Jury (8 page)
She sighed and nipped at his ear until he let her down.
They were rumpled and reeked of sex when they returned to the party, but if anyone noticed, no one mentioned it. Ajaru was back in his mate defense form and that was good enough for Bex. She had a mate, fighter and champion, and only had to have sex with one of them. It was a better deal than she had ever imagined.
Bex rubbed her forehead and then her lower back. Jury duty was back on her schedule now that she couldn’t run around the training field with Ajaru anymore.
The governor had also offered her another income stream. She was the handicapper for the fights now. Occasionally, she was allowed to announce the fights as they happened, but with her pregnancy and the jury duty, she was only available one weekend out of four.
Regaran poured the herbal tea he had concocted to get her through her nausea. “Why do you insist on doing so much? It drives Ajaru crazy.”
“I was raised to keep busy, and it keeps me from focusing on my aches and pains. Now that I am so close to delivery, it is driving me crazy. If I am going nuts, I am taking him with me.” She narrowed her eyes at what had become their best family friend.
“Have you gotten any word?” He was eager.
“On the Terran midwife? She is on her way. Hopefully, she gets here before the baby does. This will be the first alien world for her, so don’t try and jump her. I don’t know what she has been told about our races, but I am guessing we will find out.”
He let out a blast of exasperation. “How long does this take?”
“To requisition a human into the Nyal Imperium? It takes about six months.” She was laughing and the baby kicked.
“Well, the fighters are going to have a baby party the moment that the little one arrives. It is the proof that a normal life is possible.”
Bex reached for the tea, but Regaran handed it to her. “Did Ajaru tell you about his training centre?”
“That he is going to open one outside the arena for supplemental training?”
“Yes. I am guessing that he didn’t mention that I will be one of the instructors. We are going to work on a few of the neglected techniques, like matching the fighter to the skills.”
“If anyone can do it, you can. I have never met a more stubborn woman. I am very glad that Ajaru kicked my ass that day. I would never have been able to stand you.” He winked.
From the doorway, her sweaty champion said, “I like the stubbornness. It only kicks in when she is passionate about something, so with me, it kicks in all the time. It makes me feel loved.”
Bex extended her hand to her mate, and he pressed a kiss to her wrist before sitting down.
It was a small community of fighters and friends that her child was coming into, but with the affection that they had directed toward her after the official mating, she had high hopes for bringing her little half-breed into an alien world that was going to pass for home. She hoped her daughter would like it here.
Jury
is the last of the Terran Times Tales. The next book will be the second of the Terran Times – Second Wave. The first was
Avenging Enjel
(but it was not in chronological order).
More Terrans, but these all begin on earth where they study for the jobs they want in the stars. With Terrans so popular, the Alliance is now running a list of jobs that are available and volunteer positions that are highly desirable. Full disclosure will be key, and these women won’t be surprised by what they find, until things go ever so slightly wrong.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.
Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.