The Galatian Exchange: Book Three: The Enemies, page 21
“Karma is pregnant with Rafe’s child.” Mayva’s eyes could have popped out of her head. Her face seemed to grow even more stark white than it was previously.
“I…but…”
“They are in love and they want to stay together forever.”
Mayva jumped to her feet, her lips pulled back into a sneer. That was the ammunition she would need to regain her position! If the world only knew that the fraud was a maid and pregnant, she would be ostracized…
And just like that, Mayva understood everything. She looked at Maddie who had a grim expression on her face.
She wasn’t going to be telling anybody anything. She wasn’t getting out of this place.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
~Three Months Later~
Karma slipped on her shoes and then moved to the mirror where she checked her hair. Her curls bounced beneath her fingertips. It was so much longer than it had been when she had first become a consort.
As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, Karma met Rafe’s eyes while he worked at the desk in his makeshift office. Even with M having a suite of rooms off his den, Rafe still had plenty of space for a personal office and yet he preferred not to be closed off from the rest of the family. He had permanently converted a portion of the living room into his office so that he could interact with his family when they came together in the living room space.
He watched as his Queen checked her appearance, momentarily forgetting about the report he was preparing for his commander. He saw her smirk in a knowing way as she met his gaze through the mirror’s reflection. He didn’t hide the fact that he once again stirred for her. Sanjay had said her hormones were in overdrive, but it seemed as if he was afflicted with the same condition. His prick stirred whenever she was in the vicinity.
He scanned her form remembering a time when she had been sleek and thin by human standards. But not anymore. Her body swelled with curves that he could never have imagined she could possess. Her hips swayed when she moved, hypnotizing him as he recalled the pleasure of her tight grip around the tip of his prick.
Her ass even bounced when she moved a certain way and her breast seemed twice as big so she had purchased large covers for them unless they sway and bounce when she walked. Her nipples where exquisite, as dark as a blackberry and just as sweet.
Each of these changes appealed to him on a physical level but his favorite change was watching Karma’s tummy grow with his baby. Now in her fourth month of pregnancy, her belly had become rounded, fitting beautifully in the palm of his large hand.
When she slept, he would cup her belly and at first it had just been the tiniest mound, and now it was a small watermelon. Before long, it would be a basketball. She slept soundly with his large body spooning her protectively, his hand shielding his child—feeling when he stirred, responsive to his father’s touch. His child was just beginning to push gently against his confines as he stretched and moved and Rafe followed the trail of his movement with his fingertips and even if Rafe slept, he instantly came awake as if his child had called out to him.
Watching Karma leave his sight was a double-edged sword. He knew she was more than safe, but his protective instincts seemed to be in over-drive, even more now that she was beginning to show evidence of her pregnancy.
But Karma needed time to herself. She didn’t complain that this building had become her prison, or that she had yet to escape to her own compound built to her own specifications. She didn’t talk about the exclusive parties or fashion show events that consorts had attended in years past. His Queen knew these things were off-limits to her while she was in this condition.
She could not reveal her pregnant state to anyone but her sister-consorts. Not even the staff of The Washington knew the reason his Queen had become so curvy had nothing to do with the fine-dining that her position allotted, and everything to do with the baby that she was growing. Soon, going to the gardens would be off-limits and Zero would handle even that task.
Rafe forced himself to concentrate on his report, telling himself to give her this time with her friends. Allow her pussy a break from his attention, and that his baby would not miss their playful exchange just because he would.
Besides, he was anxious to expand their endeavors beyond this city and to instill corrective measures throughout the entire state until eventually their efforts could be recognized world-wide. But first they would need the backing of the Collective, and Commander Einar was of a mind that their city would be the test site before they approached them with their concerns. You never wanted to risk bringing attention to negative aspects without first having a handy remedy at hand.
But that second part; the remedy did not occur without some backlash, which was beginning to create a stir in the media. Fortunately, it was localized enough that the Collective hadn’t noticed it. They needed to be able to prove results before Rafe could expect the backing of the Inter-Galactic Collective to continue supporting Earth while they fought the human corruption, and then continuing the fight against corruption by addressing the Galatian Queen’s manipulation.
It was no surprise that there were rumblings in the human communities, especially within the government, as officials were now being held accountable for their misconduct.
A surprise sweep of the state penal system had sent people scattering to hide their misconduct. It was rumored that a spy had been sent to a woman’s correctional institution and had uncovered atrocities and abuse. Hundreds had not only lost their jobs but many had been tried and found guilty and were now serving time in the very same prisons that they had worked.
It was no surprise that those in charge were scrambling to find ways to thwart the Galatian’s interest in their affairs. But what was surprising was the overwhelming support the Galatians were receiving from the poor. They were being described as modern-day Robin Hoods.
And the poor was beginning to become empowered while the rich officials hid behind poorly planned social media attacks attempting to stir up dislike for the Protectors.
Karma pulled on a light cloak that easily concealed the pooch of her belly. She hurried to Rafe and kissed his lips; a kiss that he quietly received and relished.
“I won’t be long. Will you be leaving?”
“No.” He reached for her hand to extend their contact. “I can handle everything I need to do from here.”
“Okay,” she headed for the door and called over her shoulder. “Do you want anything special for dinner?”
“No. Whatever you like.”
“Beast and mushrooms.”
“Yes,” he agreed. He enjoyed tearing into a side of rare beast prepared so that human teeth could penetrate the flesh. After the meat was tender and falling off the bone, she added root vegetable from both Earth and Galatia. It wasn’t the way it was done on Galatia where meat was always served nearly raw, but he had learned that once his Queen prepared Galatian food the way she liked it, he liked it her way as well. Eating Galatian food was now routine for everyone in the family.
After Karma left Rafe looked at his report and found he’d missed several key points. He cursed that he couldn’t keep his concentration on point while in her vicinity. Love for his Queen had changed him. But he had to control that love before it became obsession.
M sat in class trying to pay attention to Miss Porter. But even after being at St. Aloysius for nearly a month, it was still hard to ignore that she was in a room filled with children like her.
When she was little, M yearned to be included but often times she was ostracized and made the brunt of cruel jokes because she couldn’t hear or speak. Now that she could hear, M still felt as if she didn’t quite belong and she was still treated as if she was different.
First, she got to go home every day with uncle Paris while the other children lived at the school. She was also the only girl with a bald head but she had no desire to grow hair so that she could put them into ridiculous pigtails like the house mothers always forced the girls to wear.
At first the kids had thought that she was a boy the first day she had come to St. Aloysius. After a week, Miss Porter had referred to her under the female pronoun and everyone was shocked that she was a girl and not a boy. Her friendships had realigned with the boys mostly ignoring her and the girls now tentatively gravitating to her.
She had more in common with the boys, though; running around outside and talking about things like fighting—well they talked and she listened. The girls preferred playing house and pretending that the dolls were their babies. That didn’t interest her at all. Yet it was still nice to have other children around even if the girls always wanted her to pretend to be the husband.
Another thing that set her apart was that Lieutenant Frenchman was her uncle. For a while she was the center of attention, but all they wanted to do is find out about living in a penthouse and being taught to fight by Galatian Guards. M didn’t want to lie to them and deny that it was wonderful, but she soon realized that many of them were jealous. Mama said that others didn’t need to know about what happened in their home so that put a stop to that.
Something that helped was Miss Porter, who strategically placed her in a reading group with kids she liked and wanted to get to know. She now had two best friends; Bain and Kelsie. Bain was a little boy that could talk but preferred to remain silent due to whatever traumatic event that had caused him to become an orphan. He often went off by himself, ignoring the other children.
The first time she was assigned to his reading group, he periodically looked at her warily before realizing that she was quieter than him. After realizing that she couldn’t speak he didn’t mind her presence and when she got to the reading circle before him, he would sit next to her. One day he quietly handed her a book and said that it was good. It was a good one. She thanked him with a nod of her head and a hand signal since she wasn’t allowed her communicator in class.
Soon she jotted down quick messages which he responded to in writing when he wasn’t in the mood to speak.
Kelsie was like her and Bain; an outsider among outcasts. Unlike Bain, Kelsie was brown and tiny even though she claimed to be eleven years old. But her lungs were weak and she couldn’t run and play. Sometimes just walking outside caused her to become winded. She never spoke about her parents other than to place them in the present tense—meaning they were alive and had either abandoned her or been sent to prison.
St. Aloysius was difficult to navigate but she was glad to at least have some type of interaction with other children.
“M, will you solve the problem please.”
M looked up at the image projected on the large whiteboard. She hadn’t been paying attention and it all looked like strange symbols to her.
She shook her head no and looked down at her hands in chagrin after Miss Porter gave her a knowing look. She knew M had been doing something called ‘wool-gathering’, which meant that she hadn’t been keeping her mind on her tasks.
“Tanya, please solve the problem.”
M sat up straight and focused on the lesson. She didn’t want papa to take her out of school and make Zero and Dorf her teachers again. She wanted the children, even if they really only wanted her because she was a curiosity.
Paris strolled down the corridor listening to the sounds of each of the new classrooms. It seemed as if things ran smoother now that they had hired a bigger staff.
He recalled with amusement the day he had told Drago that if he didn’t hire more teachers before the end of the weekend, then the school would fail and there would be death and carnage.
Drago had taken his words quite literally and although he was navigating a new baby, he and his mate had managed to arrange for two new teachers, two in-home assistants and an assistant administrator who was now in the role of the full-time administrator.
Paris had done the same thing to Haru, explaining that if the city streets were not cleared of ice and snow, then his teacher would break her neck leaving the school with no one to watch the little ones and with no other choice but to ship them off to other schools where they would surely face abuse.
Haru had placed Daya’s street on the route for immediate ice and snow removal to the chagrin of the government workers who thought their individual sidewalks and driveways had precedence.
He paused once outside of Daya’s classroom. The children were quiet and Daya’s voice was all that could be heard as she went about her lesson. He lingered for another moment before continuing on his rounds.
He thought back on the second morning that he had arrived to take her to school.
‘Lt. Frenchman…were you planning to do this every morning?’
‘Would you prefer to walk?’
‘No. But I can’t believe the sidewalks are so clean. It just snowed and there’s no ice…”
‘Come Miss Porter, before your coffee gets cold.’
After that, Daya and Paris rode to and from work each day. And during the ride they became more comfortable with Daya learning the no-nonsense manner of a Galatian, and Paris appreciating the emotional state of a human.
It even helped with his mate, Justina.
They now talked and had meals together and he understood how her unfulfilled life was not much different than his own. Unfortunately, he no longer desired her. When she reached for his prick, it hadn’t reacted at all and he slipped from her grasp. She had looked so stricken that he had reached out to pat her hand in understanding. She didn’t desire him and he didn’t desire her and once that became clear there was room for them to interact without pressure.
Paris no longer avoided her and when he went into the chrysalis to mote, he trusted Justina to care for him. Of course, Laylay was ever-present because she still hated the woman.
After days in the chrysalis cocoon, Paris had been anxious to return to Daya. And when he showed up outside of her building a week later with his brightly patterned new scales, she had been in awe of them and had even reached out to run her hand over the ones on his chest.
His prick had jumped to life, but thankfully, she didn’t know due to his rigging. If he had a choice--if he had no rules that were instilled by the Queens, then he would choose Daya Porter as his mate.
Drago held his sleeping son in the crook of his arm, draped over his large forearm. It was his favorite position when he became fussy.
Drago manipulated the 3-D image on the holographic screen and then pressed certain points, pulling them forward and then repositioning them. Maddie hurried into the room and stopped when she saw Drago and Rex. Both were butt-naked.
“Drago, he’s going to poop all over the place if you don’t ever put a diaper on him.” She lifted her sleeping son out of his father’s arms and cradled him while carrying him to his nursery.
“Humans are so sensitive. We will just bathe in the pool.”
Maddie shook her head. “I’m still unsure about the safety of that pool. It’s got to be teeming with bacteria.”
“Good bacteria,” he replied distractedly. Maddie gently placed Rex on his changing table, where she quickly placed a diaper on him. She took a moment to gaze at her beautiful baby boy. His jet-black hair was thick and almost impossibly long. He was a healthy peach and tan with beautiful blue eyes that were as alert as any other child. He smiled responsively and though his Down’s Syndrome was obvious in the shape of his eyes, Rex’s doctor’s believed they had corrected many of the disorders that were associated with the syndrome.
She rang for the nanny. They had gotten rid of the team of live-in nurses once they’d gotten the hang of raising a healthy baby.
“Yes, ma’am?” the older woman stopped at the entrance of the door.
“Please stay with Rex while his father finishes up with whatever it is he is doing.”
“Certainly ma’am.”
Maddie returned to Drago’s office and stood in the doorway, just staring at his perfect physique. He glanced at her.
“Just a warning. I called for the nanny so you might want to cover up that monstrosity,” she joked while gesturing to his prick.
He came over to her and stroked her arms while staring down at her. “I don’t want to teach Rex to be ashamed of his body. In Galatia, we rarely wear clothes. Nudity is natural.”
She leaned in and hugged him. “I know…”
“I will put on a wrap while the nanny is present,” he conceded.
“Thank you. I don’t expect to be too long with my sisters.”
“Take your time. I plan to be home for the remainder of the day.”
She knew Drago realized that she didn’t spend as much time with the ladies once Mayva had come to live amongst them. The vibe was totally different.
She kissed him, something they had learned to do watching Karma and Rafe. Drago enjoyed it a great deal. Maddie hurried down to the garden. She was running a bit late and knew that Mayva would have something flippant to say about it.
Maddie straightened her shoulders and prepared herself for another interaction with Mayva Heath.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“There she is!” Mayva called when Maddie appeared in the garden. She spoke as if they were holding an important meeting and it couldn’t convene without her. Their daily get together had initially begun as a way for the sisters to connect with others that were learning to navigate the reality of being a consort. They pretended it was all about gathering the ingredients to make a meal for their mates, but in truth, this could be handled quickly or something a servant could do for them.
But they gravitated to each other, needing the reassurance that they were going about things properly—especially in light of the miseducation they’d received at the consort school.
Karma, who broke things down to a level that made much more sense than their schooling, had become their unintentional guide and now their unofficial leader. And their daily meetings had turned into a celebration of their accomplishments as each girl learned to find who they were meant to be.
