Page 20 of Jaider’s Desire

I awoke in the afternoon, and waited for Karah to arrive, but she never came. I shrugged it off, thinking she was going to come by a little later, and figured she must still be very annoyed with me.

If she were to ever find out the truth with Molly, her jealousy would boil over, and that is what I’m most afraid of.

I decided to go see my father again to talk about the plans for the raid. Our discussion was going fine until he asked me something that took me completely off-guard.

“Son, did you mate with the human female?” he asked while I looked over the battle plans. I froze up and looked up at him, my eyes wide. How did he know?

“Why do you ask?” I probed, not giving him a straight answer.

“It is something I will need to know before approaching the council about your refusal of her,” my father answered grimly. “If you’ve mated with her, then how do you know she isn’t carrying your child as a result? If she is, then it’ll make things much more complicated with the Council, and you’ll be forced to take her as your wife. Do you understand where I’m getting at here?” he asked.

I swallowed, unable to say a word. I hadn’t thought of this possibility. I was so focused on keeping what came about with Molly a secret, that I didn’t thoroughly think about the consequences of what happened, and what it would mean to the Council. Of course, they wouldn’t accept that I would use a human female for breeding, and then just throw her away. It didn’t work that way.

I moved away from the table and sat down, holding my head in my hands. I heard my father hiss sharply.

“Your silence makes me think you did mate with her on your mission,” he said, and I could hear the disapproval in his voice. “I will not go to the Council and tell them you refuse her as a wife until you figure this out. This is your mess now,” he declared.

“How long? How long does it take to know if a human female is with offspring?” I asked, and he shrugged.

“Only a couple of days. It just takes a very short time for them to be tested, and you’ll know whether or not she is pregnant with Revian offspring,” he answered.

“Then Molly should be tested tomorrow or the day after.” I said.

“Take these, then,” my father spoke, taking my hand and dropping a ring of keys in my palms and closing my fingers around them. I looked at them in confusion.

“What are these?” I asked.

“Those are keys to new living quarters. Take Molly there. This is where she’ll be staying until we figure out exactly what’s going on with her.” Father replied. “If she’s caring your offspring, then she’s going to need a very comfortable space, and she’ll have the freedom to roam the village.”

“Is that wise, Father? To allow her to walk around the place?” I asked, brows furrowed.

“Where can she go?” he countered. “She cannot run away. Also, it’s better for her to start adapting to our lives here, and she can only do that if she becomes a part of it, and not living as a captive.”

“I see. I understand. I’ll go to her now and take her there,” I said, nodding.

A few moments later, the guard unlocked the door and let me inside Molly and the other human females’ living quarters.

She blanched when she saw me.

“Molly, come with me,” I said, stepping into the doorway. She said nothing as she stared at me, making no effort or saying anything to defy my order. Instead, she stood up and quietly followed me.

“Your silence is startling me. Are you not going to ask me where we’re going, or a hundred other follow-up questions?” I asked playfully in an effort to lighten the atmosphere. She kept her head down and refused to look at me.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she murmured.

Now I really did think it was possible she was carrying my offspring. I suddenly felt more connected to her, and I wanted to take care of her, make her to feel safe with me, and most of all, for her to look into my eyes and speak to me again. I was craving for her attention.

What the hell is happening? What are all these emotions surging inside of me?

“I understand why you’re upset, but you should know you’re being rewarded. The mission you and I completed was well-received by the Council, and therefore, you are being given your freedom and your own living quarters,” I told her. She raised her head up, her eyes twinkling and making my heart beat faster.

“Freedom?” she repeated happily, her smile growing. “You mean I can go back to Earth?” she asked, and my shoulders slumped.

“No, I mean you have the freedom to roam the village as you please,” I clarified, frowning at her. “You can learn about our village life, and roam the forest trails if you want to. This is your new home.”

I stopped in front of a small round building located only a few buildings over from my own home. I handed her the keys and she gasped in shock.

“This is for me?” she asked and I nodded, grinning. “But what about the others? What about Betty and Amy?” I shook my head.