Hunter Raze, page 23
The surprises kept coming. Anabel sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “The big bosses would feel the need to send someone after me, make me have an accident. I know too much.”
“No one but us knows that you’ve been rescued. I was supposed to give them a ten-day notice to quit on a civilian contract, but I made a deal with them. I also used the excuse of finding out I’m pregnant.”
“What kind of deal?” Anabel was leery. The big bosses were rarely reasonable.
“I might have given them a sedative I created that will take down the Elth in seconds, and shared my current research on how to nullify Ke’ter saliva from spreading and causing more damage in a victim. I promised to keep working on that second project and send them updates if they let me go immediately. They agreed.” Jessa paused. “I also figured it might make anyone pissed off about letting me out of my contract early rethink wanting me dead, if I’m still kind of working for them, even though I’m going to be living on a Veslor planet.”
Anabel was impressed. “I knew you were smart.”
Loud footsteps came closer, and Anabel looked past her sister. It was the dark-haired Veslor with green eyes. He hesitated, staring at her.
Jessa turned, hugging the big male. “This is Maith. He’s my mate and the baby’s daddy.”
“It’s an honor to meet you.” Anabel smiled at him and extended her hand.
The male took it and then tugged her closer. “I am very happy to meet you, sister. We are overjoyed that you are with us.”
Anabel didn’t resist as Maith pulled her close and hugged both her and Jessa.
A low growl came from somewhere—then two big hands gripped Anabel’s hips, tugging her away. She glanced behind her and laughed. Raze was possessive.
“This is Raze. Raze, meet Maith and my baby sister, Jessa.”
Raze released her to press his fist to his chest. “It is an honor to meet my mate’s sister.” He looked at Maith next. “This makes us family.”
“We are family now,” Maith agreed. “You and your grouping are welcome to live in our territory. Roth extended the offer as soon as he heard you had mated Anabel. Gnaw kept his word by only telling our males.” Maith glanced down at Jessa. “Your sister wanted to share her news with you first, and now she has.”
Raze’s body tensed against Anabel as Maith spoke. The other Veslor didn’t seem to notice anything was wrong. He kept speaking. Anabel glanced back. Raze’s features had frozen, as if he were trying to hide his reaction to whatever seemed to have put him on edge.
“The king gave us a small continent. It is large enough to support dozens of expanding groupings. We could become one together, or live as two, but be close enough for our mates to visit daily. Think on it.” Maith glanced between Jessa and Anabel. “They have been separated for too long.”
“The ‘small’ continent their king gave us is about half the size of Australia on Earth,” Jessa clarified for Anabel. “Most Veslors on that planet don’t want to live there, because it’s not overly close to other land masses. Which they view that as a bad thing, since they like to roam to meet mates. I’m sure you already know, our guys don’t interest Veslor women.”
“My grouping will discuss your generous offer,” Raze told Maith. “It is an honor to be asked. The decision is not mine alone to make.”
“Agreed.” Maith nodded.
Anabel’s guess that something was wrong was confirmed by Raze’s tone. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it was. It was generous of Maith and his grouping to invite them to live on a Veslor world, but it was possible they didn’t know why Raze and his grouping had left the planet they’d been born and raised on.
She turned to her sister and Maith. “Give us a moment alone, please?”
Jessa frowned.
Maith nodded. “We’ll go find out where we are to sleep.”
“I’ll catch up in a few minutes.” Anabel smiled at her sister. “I have so much to talk to you about. So much I want to hear.”
She turned to hug her mate and lowered her voice after her sister and Maith had walked around the corner. “I love you just as you are, Raze. I wouldn’t expect you to change—or move to a planet for me. Let me spend some time with my sister for a bit and then we’ll talk more. Okay?”
Raze nodded, holding her gaze. “I should help our guests get settled and go to the bridge. Roth and I need to discuss where his new territory is located so I can plot a course to the correct planet.”
She reached up and cupped his face, tugging him down. Raze lowered until their faces were inches apart. “I wouldn’t ask you to live there. This ship is your home. Our home. I’m excited about being a hunter with you. We can visit my sister and her mate often, but we don’t need to live with them all the time.”
He tried to hide his relief but she was getting to know him too well.
It caused her to laugh. “I love you.”
“You have my heart.”
“Okay. Let’s get all our guests settled and then I’m going to spend a few hours catching up with my sister.”
“Go. Spend time with her.”
They parted, and Anabel found the other grouping. She couldn’t help but stare at the small Veslor babies. They were cute even in four-legged form.
Jessa chuckled. “Adorable, aren’t they?” She used her finger to point. “This one is Roshi. He’s the more aggressive of the twins. This one is Rasha, who I was holding when I boarded the ship. She’s a bit mellower.”
Anabel smiled at the couple holding the babies. “They are adorable. I don’t see too many kids. My apologies if I’m being rude by gawking a bit.”
“Did your mate tell you that Veslors are born in battle form and don’t start to transform until they’re about a year old?” Jessa appeared thrilled about sharing that information as she put her hands on her belly. “I’m going to birth a cub. Not a baby. And I can’t wait! The cubs are a lot tougher in their battle forms. Which is good, since I figure I’ll be a nervous mother. It will help knowing this baby can take a lot of bumps and falls without causing serious injuries. They also learn how to walk, run, and leap way faster than a human baby would.”
“Wow!” Anabel said. “Raze and I haven’t really talked about kids, beyond the fact that I have an implant that’ll need to be removed before we can conceive.”
Jessa released her stomach and stepped closer. “Standard capsule implant injected into your arm?”
Anabel nodded.
Jessa bit her lip, her expression becoming comical as she glanced at Anabel’s stomach. “Um…”
“Um…what?” Anabel asked, suddenly uneasy.
“Are you officially mated?”
“I’m not sure what that means. I accepted Raze as my mate.”
“Did he change? Transform during sex?”
Anabel rolled her eyes at her sister. “I’m not talking about my sex life.” She glanced at the other couples and babies, before looking back at Jessa. She didn’t know her baby sister well, but she hoped Jessa got the hint. It wasn’t the time or place to have an intimate discussion like that.
“You’re a part of our grouping now,” the redheaded human woman said. “We’re a tight, close-knit family. Privacy is a thing of the past. Hi, by the way. I’m Abby Thomas. It’s great to meet you, Anabel. We’ve all been worried about you since my old friend came for a visit.” She winked.
Anabel felt confused.
“The woman your handler sent,” Jessa supplied. “She was using the identity of someone that Abby used to know.”
“Oh.” Anabel peered at Abby, studying her. “Shit. You’re that Abby Thomas, aren’t you? From D Corp? I didn’t recognize you right off. Your hair is a bit longer, you wear less makeup now, and you aren’t dressed in business attire.”
“One in the same,” Abby admitted. “Life in deep space is way more relaxed.”
Anabel gave a nod. The Thomas family was extremely rich and well connected. She suddenly had a suspicion. “You’re the reason the big bosses cut Jessa and me free from our fleet contracts, aren’t you?”
“No. I was willing to use our family connections and make some threats to sway them, but it wasn’t needed. The Veslor king scares everyone.” Abby smiled. “And Veslors supply a large portion of food to outlying space stations. No one wanted to blow that trade agreement. Imagine the riots that would take place if food supplies were cut off. It’s been pretty peaceful and has saved the U.E. and the fleet a lot of time and money. That fact was pointed out to them during negotiations to get you and your sister free from all obligations.” She pointed at Jessa.
Anabel looked at her sister, impressed yet again.
“You can still get pregnant,” Jessa suddenly blurted.
Anabel just stared at her.
“If you officially mated by letting Raze fuck you in his other form, the implants don’t work. In battle form, Veslor sperm overrides the chemicals the implants release, makes them stop working. Veslors also share hormones during sex,” her sister informed her softly. “You should know that. I brought my med kit. It now includes a Veslor pregnancy tester. Do you need a test?”
Anabel couldn’t find words; she was too stunned. Anger trickled in as she recovered. “Raze failed to mention that.”
“He wouldn’t know,” Maith said. “Jessa discovered it, but she hasn’t shared that information with anyone but our grouping. She’s had unlimited access to my body since we mated. I’ve allowed her to run various tests.”
“The hormones they produce while aroused in battle form basically start ovulation in human women almost immediately. Their sperm is up to ten times more fertile than that of a healthy human man in his prime,” Jessa said excitedly. “It’s fascinating!”
Anabel took a deep breath. Then another. “I love you, baby sis. Even if you are weird for being thrilled about learning that kind of info.”
Maith growled, not looking happy.
Jessa smiled at her mate. “She’s not wrong. It’s an A.R.S. thing.” She winked at Anabel. “It is cool though. Do you need a test?”
“Let’s talk about this later.” Anabel didn’t want to think about the possibility of being pregnant. She’d been on the implant since she’d turned sixteen. The fleet had made sure of that. Every ten years, she had to get a new one. She’d had the current one for two years, with eight more to go.
“Pregnancies are shorter. We can have―”
“Stop.” Anabel held out a hand, cutting her sister off. “Too much info, and this isn’t the place.” She glanced again at the other people surrounding them.
Jessa still looked happy. “Like Abby said, you’re part of a grouping. Forget privacy. Everyone learns everyone’s business. But I get it. We’ve always been alone. You’ll adjust to having a large family quickly. Trust me.”
Anabel nodded. “Give me time. I’m still adjusting to having a mate, realizing that the U.E. and the fleet are no longer in charge of my life, and that I’m never going back. Just let me focus on being with my sister for right now.”
“I can do that,” Jessa promised. “But there is one thing we’re doing for sure within the next day.”
“What’s that?” Anabel asked, curious.
Jessa glanced up at her mate before grinning at Anabel. “We’re going to use the medical bed on this ship to run a scan.” She placed one hand over her belly. “Maith and I have waited until you and I were reunited to find out if we’re having one cub or two.” Tears filled her eye. “I wanted my older sister to be there with our grouping when we take a peek at our cub or cubs.”
Tears flooded Anabel’s eyes as well, and she had to blink them back, completely touched. “Thank you. I totally want to be there for that.”
Prasky walked up to them. “We’re about to lift off and exit the fleet vessel. Raze and Roth have the bridge. Let me show you where you’ll sleep. I’ve already taken your belongings to rooms. Then Bruck will serve us a meal. We were gifted a lot of fresh meat from the Cobona on the planet where we located Anabel. It’s good eating.”
Anabel was grateful for his interruption. She was very happy to see her sister, but she needed a few moments to compose herself.
Jessa was pregnant with an alien cub.
The fleet had voided her contract. They’d still want to kill her, but she was legally a free individual.
And she might be pregnant.
It was a lot to take in.
A lot.
Chapter Eighteen
Anabel felt nervous as she stood in the crowded healing center. It wasn’t a big space to begin with, but now it contained five large Veslor males and four other human women. Raze wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned against his side, grateful that he was there with her sister’s grouping.
Bruck had offered to occupy the cubs’ attention by feeding them in the kitchen. Prasky remained on the bridge flying the ship. Roth, the other grouping leader, and his human mate were standing next to Anabel and Raze.
“Are you ready?” Maith had helped Jessa up onto the medical bed. He held her hand and placed a data pad on the edge of the mattress.
Her baby sister smiled at him. “Run that scan. Let’s see if we’re having one or two. I’d also like to know the sexes if the cubs are positioned so we can take a peek.”
Anabel glanced at the other couples. Gnaw and Darla were grinning. Drak and Abby were holding hands, appearing excited. Roth and Vera did too. It sunk in that those people really loved her baby sister. They seemed equally invested in finding out what the scan would reveal.
Jessa met Anabel’s gaze and grinned. “I’m so glad you’re with us.”
“Me too,” Anabel admitted.
“Activating the scan,” Maith announced. The bed hummed and light ran over and under her sister. Unlike fleet and U.E. med beds, it didn’t instantly flash an image of the person overhead. At least not until Maith tapped something into the data pad with his free hand.
A hologram appeared, hovering over Jessa. An image of her body, minus skin, showing her sister’s insides. Maith tapped at the screen again and the midsection of Jessa’s hologram enlarged, and kept doing so as her mate adjusted it.
Jessa gasped, staring up in wonder. Maith leaned over her sister, kissing her.
Anabel studied the hologram, not sure what she was looking at.
She glanced at Raze. He appeared just as confused. Then she raised a brow at the other women. Darla shrugged. Abby frowned at the hologram, seeming to study it. Roth and Vera stared at the hologram with confused looks, too.
Anabel couldn’t take it anymore. “What are we looking at? I can pack a wound to stop bleeding and put a tourniquet on a broken limb, but I can’t read those damn scans for shit.”
“You never do anything easy, mate,” Maith chuckled to Jessa.
“Don’t blame this on me.” Jessa laughed. “This is your fault, with your overpowering hormones and super-sperm.”
Raze suddenly sucked in a gasp. Anabel looked at him.
He released her and lifted his hand, holding up three fingers. Anabel just stared at those digits. “No way,” she whispered.
“We’re having triplets!” Jessa loudly announced. “Ha! We’ve got you beat, Darla and Gnaw!”
Her baby sister sounded a little hysterical to Anabel. She would be, too, if she found out that she was carrying three babies. Her gaze locked on the couple, kissing again. When Maith finally lifted his face away from Jessa, they both were grinning.
“I’m glad we decided to move to our territory,” Drak muttered. “We’re going to be overrun by cubs.”
“And you bitched because I decided to wait,” Abby whispered back.
“Better you than me,” Vera added. “I was glad to find out I’m only carrying one.”
“Maybe the next time we’ll have multiple cubs,” Roth, her mate, teased. “I do want more cubs with you, after you birth this one for us. We could try for four at once.”
“I love you—but no,” Vera blurted.
A few of the people in the room laughed. Anabel didn’t see the humor. “Is that safe? Three…um…cubs?” She really didn’t know anything about having babies or pregnancy.
Jessa turned her head and met her gaze. “Yes. Humans have triplets. And believe it or not, Veslor cubs are smaller than human infants at birth. Besides, I’m an A.R.S. and I’m mated to a medic. We’ve got this covered. It’s going to work out great. I promise.”
“Okay.” Anabel calmed after hearing that. “Good.”
Maith turned off the overhead hologram and helped her sister sit up and get off the medical bed. Anabel studied the couple closely. They were truly in love. It showed in their every expression. She was grateful that her sister was so happy.
Jessa pulled away from her mate and hugged the other people in the room. When she reached Anabel, they hugged as she said, “You had to make me an aunt three times over at once. Nice shock factor there, Tinker.”
Jessa chuckled. “I love it when you use my nickname. And it’s all Maith’s fault that we’re having three.”
“I heard that,” he grumbled.
Jessa released her. “Okay. Everyone out except Maith, Anabel, and Raze.” She clapped her hands.
The other Veslor and humans left the healing center. Anabel waited until the door closed before holding her sister’s gaze. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, except you’re not used to being a part of a large grouping yet. I knew you’d refuse if I didn’t make them leave. Get up on the medical bed. I’m going to scan you next.” Jessa glanced at Raze. “To see if you got my sister pregnant.”
Anabel felt him tense beside her. She hadn’t mentioned what her sister had told her about the possibility. He had already been freaked out over the offer to live on a Veslor world again. “Jessa…”
“No,” her baby sister snapped. Then she addressed Raze. “I’ve done a lot of research, and here’s the bottom line. Human birth control implants don’t work if you shifted into battle form and officially mated my sister. Did you?”
