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Evangeline launched into detailed descriptions of her work with great enthusiasm. Louella listened and nodded to be polite, knowing that she’d asked for the information, but her interest in the topic rapidly waned. She gently steered the conversation back to the Ahn’hudi preference for domestic robots rather than servants.
Happy to accept the change of topic, Evangline chattered on. “So, at the castle, Rosie is like the head servant. It’s also a hell of a guard system.”
That last sentence got Louella’s attention. “It’s armed?”
Evangeline nodded. “Rosie helps protect the castle and Poppet, Masey, and John.”
“Who’s Poppet?”
“My cat.”
Louella gaped. “You have a cat? Like a cat from Earth? Or some weird sort of space cat?”
“A cat from Earth. I brought him to Ahn’hudin with me,” Evangeline answered, although that wasn’t quite accurate. Mr. Argosie’s men had tossed Poppet, inside his carrier, through the portal into the wormhole, and she’d leaped after him to save her beloved pet.
“I think I remember who Masey is, but who’s John?”
Evangeline refreshed Louella’s memory. “Masey is Yas’kihn’s cousin, a widow. She’s been staying with us. I think she’s going to marry one of the merchants near where we live. He seems to be a really nice guy, and he makes Masey happy. Her first husband was a jerk.”
“How so?” Louella whispered, sensing the opportunity to hear some juicy gossip.
“He hit her,” Evangeline replied, also whispering. She glanced at the males. They appeared still engrossed in their discussion. With a small shrug, she continued, her expression turning soft with affection, “John is our son.”
“I can’t imagine.” Louella’s eyes grew large and round as she pressed a hand against her own abdomen.But I’m going to find out first-hand, aren’t I?“What was being pregnant like?”
“Not as awful as I thought it would be. I had a terrible craving for coconut macaroons, though.” Evangeline chuckled. A second later she frowned. Her tone serious, she asked, “You didn’t, by any chance, get a series of shots at the embassy after you arrived?”
“I got one shot, a vitamin shot they said,” Louella confided, her tone bitter. “I was scheduled to get a second the morning after the meet-and-greet, but we all know how that ended.”
“Yeah. Um … that wasn’t a vitamin shot.”
“So, I discovered,” Louella replied and pressed her lips together, not sure whether she ought to confide in her new friend that she was pregnant.But I don’t feel any different. I don’t feel pregnant, although I’m not sure what being pregnant is supposed to feel like.
Evangeline took a deep breath. “I thought something fishy was going on, especially after I learned I was the first hybrid bride to become pregnant, and alerted the general superior. He investigated and discovered that the so-called vitamin shots were a series of sterilization shots.”
Louella scoured her memory and said slowly, “Yeah, I remember Elodie’s period stopped.” She shook her head.My period was due and hasn’t started since. Maybe the priest and Captain Ashtul are wrong. Maybe I can’t have babies.
“That’s kind of what tipped me off,” Evangeline admitted. “Anyway, Ambassador Conquillen, Mr. Argosie, and our ‘handlers,’ were all in on a scheme to prevent the brides from Earth from having babies.”
“Why?”
“I’m not entirely sure. The Ahn’hudin, as a species, are dwindling and they’re desperate to rebuild their population.”
“So, they want human women as broodmares,” Louella concluded with a frown. “I thought they just wanted wives.”
“I can see why you’d think that. I jumped to the same conclusion. However, we’renotbroodmares to them,” Evangeline said. She shook her head. “No, birth control isn’t an option once you arrive. Well, it wasn’t an option for most of humanity throughout most of history. Believe me, Horas and Sarus don’t consider me a baby-making machine. They love me, and Yas’kihn loves you.”
Louella sniffed. “He’s in lust with me, that’s for sure. But love? We’ve only known each other a short time, and most of that’s been in less than ideal circumstances.”
Evangeline shook her head again and took Louella’s hand in hers. “Look, things are different here. It took me a good long while to accept that and get used to it. Horas and Sarus have had to compromise on a lot of things and so have I. We make it work. We have a child now and I hope we’ll have more babies.”
Louella sighed and wondered what the child looked like.Does he have any human features?“I wanted to get married and have a husband who would support me, be my partner. I’m not opposed to working. In fact, I fully expected to continue to work. I’m a nurse and a damned good one at that.”
“But?” Evangeline prompted, seeing tears welling in the other female’s eyes.
“But—and it’s just hitting me now—now that Yas’kihn is the emperor, I can’t be a nurse anymore. What am I going to do? I don’t want to be relegated to chief baby maker.”
Evangeline lightly squeezed her hand. “I’m sure Yas’kihn has no such intention for you. He’ll love you because you’re his mate. He’ll have sex with you a lot, because Ahn’hudi males are really, really lusty,especiallywhen it comes to their mates. And he’ll celebrate any children you may have.”
