Beast Planet 2: Captive Salvation (11 page)

“Why didn’t you have this kind of shield before the Druel attack?”

Galvan glanced at me in surprise, before his gaze swing to Morrdrook, who folded his arms.

“Answer her question. Aunna, is my Shahess.”

“You cannot take a different species as mate, it is against planet laws. A non-Zakiu female cannot be a Shahess! They were given to you by the Druel, how can you trust them?”

I could feel the rigid tension rolling off Morrdrook as he rose to his feet to tower over the scientist. Makkiu and Nular also rose, taking a stance behind Morrdrook.

Galvan’s eyes widened as he realized just the kind of trouble he was in for blurting out something so discriminatory.  I could see the smaller man tremble in fear. Still ever the fighter was my man.

“Oh, not a smart thing to say.” Abby folded her arms, a fierce glare in her green gaze.

“You will respect every human mate here. They have not only saved our lives, but have changed the fate of our planet. I am Shah of all of Zakiu, my word is law. Aunna is my
Shahess
. She carries my bud and she can speak for me if she wishes. If you do not care for it, then scientist or not, it will be a very painful death for you.”

“I…I apologize, my Shah, of course. I did not mean. It has been a long time…I am unaccustomed…” The man trembled, under an imposing force of three Zakiu gladiators, very willing to rip even one of their own apart to defend their women. Heck if I was him, I’d be trembling in fear too.
God,
I loved my Zakiu.

“Just quit while you’re ahead,” Joan advised.

Abby snorted and I rolled my eyes as I stood up to skirt around the men and put my hand on Morrdrook’s arm.

“Can we just focus on getting this shield up and running, please?”

“Yes, forgive me, my Shahess.” Galvan, shifted forward, tumbling out of his chair and onto his knees before me.

I turned to glance down at him, feeling only compassion for what he must have been through witnessing the death and destruction of his people.

“It’s okay, please get up. We’re all in this together, Zakiu and humans, and if we can’t work together, we might as well just sit on the city steps and wait for the Druel to arrive.”

“We were peaceful but proud people and many other nations from around the galaxy species came to us to trade. Through our arrogance, we thought nothing could harm us, until the Druel came and deceived everyone.” Galvan drew in a deep breath, his gaze on mine as he continued. “Once the attack started, we focused on saving as many as we could from the biological entity destroying the people. Then the Druel started stealing the Zakiu from the streets. I knew we needed more defense than just against the sickness, so Essence and I started designing the Guardian Shield. I managed to finish the plans but could not build it by myself. The Druel were doing regular sweeps of the city, searching for living Zakiu to take. If they found me or any of those I’d put into stasis, I knew all would be lost, forever.”

“You did what you had to do, but now we must focus on building this Guardian Shield and not squabble over differences in species.”

“You are right, my Aunna.” Morrdrook’s arms slid around me. “You must tell us what needs to be done to build the shield. This is our last chance for a life free from Druel. This is our last chance to save our people.”

Nular stepped forward to grip the scientist’s arm, hauling him to his feet.

“First we must start waking the others. We are going to need many hands to work.”

Morrdrook nodded towards Nular and Mikkiu.

“I will call the others and begin. Abby, you will go rest. I see how weary you are.”

“I’m okay honey, there’s no need…”

“Abby.” Nular’s stern tone made her falter.

“The same goes for you, Joan. You have done too much already,” Mikkiu added.

Joan smiled at her guy.

“Aunna, take your friends to a comfortable room. You will rest too.” It was a command and one I wasn’t going to argue over.

I sighed. I didn’t want to admit how tired I really was, but then again Morrdrook always seemed to know.

I twisted in his arms, going up on tiptoes. He lowered his head meeting my lips half way in a brief, yet tender kiss.

“Okay, I’ll rest, but you please be careful.”

He gently stroked the side of my face, the love shone in his pale eyes. “I will, my Aunna.” He released me and I pulled from his arms to walk towards the door where the other women waited. I smiled at them.

“Before our nap, I’ve got to show you the royal pool.”

* * * *

“Once the poles are built they must be taken to the other cities on our planet.”

Galvan pointed to the four different places on the holographic map of the planet.

“Each already has circuits connected to the plant’s liquid crystal core, the crystal heart is what provides unlimited power and resources to all the cities. Each city has a power control center in which the parts need to be installed. It is a delicate process. Once properly installed, we can operate the shield from the main control panel here, in Morradi City Prime.”

“We are fast running out of time,” Morrdrook pressed. I watched him study the map, his arms folded across his chest, hand on his chin and mind obviously at work.

I sat in a comfortable chair in the main council room chambers. My pregnancy had been making me so very tired lately. Sometimes, I would just nod off without realizing it until Morrdrook picked me up and carried me back to our chambers.

It wasn’t the only problem plaguing me. I found myself having quite regular mood swings and more often than not, found myself feeling overwhelmed and bursting into tears over nothing at all. This made Morrdrook worry over me more than he should, especially since there was so much to be done.

“I already have the teams working in shifts day and night.” Galvan shut down the map and brought out the semantics of the shield components being built by the newly awakened Zakiu. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a lot of the Zakiu women were also scientist and doctors. The females were tall and elegant with lean attractive features. Some had long hair, kept in a long plait down their backs, while others had shorter bobbed hair. The Zakiu doctors preferred to be called Attenders.

I closed my eyes as my sleepy mind wandered back over the past few days.

Attender Angurra, head of the health center, showed her understanding and acceptance of the human women, even if many of the other Zakiu arisen from the stasis chambers had their suspicions. But at least their men were fiercely protective.

Angurra was happy to explain to my friends and I the dynamics of females in the Zakiu society.

Before the Druel, the only thing females didn’t do was fight as soldiers. When a female decided to take a mate, they would cease their jobs, cut their hair as a sign, then did nothing but focus on their pregnancy and raising their buds. When their child was old enough to take on a role of their own, the females would go back to whatever job they had done before.

I smiled and ran my hand over my belly, remembering the scans Angurra and her staff had done, not just on me, but all the pregnant human women, checking up on the health of the women and our babies.

Morrdrook and I had watched the 3D screen showing us our baby within my belly. I was thrilled to see our precious bud had all five little fingers and toes on each hand and foot. Angurra had helpfully pointed out the sex of our baby.

Morrdrook wobbled on his feet before he’d steadied himself. A huge grin spread from ear to ear, the pride and love showing in his eyes as he’d gazed down at my stomach in awe.

“Is not our son perfect, my Aunna?”

“Just like his daddy.” I couldn’t keep from smiling as I’d felt surrounded in Morrdrook’s joy. He’d leaned over the exam table to plant a kiss on my lips.

He’d pulled away, straightened and turned to Angurra. “If I make love to my mate, will it harm the bud?”

Augurra’s laughter filled the room.

“Not at all, but my examinations have shown humans to be more fragile than Zakiu, so just be gentle.”

He’d let out a breath and his shoulders had sagged in relief, prompting me to burst into laughter. “He was worried about that before, but I told him we humans are more resilient than he thinks.”

“You will need a higher nutrient intake, so eat more than you are now. Zakiu buds take a lot from our bodies.”

“Of course, thank you, Attender Augarra, I would like you to keep a close watch on my Aunna and our bud.”

“Of course, Shah Morrdrook. I will monitor the bud’s growth carefully.” Augurra met my gaze. “If you feel any discomfort or pain, let me know immediately.”

“I will, thank you.”

Morrdrook helped me to sit up on the table and smoothed my top down over my stomach. I liked the new clothes Morrdrook had gotten made for me. Soft blouses in shiny reflective colors, the skirts flowed elegantly around my feet, along with soft slipper-like shoes for my feet. I felt like a pampered princess. Not that I was about to complain.

The dress of the Zakiu was relatively simple, but looked very good. They wore long pale, v-shaped tops bound around their waist with a sash. While most of the clothing was dark blue or black, each Zakiu seemed to prefer brightly colored sashes wrapped around their waist.

A sudden fluttering within my belly snapped my mind back to the present. I gasped when the fluttering happened again, a little stronger. All the men in the room turned to stare at me.

“Aunna, are you alright?” Morrdrook crossed the room, squatting down in front of me.

I smiled. “I’m fine, I just felt our baby move.”

“Move?”

I took his hand placing it over my stomach, he waited a moment and his brows knit in concentration. The fluttering came back and his brows shot up in surprise.

“Does it hurt? Are you in pain?”

I laughed. “No, no, it feels like a little tickle inside, nothing more. You worry too much about me.”

“How can I not?” I stared into his eyes, wondering how I ever had survived before this wonderful alien man walked into my life. Damn it, I was getting all emotional again. Tears blurred my vision before spilling over my cheeks.

“Oh my Aunna, I did not mean to upset you.” He gently pulled me into his arms.

“No, I’m okay, just, well you know…” I sniffed, “I just love you so much.”

“I love you too, my Aunna, please do not cry.”

“It’s just hormones, nothing more. Go back to work, they need you.”

I peered over Morrdrook’s large shoulder to see Galvan and the others waiting.

“Abby says mood swings are a normal part of human pregnancy,” Nular offered, with a shrug.

Morrdrook gently kissed away a few of my tears. “We will talk later.”

“Fine, just let me know when it’s time to go back to our room.”

With a woefully brief kiss on my lips, he rose to his feet. I knew my mind should be more focused on the task at hand, but I could only concentrate on half the conversation. Wiping the tears from my face, I yawned sleepily, tucked my legs up under me and rested my head on my arm.

I sighed, my eyes drifting closed. I drew a small measure of comfort from the fact I would only be pregnant for a few months more…if we survived.

Chapter Thirteen

“Where are we going?”

“Shh, you will know when we arrive.” Morrdrook kept one steadying hand on my waist and the other on my arm as he led me through the maze of palace corridors. I could hear the drumming of my heartbeat in my ears, my breathing became more rapid the moment he placed a blindfold over my eyes. Leaning down he whispered, “Trust me.”

The anticipation and various scenarios flashed through my mind of just what my alien husband was up to.

Time was fast running out, we only had a few weeks, maybe even less than that, before the Druel returned. Everything was being put into place. Galvan was confident the Guardian Shield would be complete and ready to activate in the next few days.

Morrdrook had put Makkiu and Nular in charge of overseeing the team of workers needed to install the newly built shield parts in the other Zakiu cities. With Abby and Joan gone, I was pining for their company even though we talked on the communication feeds.

Morrdrook worked so hard he was hardly around, but he always had a sixth sense when it came to my moods. I rarely had to tell him anything. Everyone had been busy, but Morrdrook held the extra burden of being Shah of Zakiu.

Everyone was looking to him to ensure the survival and future of the Zakiu people. He worked long hard hours and often came back to our chambers expressing his fear of failing his people. I did my best to soothe him and show him just how wonderful he was.

“I don’t like surprises. Tell me where we’re going, please?”

Morrdrook snorted at my lie. “You will be pleased with this. Now hush.”

I clamped my lips shut, grinning behind my blindfold. I felt him bend, his strong arm hooked around the back of my legs, lifting me off my feet. I slid my hands up over his chest and hooked them around his neck, before resting my head into the crook of his shoulder, breathing in his delicious spicy masculine scent.

It didn’t seem to matter where we were or what we had done, his smell alone was a heady aphrodisiac.

A low groan rumbled from his throat as I continued to take lingering breaths through my nose. “Aunna, if you keep doing that we may not make our destination.”

“But you smell so good.” I may not be able to see him, but I knew his marking would be glowing very brightly. Feeling the rigid tension in his body only helped confirm his aroused state.

My own body was screaming for his more intimate touch, my lower stomach already clenching in eager anticipation of feeling his hard cock filling me so deeply.

Between Morrdrook working day and night for weeks and my pregnancy fatigue, we hadn’t made love in almost a week. That didn’t stop him from curling his large body around mine at every chance he got.

My grin widened. I turned my head and licked his skin, loving the burst of salty flavor.

“Humm…and you taste so good.”

His steady feet never faltered, he stepped up and onto something. I heard the clang of his boots on metal. Whatever he’d stepped on, shot up into the air at an alarming rate, making me tighten my grip on his neck. I knew we were on the anti-gravity platform on the top of the city’s dome. It was an easy bet, he was taking me outside the protection of the city dome.