand hard and her claws came out to dig into his flesh. He cast a pleading glance towards his mother who stood on the other side of Nikki, occasionally wiping the sweat from his wife’s body.

Devnet gave her son an encouraging smile before leaning down to speak to Nikki. “Daughter, I know it hurts right now, but it will be over soon. I had to work hard for my two children too, but look how beautiful they turned out. I promise you, it will all be worth it in the end. To watch them grow and live and fill your life with love.”

Nikki turned to look into Devnet’s eyes for a moment and realized that what she said was true. She was going to bring new life into the world. She was going to have a son. A son who would be a perfect combination of her and the man she loved. Her ulhi’maos.

She turned to look up at Xavier and gave him a smile. Idi agalo esu, she whispered into his mind before she took another deep breath and pushed with her whole heart.

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Marcus paced back and forth at the bottom of the stairs in the living area. Every time he heard a scream, he rushed to the stairs and stared up them as if he expected someone to come down and tell him what was going on. When nothing happened, he’d resume his pacing.

Zachary would occasionally roll his eyes at Marcus, but continued to sit patiently on the couch with his arm around Kristine. Kristine tried to be patient, but she was bouncing in her seat, anxious to see the newborn son of her best friend. She was grateful that Zachary was there to provide the calmness she needed to get through all that waiting.

Her mother sat in a chair opposite the two of them, trying not to watch Marcus wear a groove into the floor. Occasionally she would sigh and ask Marcus to sit down before he wore himself out, but her request fell on deaf ears.

Evelyn was still leaning against entrance to the royal rooms, glaring at her father at this point. Finally unable to stand it anymore, she straightened up almost shouted at her father.

“Oh would you stop that already! Your pacing will not help their son to be born any quicker so just sit down before you drive us all mad!”

Marcus stopped his pacing and stared at his daughter in disbelief. “What?”

Evelyn rolled her eyes in indignation, “You heard me. Sit down!”

Marcus didn’t say a word. Instead, he slowly looked around the room at everyone else who was staring at him before nodding. “Right. Yeah, I should just sit down.”

Evelyn let out a relieved sigh as Marcus sat in a straight backed chair before she sagged into a comfortable one for herself. As she got comfortable, Amy gave her a grateful smile.

“Is Charles going to come by when he gets off duty?” she asked.

Evelyn nodded, “He said he was going home to change first, but if the baby comes before that, I have to send him a message.”

“Jules told me to send him a message when the baby is born too, but I think I’ll just go deliver it personally,” replied Amy.

Zachary chuckled, “I could give him the message when I go relieve him of duty.”

Amy shook her head, “That’s okay, it’s not a problem.”

Kristine looked up at her mother with a frown, “He won’t mind if you approach him while he’s on duty?”

“No. I’ve done it before. Besides Zach doesn’t mind when you do it to him. In fact, you are always with him when he’s on duty.”

Kristine blinked at that before turning to look at Zachary. Zachary caught the look in her eyes and immediately spoke up. “Kris, it’s okay. Amy can go tell Jules the news.”

Kristine shook her head, “That’s not it.”

Zachary hugged her closer and leaned in to whisper against her ear, “Dimo agalo, your mother needs him. You are always with me and she’s accepted that. You have to accept that she’s ready to move on too.”

Kristine closed her eyes for a moment as she felt Zachary graze her temple with his lips. He ran his hand soothingly up and down her arm and nuzzled her hair, trying to keep her calm in this moment of realization.

Unlike Kristine, Zachary had known something was brewing between Jules and Amy for months. In fact, he had a suspicion that something was up just before the war started. However, it was completely obvious when the war started and Jules had to be stationed at the border. Watching Amy being left behind was all the evidence Zachary had needed to know that Amy was moving on.

Then when the war was over, and things began to return to normal. He’d noticed how Amy didn’t have a problem at all with Kristine always staying at the castle with him. He knew it had everything to do with Jules and he was glad that Kristine’s mother had someone she could confide in the way Kristine confided in him.

Finally Kristine opened her eyes and looked up at him. He gave her an encouraging smile and she nodded before looking at her mother. “He’s right, you should be the one to tell Jules the news.”

A silent look of acceptance passed between mother and daughter before they both seemed to visibly relax. Once more, the small group went back to their silent waiting.

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Nikki was vaguely aware of the soft warmth against her chest just before she heard the words in her mind. Nikki, open your eyes, dimo agalo. Open your eyes and look at our son.

She willed her eyes to open and blinked the exhaustion away as she gazed down at the carefully wrapped bundle lying against her chest. She smiled sleepily as emerald green eyes gazed up at her from beneath dark eyelashes.

“Oh Xavier!” she whispered. “He’s so beautiful.”

Xavier chuckled as he leaned down to place a kiss on his son’s forehead before placing a longer one on Nikki’s lips. Looking into her eyes he responded, “Yes he is, leijha’mi, but you are more so.”

Devnet leaned over Nikki on the other side of the bed and smiled. “Come on, Nikki. Xavier is going to lift you up so that we can clean up the bed. Then you and your son can have a nice long rest, okay?”

Nikki nodded and leaned into Xavier’s embrace as he lifted both mother and son into his arms. She kept their son against her chest where both she and Xavier cooed over him until he was told to put her back into bed.

Once she and the baby were settled in again, Devnet glanced at both of them. “Have you decided what his name will be?”

Nikki looked up at Xavier who nodded, “Yes, but we will tell you the name tomorrow.”

Devnet grinned, “Ah, so you told her the tradition, huh?”

Nikki nodded, “Yes and I agreed that we should follow it.”

“Okay. If that is your wish, then I will let the others know.” She leaned down to kiss Nikki’s cheek before walking around to hug her son. As she placed a kiss on his cheek she said, “You get some rest too, Zachary can handle the kingdom for one day. We will see all three of you tomorrow.”

Xavier didn’t argue with her as he walked her to the door and saw her out. He closed the door behind her and moved back to the bed where Nikki was already drifting off to sleep. As he began to get undressed, he noticed that his son was already fast asleep against Nikki’s bosom.

He smiled at the sight of the two of them like that and slowly slid underneath the covers to join them. Nikki shifted slightly to allow him to wrap his arms around them both, holding them close. When they were all comfortable once again, they all drifted off into much needed sleep.

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Zachary pulled her closer to him and nuzzled her neck, slowly waking her up. He felt her sigh and move closer to him, her bottom fitting snugly against his hips. He continued to press soft kisses against her neck until she began to wiggle her bottom.

Kristine smiled to herself when she heard and felt his groan against her neck. Turning her head slightly, she brushed her lips against his jaw before turning around in his arms. Once she was facing him, Zachary pulled her body flush with his and captured her lips for a full kiss. She lifted her leg to drape it over his hip as their kiss deepened. When her hands began to roam up his chest, he pulled away for some much needed air.

Breathing hard, he tried to get out his words. “We should be getting up soon. We can’t miss the introduction of the prince, you know.”

Kristine looked towards the window before turning to him with a sly smile. “We won’t miss it. I want to properly say good morning to you.”

Zachary grinned as she leaned in and kissed him once more. Soon, their hands were roaming all over each others bodies as they began to roll around in the bed. When she was beneath him, Zachary dipped his head to suckle her breasts prompting her to arch her back and curl her fingers into his hair. She spread her legs and wrapped them around his hips, grinding against him.

He moaned against her breast before moving to the next one, his hand teasing the one his mouth just abandoned. Kristine writhed beneath him, lifting her hips higher, trying to take him into her body, but he wasn’t finished pleasuring her.

Lowering his hand to her knee, he lifted it up and bent his mouth to her wetness. As he began sucking in earnest on her bud, Kristine threw her head back with a soft cry. Zachary lifted her leg higher, opening her wider for his ministrations and slid his tongue inside of her. Kristine gripped the sheets in her hands as Rath alternated between sucking her clit and thrusting his tongue into her body.

When he felt her body trembling and heard the high pitched gasps she gave, Zachary let go of her knee and plunged two fingers inside of her as he sucked hard on her clit. She came with a scream as he lapped up her juices, enjoying the pleasure he gave her. As she was coming down from her high, he flipped them over and lifted her up onto his chest.

Kristine rose up to her knees and placed her hands against his chest before impaling herself on him. She grinned in triumph when he growled at the way she felt surrounding him.

Without hesitance, she began to ride him in a steady rhythm. He slid his hands to her waist and she arched back, curling her fingers around his wrists for leverage. With his help, she picked up the pace and moaned when he lifted his hips to meet her downward thrusts.

Together, they moved in perfect sync as they moved faster and faster towards the end. This time when she came, he was right there with her, their cries of bliss blending perfectly together.

Kristine was still moving over him, her walls still milking him, even after he’d emptied himself inside of her. Finally, with a sated sigh, she collapsed on top of him and smiled against his chest.

“Hm, now it’s time for a little nap.”

Zachary chuckled, “You said we were saying good morning and now you want to go back to sleep.”

She gave another contented sigh before lifting her head and looking into his eyes. “Nikki won’t mind if we stay in bed all day.”

He rolled his eyes. “Kris, I’m the C.A. I have to be there.”

She playfully stuck her tongue out at him, “I know that silly. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

She leaned down to kiss him again before she slowly slid off of him, making him groan on purpose. Zachary didn’t move from the bed as he watched her walk towards his bathroom.

When she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder at him with a grin. “Are you going to join me or take that nap you said we can’t take?”

With a growl, Zachary leaped out of the bed and pursued a laughing Kristine into the bathroom.

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Serena stood next to Evelyn and surveyed the crowd. On the other side of Evelyn was Charles and Amy. The four of them were at the front of the crowd on a raised platform along with some of the other nobles of the kingdom. From her position, Serena had a good view of the rest of the huge crowd that was gathered to welcome the newest heir to the throne.

She could hear the buzz of excitement and murmurs of gladness that their King and Queen had produced a healthy baby boy. Serena herself was excited to see him. She was also excited to see everyone else too. This would be the first time she would get to see the King and Queen in such a formal setting since she had been a prisoner in the arena long before Xavier had been made King and taken Nikki as his wife.

She wasn’t the first Wahani that Valin had captured, but she had been far from the last one. However, she was one of the lucky ones that had survived it all. Her family had lived along the border in a small farm, which had made it easy for the rebels to capture them.

Her older brother had died fighting their capture and her father had died fighting in the arena. Since she had been trained by both her brother and father, her captors saw her as prime meat to toss into the arena too. She had heard that her mother was given as a slave to one of the rebels, but had met her death when she had refused to follow his commands. Now, she was the only one left of her family.

Looking up towards the walkway where the royals would make their entrance, she saw Kegan and Jules enter the area, doing a sweep of the place before taking their positions at their respective corners. As she gazed at her ulhi’maos, standing tall and on guard. She knew without a doubt that she would one day start a new family with him.

Despite the way he had reacted to the Queen’s delivery of her son, Kegan had reassured her plenty of times that he was more than willing to have a family with her someday. She knew without a doubt that they would have children when they were both ready and when the time was right.

A few moments after the two men had taken their positions, Zachary and Kristine walked out onto the walkway and stood slightly to the right. Immediately after them came the former King and Queen. Marcus and Devnet moved slightly to the left and everyone waited until the crowd grew quiet.

A few beats of silence passed before Serena saw Xavier walk out and hold his arms in the air.

“My people, it is with great pleasure that My Queen and I are introducing all of you to our son.”

He motioned behind him and Serena watched as Nikki walked out cradling their son in her arms. As she moved to stand next to Xavier, he leaned forward to take the infant boy into his arms before turning back towards the crowd. Nikki moved closer to Xavier’s side, sliding one arm around his waist and using her other hand to help him lift their son above his head.

“People of the Underearth, I give you the heir to the throne, my son, Xavier Jasen Raneri.”

Those surrounding the King and Queen went to their knees as Zachary said, “I pledge my loyalty to the Prince. Long live Prince Jasen.”

As every person in the crowd began to kneel, Serena heard the resounding cries of “Long live Prince Jasen” echoing around the area.

From her kneeling position, Serena looked up at her newest family with tears in her eyes as she too joined in the celebration. “Long live Prince Jasen.”

Translations
dimo agalo - my love
ulhi'maos - soul mate
feigos - wife
kepai nu'brena epvat deh sropu, li'ho - take a breath deep and push, honey
esu veho meco sropu rosha-re - you have to push harder
stonon miace teroso - just once more
esu idsa ateki teto teosla rati - you said that the last time
idi oro, lat isti rati - I know, but this time
idi agalo esu - I love you
leijha'mi - beautiful