Lord of Capra (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Five Years Later

Location: Free
Space, Planet Capra

Evana stood alone
on the walkway above the large wooden doors of the palace, her gaze focused on
one of three riders galloping their striders up the road. His black mount was
the swiftest and largest, bred to carry his giant frame. She sighed softly,
unable to repress her appreciation at the sight of her mate. In her opinion, he
was amazingly handsome, the picture of masculine power and perfection.

As they rode by, he
waved and flashed a broad smile. She returned his silent greeting and watched
them continue on toward the stables. Her mate’s blond hair fanned out
unrestrained. It flowed halfway down his back as he slowed his strider to an
easy lope.
Gods.
How she loved running her fingers through his thick
mane, grabbing handfuls of the silken gold strands.

She knew for
certain he’d come to her from this latest excursion exhilarated and eager to
take her to bed. Just the thought of their joining sent waves of heated
anticipation coursing through her, making her ache with need.

Her reaction was as
predictable as the weather on Capra. They’d been separated for how long now? A
whole six hours? And the mere sight of him had her quivering with desire.
Ridiculous or not, she hoped their passion lasted forever.

Drake had gone with
Bracken early that morning to hunt antelope. They were back early, which could
only mean one thing. They’d been successful. There would be plenty of meat for
the evening celebration, one of several festivals that were held throughout the
year.

Evana had decided
to forgo the hunt that morning, even though she hated being separated from her
mate for even one hour. He’d begged her to come with him. He’d even promised to
wear his sword and spend more time with Nemesis if she’d just ride with them.
Even though she’d been tempted, she’d declined, telling him she needed to talk
to Nemesis about some things. She’d lied.

Pilot, you should
inform your mate. He must be told.

I know that
, she answered.
Nemesis had been tormenting her for a month.

He will be happy.
Why do you stall?

I’m not stalling.
I’m just waiting for the right time.

He is on his way to
you. This is a good time. There are preparations to make. You cannot delay much
longer.

What if he isn’t
happy?

Pilot, he will be
happy. You carry our…his child. He will be an excellent father.

Yes, he’ll be a
perfect father.

Then allow him to
be one, Evana.

She wondered what
the “our child” slip up was all about. Nemesis could be incredibly secretive at
times. Two months ago, when the ship informed her about the pregnancy, Evana
had vehemently refused to believe it was possible. How could she be pregnant
when her body hadn’t had monthly cycles in ages? She’d grudgingly accepted the
truth when Nemesis produced a real time vid of the tiny fetus nestled in
Evana’s womb. Nevertheless, it was still hard to believe. How could a
two-thousand-plus-year-old woman become pregnant? And she was a pilot, not
completely human. Nemesis had assured her that her human DNA was healthy,
normal in every way. Evana suspected the ghost ship had done some creative
manipulation, and she feared Drake would have the same suspicions. Was it possible
he might reject the child?

Deep in her heart
she knew him, knew her mate would never do such a thing. After all, she
consoled herself, he seemed to enjoy the children from the settlement,
especially young Teal. A tiny inkling of fear ate at her still. The possibility
of having a baby had never entered her mind, and Drake had said nothing about
having a desire for children of his own.

Evana caressed the
tiny bulge in her abdomen that was just beginning to show. It wouldn’t be long
before she felt movement, perhaps another week or so, but she was already in
love with the small life growing inside her. She prayed he’d feel the same way.
She didn’t want anything to come between them, ever. They were happy.

The past five years
on Capra had been magical. The people loved her consort, and he returned their
love. At every opportunity he’d help them with various projects, constantly
doing things to improve their lives.

Her palace had
running water now, but not before all the homes in the settlement had the same
convenience. Her mate had stood up to Nemesis on the matter, insisting everyone
have the same benefits that were brought to the palace. The ghost ship had
conceded the water issue, but other modern improvements, such as solar lighting
and powered appliances, shouldn’t be introduced to the natives. Evana knew his
plans. His next upgrade was indoor solar lighting and heated water for the
palace and a roof over the great hall. No doubt it’d lead to another major
battle between Drake and Nemesis. Her consort was fortunate the ghost ship
loved him too.

The years had also
been eventful for Free Space. The last major uprising had occurred six months
ago. The Surren solar system had two planets, Sur and Harth, both inhabited by
humanoids. The system was located along the trade corridor between several Alliance
and Free Space worlds.

Sur’s leaders had
accused Harth’s merchant fleet of forming an embargo to cut off their trade.
Naturally, the Harthians had denied all the accusations and immediately formed
a very blatant embargo, which they’d backed with their military. The Surrians
had been outraged and all-out war had ensued. Nemesis had detected the
conflict.

The battling
spaceships from both planets had been easily neutralized by the ghost ship. The
leaders had been more difficult. A cease fire had finally been reached at the
sharp point of a black power sword. After delving into the cause of the war,
the real culprits had been identified. A group of traders known as Delvans from
near the E’Laysian border had been instrumental in igniting the trade war. They’d
restricted all trade from Sur, funneling the majority of merchant ships to
Harth after collecting a “safe passage fee” from each one. Filthy little
pirates was what Drake had called them. Nemesis had banished all Delvans from
Free Space for one hundred years. Any violation would be punishable by death,
no questions asked. After that, the worlds of Free Space had gone about their
business peacefully.

“Evana! I’m home!”

Drake’s boots were
firmly planted in the middle of the great hall as he looked up at her
expectantly. Her mate had a flair for stating the obvious.

“About time, my
love,” she called down from the upper level. “Would you join me? I have
something to tell you.”

He reached her side
in the blink of an eye, a worried expression on his face. “Has Nemesis detected
another problem?”

“Nothing dangerous,”
she quickly assured him. “Something has happened and I hope you’ll be pleased.”
She bit her lower lip.

A half grin spread
across one side of his handsome face. “So what am I pleased about this time, my
love?” He looked happily resigned to whatever news she was about to tell him.

“How do you feel
about being a father?”

Evana held her
breath as she studied his reaction. His brows furrowed together, his frown evident
as he gave her question serious consideration.

“Has a child been
orphaned? That’s not something I’m pleased about, Evana. What happened?” Now he
looked extremely upset for several reasons.

Well, this is
certainly going in the wrong direction.
Nemesis invaded her thoughts.

Evana told her ship
to “stuff it” as she blurted, “No! The people are safe. No one has been hurt.”
She grabbed his shoulders and held on desperately while staring into his
worried gaze. “I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”

His expression went
blank and he stiffened. Evana wondered if she’d ever breathe again as she
anxiously waited for him to recover. Precious seconds flew by before a look of
wonder crossed his face, then a smile formed and grew wider as his lips curled upward
right before he shouted.

“A baby? A baby!
Our baby!”

He’d scooped her up
into his arms before she drew in a long awaited breath. Evana burrowed her face
into his broad chest, letting loose a trail of happy tears that burst from her
in response to his reaction. She was overjoyed and relieved, at least until his
mind rebooted and the inevitable questions started.

“How is it
possible, Evana? Why now and not earlier? Can you still pilot for Nemesis? Will
it hurt the baby? Do you need to eat food? What about vitamins? Should we find
a special doctor? Shouldn’t you be resting? When did you find out? How did you
find out? How long before the baby comes? We need to get baby stuff, right?
Maybe add on some more rooms to the palace. What do you think?”

As he paused to
take a breath, she broke in. “We have plenty of time. The baby is fine. There’s
nothing to worry about.” She cupped his face between her palms and gazed deep
into his glittering blue eyes. “You’re going to be the best father in the
galaxy, my love.”

His eyes widened
and glowed. “Oh shit! I’m going to be a father.” He looked as if someone had
hit him over the head. In a daze, he asked, “Is there a reference manual for
that?”

* * * *

News traveled fast
on Capra. One month after she’d told Drake about their pregnancy, all the people
worldwide had been informed that the Lady Evana and her consort, Lord Drake,
were expecting a babe. Evana suspected her friend, Mara, was responsible for
spreading the news around the settlement. Afterward, riders most likely were
dispatched to all the nearby townships. From there, the news spread
exponentially. Well wishes along with gifts began arriving from all over Capra.

“Make it stop,”
Suri whined as she carried another armload of presents up the stairs to Evana’s
bedchamber. “We’re running out of space in the adjoining room. Perhaps Lord
Drake might add on a larger nursery? On the bottom floor,” she suggested,
puffing as she stood in front of the bedroom door, trying to catch her breath.
Suri was in the fourth month of her own pregnancy. This would be her third
babe.

“I’ve tried to
spread the word that gifts weren’t necessary. No one seems to be paying any
attention,” Evana responded wearily.

She carried an
equally large load of gifts and swore the steps leading to the upper floor were
multiplying with each trip she made. For one second, she was tempted to call on
Nemesis for help, then squashed the thought. She was just hungry. Vowing not to
use her powers in front of Suri, she took a deep fortifying breath and made the
trip up the stairs. Evana followed her friend into the bedchamber.

As she entered the
room Drake used to call the living room, Evana paled. It was stacked floor to
ceiling with gifts. A narrow pathway wound through the mountains of handmade
baby items, clothing and furniture making up the bulk of the articles. She
dropped her armload and sank onto a small rocking chair near the doorway,
grateful to Councilman Chandor from Central City for his gift. The chair
creaked under her weight but held firmly, a testament to good craftsmanship.
She wondered if it’d still support her when she entered her final month.

“Well, that’s the
last of the deliveries for today.” Suri sighed happily. “I should go home and
start preparing the evening meal. Ronnan will return from the settlement soon
with Teal and Marta.” She patted her belly and smiled. “This one is easy to
care for right now.”

Evana placed a hand
over her own abdomen and felt the slight swell. A flutter of movement inside
her womb responded to her caress. “Yes, they’re great at this age.” She agreed
wholeheartedly with the native woman.

As if she sensed
Evana needed a few quiet moments, Suri made her way out of the bedchamber.
Drake would return soon and Evana was anxious to see him. He’d been gone most
of the day fishing with Bracken and Travis.

She hated it when
her mate was anywhere near the ocean. It was the one place where Nemesis couldn’t
keep him safe if he slipped below the surface. He loved the water, and no
matter how much she tried to keep him away, he always managed to join the
hunters on some of their trips. She guessed it was one of those things men just
have to do. Nemesis called it a male bonding compulsion of some kind. Fearing
for his safety, she decided to call the ghost ship. Nemesis contacted her
first.

Pilot, there is a
problem—”

With Drake?
Evana leapt to her
feet.

No. He arrived at
the stables a few moments ago and is already on his way to the palace.

Evana breathed a
sigh of relief.

The problem is on
Vergon, a colony planet in the Wolf IX system, just inside the Tauran border. A
cargo ship made port on Proteus and told of a strange epidemic responsible for
turning the settlers into flesh-eating monsters. We must investigate.

Yes.
Evana paused and
her enthusiasm waned.
What about the baby, Nem? Can I defeat an abomination?