Theron Destiny (Brides of Theron) (22 page)

“Tell my mate that her friend Gracie will be joining her shortly and will remain with her during the trip.  Also let her know that the ship is leaving shortly.”

“Yes Sir. I will send the message immediately.” Ceran typed the message into the voice programmer and sent the message to the communication panel of the Commander’s quarters. “It is sent Commander.”

“Thank you Ceran. Brylon, I will be in my office checking our travel itinerary one last time. If you need me I will be there.”

“Sure thing, Zeb.” Brylon absent mindedly answered his friend as he checked and rechecked the ships equipment.

Zeb made his way into his office and closed the door. He wished he could leave the command center to check on Avery while the ship traveled but it was against regulations for the commander of a ship to be away from the command center while traveling through worm holes. Split second decisions were often required if trouble were to occur while in one of the holes. Long ago as a cadet, he had been on a ship that had gone slightly off course while inside a worm hole. While fortunately nothing dangerous had happened to the ship or the crew, it had taken the crew weeks to find out where they were and plot a course to get them back on track. He had no desire to repeat that experience again as they were needed so desperately at home.

He checked and rechecked the route. In the last few days he had gone over the ships planned path several more times and had finally programmed it into the ship’s computer. He didn’t want to take any chance on getting the ship lost or off course especially now that his mate on board. There was no way in hell he would ever take a chance on losing the faith of the one world where his race could find compatible mates. It was where he found his mate. His mate, he thought to himself. It was funny how that sounded. Just then, a smile spread across his face as he thought of the events of last night.

She had been so beautiful beneath him. Just thinking of her screams and moans of pleasure made his cock hard again. She was his forever and hopefully he had planted his seed deep within her. He was so happy to know that his race had bright hopes of surviving now.

“Avery!” Gracie squealed when the door to Zeb and Avery’s quarters had slid open. She flung herself into the arms of the other woman.

“Gracie!” Avery was just as happy to see her new friend. It had been awhile since they had last seen each other. Zeb had sent a message telling her that Gracie would be coming for a visit. Since she had received the message she had been straightening up the place and pacing back and forth anxiously waiting having nothing else to do.

“God I am so happy to see you.” Gracie hugged her tightly before letting go and moving further into the room.

Zane remained outside the quarters while he watched the two friends greet each other. “Gracie, I must return to the clinic. You and Avery will stay here. Either Zeb or myself will come get you when the ship is safely through the worm holes.”

Grace looked back at him, “Alright, we won’t go anywhere. Zane, can we order Chinese?” She gave Avery a wink.

“I don’t know what Chinese is, and you are definitely not ordering anything. Is that clear?” He looked at his mate with a stern look. Gracie slowly walked back to the warrior that towered over her.

“I was making a joke, Zane dear. I promise we will behave.” She grabbed his face on each side and pulled it down to where she could place a kiss on his lips. Zane wrapped his arms around the smaller woman as she kissed him.

“Alright, be a good girl and go back inside and lock the door. It will take us a while to travel to Theron.”

“Don’t worry about us girls. We got a lot of catching up to do. See you later.”

Gracie moved back into the room and Avery let the door slide close and engaged the lock.

“I have been after Zane for days now to bring me over here.” Gracie had moved to the sofa and had plopped down on it. “Well, come on tell me how you have been.”

Avery dashed onto the sofa next to the excited woman. “First, you got to tell me what’s been going on with you and Zane.”  Thinking that her manners were lacking, Grace being her first guest, “Are you hungry? I could fix us a snack or maybe get us a couple of drinks.”

“Forget about food, honey. Spill it. I want details.”

Avery could only laugh at her friend. She had forgotten how much energy the other woman had. “Okay, okay, I’ll go first. But, I want details from you too.”

The women talked back and forth for a while what each had been doing since they last saw each other. Avery told her all about how she was able to say goodbye to her aunts and the fight with Zeb that had that instigated the need for it. She even managed to tell Gracie about the episode with Lars in the dining area about a week ago.

“Do you think Zeb will be able to get Lars off the ship permanently?” Gracie’s face had taken on a look of concern bordering fear.

Avery shrugged her shoulders and picked at the pillow that was sitting in her lap, “I hope so. Zeb is pretty confident that he can get him transferred off his ship. Frankly, Lars scares the shit out of me. I think deep down that if he ever got the chance to really hurt me, he would.”

Gracie reached out and laid a reassuring hand on Avery’s, “You got nothing to worry about, honey. Zeb will protect you and make sure that Lars is out of the way forever. He isn’t going to let anything happen to you. From everything that Zane has told me, no warrior in their right mind would ever hurt or put in danger another warrior’s mate. The Therons protect their women and mates at all costs. It took me awhile to fully understand what had happened to us and for the anger to ebb away but now I am kind of glad that it happened. I look at it as an adventure. Besides, I would have never been able to find a man like Zane back home. It’s different now. I know for a fact that I don’t ever want to be without him either. I honestly believe that no other man on Earth would ever be able to measure up to him.”

Gracie smiled at Avery and patted her hand. Avery took a deep breath and then gave Gracie a sly look, “Can I tell you a secret?”

Gracie’s eyes lit up with eagerness while she scooted closer, “Tell me. I won’t breathe a word.”

Avery bit her bottom lip as she contemplated telling her friend about Zeb’s prediction of her being pregnant.

“Ok, but you cannot tell a soul.”

“I promise. Now come on and spill it.”

Avery smiled, “Well, last night after…after we…you know, well Zeb said that I might be pregnant!”

Gracie’s eyes grew wider and wider with astonishment as she said, “Holy shit! Are you kidding me?”

“I am dead serious. He said that some warriors get a feeling at the exact moment of conception and he thinks that he planted his seed, as he said it, in me last night.”

Gracie began bouncing up and down on the sofa, “Oh my God, Avery! I am so happy for you.” She took Avery in another one of her tight hugs and kissed her on the cheek. “But when will you know for sure?”

“I don’t know. I was tempted to ask Zane when he brought you here, but I was too embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed? What about? Being pregnant? That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I wonder if there is a way to tell if you are so soon after conceiving.” Gracie thoughts now were running a mile a minute. She knew that Zane would know the answer but Avery would have to be the one to give the okay for her call Zane and ask.

“We could always call Zane and ask him. With all the crazy medical things they have on board this ship, they just might have something that will be able to tell if you are pregnant or not.”

Moments of silence passed between the two as Avery debated whether or not to let Gracie make the call.

“Back on earth there is absolutely no way to tell this early.  The pregnancy tests available on Earth say to wait a minimum of eight days after and even those aren’t that accurate. How do we know if they have anything that would be able to tell here on the ship?” Avery was picking at the pillow again.

“There is only one way to find out, honey.” Gracie was slowly starting to bounce again on the sofa in eager anticipation.

“You promise not to tell Zeb?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!”

“Okay, let’s call Zane and see what he says.”

Gracie jumped off the sofa in one big burst of energy, “Yea!”

“But how do you call him? I have never seen a phone in here.”

Gracie stopped bouncing around the room and gave Avery an odd look, “Zeb didn’t show you the communication panel? Come on I’ll show you.” Gracie grabbed her hand and tugged her off the sofa and over to the wall in the kitchen. Located on the wall was a panel that Avery never really paid much attention too before.

“It’s right here. Look.” Gracie pushed on the small panel and a small door opened towards them. Inside was a speaker and a bunch of buttons with strange looking symbols on them. “I am not sure what all the buttons are for, but this is the one that Zane showed me. It leads directly to him. This way, I can call him directly if I ever need him while he is out and about the ship or in the clinic. He has some kind of device he carries with him at all times so that if someone is sick or in need of medical attention he can be reached immediately.”

Avery just stood there with her mouth hanging open like a fool. “I guess Zeb forgot to show me this. Well, I never really had the need to call him when he was out.”

“Do we call?” Gracie looked at Avery with anticipation, shifting from foot to foot. “Come on Avery. Let’s do it. It’s killing me to find out if what Zeb says is true.”

“Go ahead Gracie. Call Zane.”

“Yes!” Gracie pushed the button that Zane had showed her in their quarters. Within seconds a voice came over the speaker.

“Gracie, are you alright? Is Avery alright?” Zane voice sounded startled and worried.

“We are fine.  You are so silly, always thinking something is wrong. We got a question for you but you got to promise not to say anything to anyone, okay?” It was strange seeing Gracie talking to the wall.

“Gracie, you know that I am a doctor and would never violate a patient’s confidence.”

“I just have to make sure. Do you have anything in your clinic that will tell us if someone is pregnant?”

Both women heard the laugh that Zane had let out. “Of course I do.”

Gracie and Avery looked at each other quizzically, then shrugged. “Okay, but how soon is it able to detect a pregnancy?”

“It can detect a pregnancy within a couple of hours of conception. Why?” suspicion overtook Zane’s usual calm and collected voice.

“Well, Avery thinks she might be pregnant. Can you get us one of those tests?”

Zane was silent for a moment before replying, “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. Yes of course I can bring you a test. I will be there shortly.” The girls heard the click as Zane disconnected the call.

Avery backed up against the counter to support herself as Gracie closed up the communication panel. All the color seemed to drain from her face and she was breathing shallow now.

“Avery, are you okay? You better go sit down.” Gracie led Avery back to the sofa and sat next to her. “You will probably feel better if you take a few deep breaths.   You look as if you might pass out.”

“I didn’t really think he would have anything. I guess I was kind of caught off guard with his answer.” She put a hand to her forehead and laughed.

“You don’t have to take the test if you don’t want to.”

Avery didn’t move her head but shifted only her eyes to look at her friend. “I might as well now, since he will be here any minute. Besides, it would be a nice surprise to tell Zeb once we are back on Theron.  I could tell last night how much he wants children.”

“It will be wonderful. No doubt that all the warriors want children. They are a very proud race.”

“Gracie?” The male voice behind the door startled the crap out of the two women. “Gracie, it’s me Zane. Come unlock the door.”

“He just scared the crap out of me.” Gracie got up and went to the door. Zane walked in when the door slid open and then closing behind him.

“Here you go Avery, one pregnancy test. All you have to do, is slip it out of the container and place one of your fingers on the yellow dot, here.”  He indicated the dot with his finger, “If you are pregnant it will turn red. If it stays a solid red then it is a boy but if a star appears in the middle of the red, the baby is a girl.” He handed Avery the small container.

Avery took the container, her hands shaking. She looked at Zane first then at Gracie.

“I think my heart is about to burst out of my chest, I am so nervous.” She nervously laughed. She slowly slid the device out of the wrapper looked to Zane for conformation, “Just put my finger on this yellow dot?”

Zane was standing close to Gracie now with his arm wrapped around her waist.  He nodded to her and said, “That’s all you have to do. It will turn red within about twenty seconds if you are pregnant.”

“Go ahead girl and do it.” Gracie encouraged a very nervous and shaking Avery.

“Here goes nothing.” Avery placed her right index finger over the yellow dot and closed her eyes. “Could you please count for me Gracie. I can’t look.”

“One, two, three…” Gracie continued to count, “nineteen, twenty!”

Avery took her finger off the device but still kept her eyes closed. Gracie and Zane both leaned over to see the results. A high pitched squeal emanated throughout the room that caused Avery’s eyes to pop open.

“Oh my God! Your pregnant Avery and you are having a girl!”

Avery looked down at the dot that was once yellow. It was now replaced by a red dot with a star in the middle.  She looked up at the two individuals hovering over her. “I am pregnant? It’s a girl?”

Zane was smiling from ear to ear, “Yes, you are going to have a baby girl.”  He looked to be deep in thought.  “Incredible! It has been a long time since a female has been born to us. There will be much celebrating.”

Avery quickly looked up at Zane, “No, you promised not to say anything.”

“I keep my oaths. It is your right to tell your mate but there will be much celebrating after the news is out. You are the first to have a Theron baby in a very long time. Zeb will be ecstatic with the news.”