Cornering Carmen (26 page)

“What are you thinking about?” She asked him quietly, staring at his reflection in the glass.

Creon raised his drink and took a sip before he answered. “I was thinking that our younglings will more than likely be born in space or perhaps even on your world,” he said softly.

Carmen jerked in surprise. “You mean…. as in on Earth?” She whispered in surprise.

He set his drink down on the small round table near the viewport and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as he rested his head on hers. “Would you be upset?” He asked. “It was what you wanted, isn’t it? To return to your world at least one more time.”

Carmen turned so she was facing him. “Why?” She asked suspiciously. “Why would you take me now when you were so adamant before?”

“I am going to kill the man who hurt you and your first mate,” he said with quiet conviction. “I have seen what he did. How you survived such loss I will never know and if it is within my power, you will never have to face again. But know this, I will be the one to kill him. It is my right as your mate to seek justice.”

Carmen shook her head. “What if something happens to you?” She asked with a catch in her voice. “I couldn’t go through that again, Creon. To lose you…,” her voice faded as fear for him overrode her desire for revenge. “Killing him will never bring Scott or our baby back,” she said looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “But loving you and having you in my life gives me something I never expected to have again. I can’t take a chance of losing you.”

Creon chuckled. “Carmen, I am not human. I am not easy to kill. He has hurt more than just you. He will be brought to justice for hurting you, your first mate, and your unborn child. But, I will also stop him from hurting others. Plus, I want you to have a chance to say goodbye. You deserve that closure before you can rise up completely out of the ashes to be reborn again, my beautiful phoenix.”

Carmen didn’t say anything. Instead, she leaned into Creon’s warm body and hugged him tightly to her. She snuggled closer wishing she could always remain this close
to him
. A slight fluttering in her stomach caused her to jerk back in shock. Her hands flew to her stomach as the fluttering continued.

“What is it?” Creon asked in concern.

“The babies,” she whispered in awe
,
looking down at her hands pressed tightly against her stomach. “They are moving.”

Creon’s face broke into an eager grin as he pressed his hand over hers. Carmen moved her hand so she could press his against her slightly rounded abdomen. A moment later, his face lit with a huge grin as he felt the sli
ght
movement under his palm.

“They will be strong warriors like their father!” He exclaimed with pride.

You better tell mate they
be
strong warriors
like their mommy. They only have one head on them,
her dragon muttered tiredly.
They kick like you too.

Carmen’s eyes grew wide. She bit her lower lip trying to hide the giggle that was threatening to escape. Her eyes glowed with mischief as she looked up into Creon’s face.

“Well, according to my dragon,” she giggled. “You better start thinking in shades of pink instead of blue. She says they are going to be just like me. How do you feel about having a couple of rough and tumble little girls?”

The smile on Creon’s face faded along with all the color in it. He swayed dizzily as the fact that she was having little girls sunk in. He groaned and pulled her closer to him.

“I never… it has been so long since a female….,” he was having trouble breathing as the thought of what having two beautiful daughters would mean. “Dragon’s balls!” He roared out suddenly. “I’ll kill any warrior who so much as looks at them,” he growled out. “I will have to get Cree and Calo… no, they are too young, I’ll have to find some older warriors who are mated… I’ll build us a home surrounded by the highest walls…. Maybe I can…”

“Creon…” Carmen said gently. “Creon...”

“What?” he asked, looking down at her with a wild, dazed look.

“They aren’t even born yet. I think we have time before the warriors start coming to ask them out on a date,” she said as she smiled patiently up at him. “Years even.”

“Years?” He asked blankly.

“Years,” she replied brushing a kiss over his lips. “Make love to me,” she whispered.

“Years?” He asked again doubtfully.

Carmen giggled and grabbed his hand to pull him toward their sleeping quarters. “Years,” she assured him as she dragged him toward the bed.

It had been four weeks since they left the
D’stroyer
and Vox’s warship, the
Shifter.
She was beginning to show more and more each day. She had to cut back on some of her workouts. She spent more time stretching and just walking the warship than she did kicking Cree and Calo’s ass now. They were told to stay near her at all times as she began to ‘blossom’, as Creon called it. He was constantly trying to get her to lay down and rest. Cree and Calo
had been
just as bad. She knew the two warriors had to be sick of being her babysitter because she was thoroughly sick of having them as the twin-shadows.

“I think you should take it easy today,” Creon said as he finished getting ready so he could report for duty. “Your ankles were swelling a little.”

“They are supposed to swell some! I’m pregnant. I am sick of being in here. I want to go visit with Cal and Meli… Mel,” she corrected quickly. “They are both excited about returning to Earth soon. I think they are both as sick of being cooped up in the repair bay as I am of being in here.”

“There is no reason for them to remain there all the time,” he said, looking at her with a frown. “We will be near Earth by the end of the week.”

“I think they are just more comfortable being by themselves,” she said, rubbing her stomach absently when the twins decided to kick at the same time.

“I wish we had been able to see Kelan and Trisha before they left,” he said as he came to lay a calming hand over
hers
. “It sounds like they were having problems getting some of the warriors back off the planet. Several warriors found their true mates, though, they appear to be having some minor difficulties with them.”

Carmen raised her eyebrow. “Let me guess,” she said drily. “The guys forgot to ask before they decided to claim.”

Creon shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. “We don’t always have much choice. When our dragon and our symbiot finds our mate
,
it is a little overwhelm
ing
. We get around to asking later,” he added defensively.

“No, you get around to telling, ordering, demanding later,” she added, daring him to tell her differently.

“Yes,” he added as his hand
s
moved up to her fuller breasts. “But, you love it when I am like that. Now before you go, remember you have your comlink and that Cree or Calo are with you. Just in case….” He added before he crushed his lips to hers to still the protests he could see forming on her lips.

*.*.*

She was so going to get Cree and Calo back at the first opportunity she got after she delivered. Cree was snickering and making fun of her walk as she moved down the corridor. He was so going to be toast. She might even have to think up some things to do before she had the babies. Maybe she should talk to Cara about how to modify their cleansing unit or something.

Another thing
she noticed was the bigger she got, the more protective and annoying Creon became. She could barely go pee without him wanting someone to be there with her. If she heard one more, in case of… she was going to scream.
It
had finally gotten to the point
that
she spent most of the day down in the repair bay with Cal and Melina. Since the Pactor had been sent to a new home on the
D’stroyer
with Ariel, Melina had been feeling depressed.

“Cal?” Carmen called out as she entered the repair bay.

“I’m
in
here, Carmen,” Cal said
,
walking out of his and Melina’s living quarters.

“Are you alright? You look a little pale,” Carmen asked with concern.

“I’m fine. The soup I had for lunch isn’t agree
ing
with me
,
is all,” Cal said with a gruff snort. “God only knows what was in it. I quit even trying to figure it out years ago. Figured if I knew what was in the food I’d probably starve to death. I worry about Melina, though. She is real picky about what she eats.”

Carmen laughed. “She isn’t the only one. You should have seen the warriors trying to figure out what to feed my sister. She’s a vegetarian. They had never heard of such a thing before. The only thing they could think to feed her was fruit. She was so sick of it by the time we got to Valdier I wasn’t sure she would ever eat any of it ever again,” Carmen replied as she moved to the chairs they had set out.

“Hi Carmen,” Melina said quietly after she made sure that no one had followed her into the repair bay. “How are you doing? Have you talked to the girls that took you back at the Spaceport?”

“Yes, I stopped on my way down here,” she answered. “
Evetta
and Hanine are helping the engineers and programmers
on board
the
Horizon
with some things.
Hanine
shared how she was able to bypass the shields on the Spaceport and Evetta is working on identifying some of the programming the Marastin Dow use to overtake the freighters. Aaron is almost as good as new and he and Ben are training with some of the warriors. I think they are going to settle on Curizan
when we get back
.
Ha’ven
mention
ed
a village that would welcome them all.”

“That’s wonderful,” Melina said pushing a strand of dark brown hair back behind her ear. “I was able to listen in to some of their conversations. Ben and Aaron were from Kansas. They worked on one of the big farms out there.”

Melina turned to her Granddad who was sitting quietly. “
Gramps
, why don’t you go lay down for a while. I think you should get the doc to come look at you. You weren’t feeling good last night either,” she said with soft concern.

“I don’t need no doctor but I think I will go lie down for a while,” Cal said getting slowly to his feet. “Carmen, you stay and take care of my granddaughter. She needs some girl time.”

“I will, Cal,” Carmen said smiling up at Cal. “I hope you feel better.”

“Thanks,” Cal said with a genuine smile. He turned to look at Melina. “I love you, girl. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“I won’t, Gramps,” Melina said standing up to help her granddad.

She took a step toward him as he suddenly stiffened and grabbed at his chest. She barely had time to grab him before he collapsed to the floor. Her cry of fear echoed loudly in the repair bay.

“
Gramps
!” Melina cried out as she frantically rolled him over onto his back. “Carmen, he’s not breathing!
Gramps
!”

Carmen yelled for Cree as loud as she could as she moved over to where Cal lay on the floor. She bent over him, listening for a heartbeat and feeling for a breath.
She didn’t feel or hear either
one
. She moved over him and began doing CPR. Melina moved to his head and tilted it back, waiting for Carmen’s signal to breath for him. The doors to the repair bay opened and Cree rushed in. He saw Cal’s prone figure and immediately called for immediate medical assistance. He knelt down next to the elderly human male and quickly assessed his condition. There was no pulse and his skin was turning a light shade of blue. He glanced up at his grandson and froze.

Dark curls tumbled over Melina’s shoulders and down her back. She was whispering frantically for her grandfather to be all right, begging him to please not leave her alone. She ran her small hands over his cheeks.

“Please
Gramps
, don’t leave me,” she cried softly. “Please don’t leave me
here
alone. We’re going to be home soon. We’ll go back to the farm. I’ll do the cooking and cleaning and we can go visit mommy, daddy,
and grandma’s graves on Sundays
after church. It will be just like before. I bet that old hound dog is still coming around looking for scraps. Please, please, please don’t leave me.”

Melina looked up into the stunned eyes of Cree. “Please help me,” she whispered. “Please make him better.”

Cree stared into the stunning green eyes filled with desperate fear and pleading and knew he was totally lost. He would have moved all the stars in the galaxy
to do what she begged
, if he had the power to do so;
but he knew there was nothing to be done for the old human. His essence had already left his body.

“I… There is nothing that can be done to save him,” he said
,
gently reaching out to touch
Melina’s cheek in comfort. “He
is gone.”