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“I love you,” she whispered, and he nuzzled her ear.
“I love you too, my flower.”
She drifted in a contented daze, murmuring a sleepy protest when he finally softened enough to pull out. He left her long enough to fetch a warm cloth and cleansed her gently before gathering her back in his arms, the firelight flickering over their entwined bodies and gleaming on his scales.
“Do you think it’s after midnight?” she asked, stroking his tail thoughtfully.
“I think so. Why?”
“Because that makes it Christmas Day.” Cresca had designated the morning after the longest night of the year as Christmas.
“I suppose so.”
“Then I have a gift for you. Or more accurately, I’ll have a gift for you in about seven and a half months.”
She took his hand and guided it to her stomach, watching his face as the realization hit him. About a month after her kidnapping, he had brought up the subject of having a child and she’d eagerly agreed. But unlike with Mary and Borgaz, it didn’t happen right away. Not that month, or the next, or the next, and they’d both begun to fear it wouldn’t happen.
“You mean…”
“Yes. I’m pregnant, my love. I guess we’re going to have a baby after all.”
“A daughter,” he said softly, gently stroking her stomach.
“Or a son.”
“Yes, of course.” He caressed her stomach again, then looked up at her, his eyes very blue in the dim light. “If it’s a boy, we will name him Samuel, after your grandfather.”
A tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another. He swore, sitting up and pulling her into his arms.
“Don’t cry, my flower.”
“I can’t help it,” she sniffed. “It’s just… He would have loved that so much. And he would have loved you too,” she added, reaching up to touch his beloved face.
“I’m not as sure.” The old mask flickered across his face for a moment. “I doubt he would have chosen an alien mercenary with blood on his hands for his granddaughter.”
“Stop that. He would be grateful that I’m married to someone who can protect me so well. Who has made me so happy. Do you remember the storm we encountered on our way here?”
“All too vividly.”
“You told me that night that I wanted a home. A family. Someone to care for who cared for me. You were right - and you have given me all those things. He would have loved you for making my dreams come true, just as I love you.”
His lips came down on hers, kissing her fiercely.
“Thank you,” he whispered, and then he was moving over her, making love to her with sweet, desperate urgency.
They fell asleep there on the rug, and if she woke up a little stiff the next morning, it didn’t matter. It was their first Christmas morning together, the first of many happy Christmases to come.
Kalpar is determined to find answers, even if means taking desperate measures - but is he going to go too far?
