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  Clean and wrapped in a towel, she exited the bathroom and looked for a gown. Today’s selection was soft green with a matching shawl.

  Kondr was still lying in the bed. “Where are you going?”

  “It’s time for daily bloodletting. I don’t want to be late.”

  He sat up. “You are not going without me. Wait here.”

  Kondr took a quick shower, and while he was in the bathroom, breakfast arrived. Avaneer started on her food before he re-joined her, a white towel around his hips hiding areas of interest.

  She sighed and shoved his half of the food to his side of the table. “Eat up. I don’t want to keep Dr. Rathos waiting.”

  He chuckled. “You are so soft and willing in bed and so bossy out of it. I wonder if the two can ever be blended.”

  Ava grimaced and kept eating. “I am very docile out of bed when there is no imminent death looming for those around me.”

  “I look forward to seeing it. Today, I believe, I should properly introduce you to my grandmother, and you need to see a physician.”

  Ava knew where his mind was heading. “I see a physician every day.”

  “I want you to see an obstetrics specialist. If you were not born for heavy gravity, there may be issues with the pregnancy.”

  Ava pressed her hands to her stomach. That had never crossed her mind. “Um. Okay. Do you have someone in mind?”

  “The other Dr. Rathos is a likely candidate.”

  “The other?”

  “Almia Rathos, the doctor’s wife is also a physician. It gets very confusing.”

  “Fine, I will see her after my bloodletting.”

  His lips tightened but he nodded. Once he had eaten, he draped the towel over the back of his chair, and he wandered around the room, collecting clothing and slowly getting dressed.

  Avaneer was an avid audience. “Show off.”

  His grin said he knew precisely what he was doing to her hormones. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  She flapped her hand. “Tuck yourself away, and let’s get this day started.”

  He chuckled and did as she bid.

  Ava had the strange feeling that it would be one of the last orders that he followed. She was shifting to his turf now.

  Chapter Ten

  The medical lab was no longer over stressed and tense. Patients were sitting up in their beds and laughing while the patients from the room of the dying were now situated with the activities of the day happening around them.

  The medical staff moved with expressions of relief and determination now that they were able to treat those who needed help. Tray upon tray of injectors were prepared, the hypos were ready for the waves of folk already lining up outside the building. Ava sat in her now-normal chair, and the attendant took blood samples with a new enthusiasm for it. Her plasma drip was set up on the other side, and Ava waited until she had provided the four units required.

  Eeli Lytan appeared in front of her on the arm of her grandson. “So, you are the woman who is carrying my great-grandchild.” The statement was not confrontation.

  “I am.”

  Eeli commented on Ava’s current situation. “Is that healthy for the baby?”

  “As long as I don’t overdo it, it should be fine. The plasma builds up the bulk of my blood, and my talent is working to replace the platelets, cells and antibodies.”

  Eeli sniffed. “I don’t like it. How long must you do this?”

  “Ask Dr. Rathos. He is in charge of crafting the injections from the samples.”

  An attendant was staring at Eeli with nervous respect.

  Ava sighed, “Switch the containers, please.”

  Given an order, the attendant rushed forward and did the switch as quickly as she could, fumbling a little with the drip end but finally managing to make her way over to Dr. Rathos with a relieved slump to her shoulders.

  “My grandson has told me that you wish to put us under fifty-year quarantine. Why?”

  Ava shrugged carefully. “Either someone wanted to infect you with that plague to get a cure for sales purposes, or they wanted to destroy your bloodline. Whichever one it was will be thwarted if they can’t get a hold of me or your antibodies.”

  Eeli frowned. “So, this is about you.”

  “Yes. By using me in particular, they gained the ability to craft a toxin for all who share your genes.”

  “You are so special?” Eeli raised her snowy eyebrows.

  Kondr frowned.

  Ava grinned at the older woman’s face. “Yes. Yes, I am one of a kind and like no one else in the universe.”

  Eeli Lytan stood silently for a moment before cackling with laughter. “Excellent. I have been telling Kondr that he needs to find a woman who can stand on her own two feet, but he has spent his time with work as prefect. He needs a little fresh air now and then, and I get the feeling that you are just what the doctor ordered. I will set the plague protocol in place and talk to the Sector Guard. It will be settled by dinner time.”

  Ava was confused. “What?”

  “Didn’t my grandson tell you? I am High Prefect and Council Speaker for Nafki. When I say do it, it is done.” Eeli crossed her arms and looked smug.

  Kondr’s chest was puffed with pride. He loved Eeli, and it rippled out of every inch of him.

  Ava cleared her throat. “So, I will be living in your home?”

  “Of course. That is how we live here on Nafki. A family remains in its home until it outgrows or marries into a family with more room. You have seen the house. There is tons of room for three or more generations.” Eeli gestured, and an attendant brought a chair over.

  There was a small mark on Eeli’s arm and it made Ava smile, another successful inoculation.

  Ava was going to say something inane when Eeli cut her off. “Now, how many great-grandchildren can I count on? I want at least two.”

  Ava blinked, and her hands tried to run through her hair, but the feeds stopped her with a wince.

  Kondr burst out laughing. “She isn’t comfortable with the subject, Gran.”

  “The subject isn’t the problem. I can probably have as many kids as you want. It just tends to scare other species when Terrans mention it.”

  Eeli blinked and sat up with perky attention. “I can have a lot more than two?”

  Ava decided to talk about family. “My parents had seven children, my mother came from a family of ten, my father from a family of thirteen. When not pregnant, I will cycle approximately every twenty-eight days.”

  Eeli’s mouth opened, and she clapped her hands in delight. “Excellent.”

  Kondr looked both intrigued and appalled. “So, as many children as I want?”

  Ava scowled. “I am still packing that toxin, Kondr. Get that leer out of your eyes.”

  He blushed when his grandmother smacked him, and suddenly, Ava liked her much, much more. Eeli was the same jet black with the shimmering skin as her grandson, but her spirit reminded Ava of Grandma Leftiss.

  “Let’s start with this little guy and work our way from there.” She smiled.

  Two more filled units and she was free to go. Kondr smiled and handed her a parcel wrapped in paper.

  Curious, she opened it to find a cookie inside. It didn’t taste like anything she was used to, but the changes the baby had made to her taste buds made it far more palatable than it would normally have been.

  “Now, we will see the other Dr. Rathos. She is waiting for you in a private room.” Kondr inclined his head to his grandmother, and Eeli waved them off.

  Ava smiled at Eeli and muttered to him. “You had to spring her on me while I was pinned down?”

  “It seemed the best time. She insisted, and as you can guess, few folks say no to my grandmother.”

  They passed several staffers who moved aside for them. Ava clued in. “You told them not to touch me.”

  “I did. Also, it was fairly obvious that something made you violently ill yesterday, and it didn’t take much supposition
to figure out why.”

  He brought her to Almia Rathos, and the doctor quickly shooed him out of the room.

  “Thank you, Doctor.”

  “Call me, Almia. You have done our people a great service.”

  “I get the feeling that you are about to return the favour.” Ava smiled brightly, and the examination commenced.

  When Almia ran her through every test available and several scans that showed the itty-bitty fleck of living tissue that would eventually form into a person, Ava got a little weepy.

  “Well, let me be frank. I have never seen anyone with your physiology before, but if you check in weekly so I can monitor your progress, we can come up with a baseline for what should be normal. I will tell you that you need to cease with the blood work. You can’t put that kind of strain on your body when it is going through a pregnancy.”

  “You might want to consult with your husband. If he needs more, then I will provide more.”

  Almia walked over and grabbed her arm. “The culture he has will be enough. Those close to the edge have already gotten the treatment. The rest will be inoculated as the serum is developed. Your body is changing, so I don’t know how long you can continue to produce viable antibodies.”

  That shocked Ava. “What?”

  “Your body is adopting Admorik characteristics around the baby. It is a slow growth, but as the child increases in size, the change will be more dramatic. Even now, your abdomen is darker than it was when you came in.”

  Avaneer pulled on her gown and ran her hands through her hair. “I did not anticipate that.”

  “It’s a new one for me as well.” Almia smiled. “We will get you through this. Don’t worry.”

  Ava straightened her shoulders and pulled the shawl around her arms. “I will be here next week for another exam. Now, do you want to talk to Dr. Rathos or should I?”

  “Oh, I will consult with him, and he will see things my way. See you in a week.” Almia winked and walked Ava to the door.

  Avaneer filled Kondr in on all the details, including her gradual transformation.

  “So, you will become an Admorik?” His frown was uncertain.

  “I think the baby needs the change to support it. So, I will go black and shiny, have a baby, and afterward, I might or might not shift back. Who knows? I certainly don’t.” A slightly hysterical giggle broke from her until she was rocking back and forth trying to calm herself.

  Kondr gathered her on his lap and cuddled her close. “We will get through it together. If there are any problems, issues or what have you, we will get through them together. I have grown attached to your snarky wit. I hope it translates into our son. He will be an amazing politician.”

  Ava smiled. “You don’t mind the impending stress?”

  “Avaneer, we just survived a plague that took five percent of our population and would have taken the other ninety-five if not for you. A new life will be welcome and celebrated. I have spoken with my sister, and once she and her husband have their shots, they will be coming in for a visit to meet you. Family is always welcome, and you are now family.”

  She didn’t know if it was going to come to pass, but it was a lovely thought to keep in her mind as her talent spluttered during her pregnancy and she was unable to remain a contact healer.

  Her skin darkened and took on the texture and sheen of the Admorik until the day that her son was born.

  Avaneer Leftiss Lytan sat up in bed with her child at her breast. The moment that he was born, her body began to reset itself to her normal pale colouration. “Are you disappointed that I am not keeping the Admorik skin?”

  Kondr lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the pale white skin. “I have missed my fool moon every night.”

  She blushed and then blushed more when she realised it was visible again. “What shall we name him?”

  “I think we need a name that reflects both of use. Koneer is my suggestion.”

  She looked down at the tiny, wrinkled face, the chalky grey skin and pale green eyes that he got from her. “Koneer Lytan. It’s a good name.”

  Eeli rushed into the room and that was the last time Ava held Koneer until he wailed to be fed. Since Ava had restored her sight, Eeli had been a whirlwind of preparations and a source of cheerful support.

  Smiling at the image of the chortling woman disappearing with her great grandson, she flipped back the sheets and took a shower.

  Ava was up and dressed much to Kondr’s consternation. “How can you recover so soon?”

  “My talent came back the moment that he was in the world.” It was the truth. She was able to slip into a pre-pregnant-belly gown.

  Her milk was still active, so her instincts had her lactating the moment his little wail was heard. Eeli brought him back immediately.

  Ava fed the little one, stroking the white fluff on his fuzzy head. “Where did you get to, Koneer? Did Great-Grandma involve you in affairs of state?”

  She sat in a chair and fed her son. Kondr looked on in amazement. “How long will you be able to keep breastfeeding him?”

  “As long as he needs it. I won’t get pregnant until he’s weaned.” She narrowed her eyes.

  He gave her an innocent smile. “Good to know. Now, shall we meet with his family? Eeli may have introduced him, but it is important for us to do it formally.”

  Koneer finished after a few minutes, and she burped him with a cloth over one shoulder. Having younger siblings did prepare you for motherhood, you had to learn how to burp them early or there was no sleep to be had.

  Ava straightened her gown, making sure that both breasts were covered, and walked to Kondr. “Introduce your son, Kon.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Our son will meet our family with us. Now, let’s do this.”

  Giggling at the Terran phrase that he had picked up over the last nine months, she wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed a hand to the tiny bundle of Koneer. As a family, they walked to meet Koneer’s new family. A warm welcome for the new Lytan was unavoidable, and basking in that warmth was enough for Ava. Eventually, she would feel that warmth for her, but for now, knowing that her child was loved was enough.

  When she was alone with Kondr, she knew that she was loved and that was more than enough. With him at her side, she had been purchased, decanted, used for her healing, used for her blood, and used for her body. As courtships went, it had been a little tumultuous, but it had been successful. A partnership took the place of love, but while Ava wasn’t looking, love had snuck into place and lodged in both of them. Their child was just another level to their union.

  So, with Koneer in her arms, Eeli trying to steal him and Kondr’s sister whining to her husband that she wanted one, Avaneer realised that she was firmly in a family whether she liked it or not.

  She could get used to it.

  Author’s Note

  Bane was tricky. I made the mistake of reading a bad review during the writing process, and it threw me off.

  Avaneer was lucky that Kondr was the target species and even luckier that he decided that she was worth listening to. Families are not all created equal and that was the point I tried to make here. Some work with love and good-natured acceptance and others try and create control with money or threats. Those are two examples. There are thousands of variations out there.

  Core takes us to an honour guard dressed as lizard. She is deadly when threatened, but a rose garden is always in her thoughts.

  Looking forward to seeing how I am going to screw that one up…

  Viola Grace

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  www.extasybooks.com

  www.devinedestinies.com

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  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-wor
ker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.