Upon the Threshold (30 page)

Chapter Twenty

Their day out in the sun by the pond had been perfect. They’d all gone for a swim and made love in the water and then again on the blanket. After returning, it had been a quick meal before they’d retired to bed to make love once more.

But now it was morning, and both Kraven and Lukkis were looking more serious and definitely more military than they had been. Eli knew they’d be getting on the transport straight to the capital and then to the port. They had to get on the ship so they could start their journey. And she knew they had to go soon.

“Elisabeth,” Kraven called to her. “We need to go if we’re going to make the transport on time to get back. Are you ready, little mate?”

Eli wasn’t feeling exactly well, but she put a brave face on and nodded. “I’m ready,” she said with a smile. Moving out of the bathing chamber with her toiletries bag in hand, she passed it to Lukkis, who stowed it away. Her hand slid into Kraven’s and she took a deep breath. “I’m nervous. Like crazy nervous,” she admitted. “But in a good way. It will be nice to meet other races and learn more.” And she would be on the ship with her mates, so life was indeed very good.

He was frowning at her but nodded slowly. Drawing her in closer to him, he wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly. “There’s no reason to be nervous, Elisabeth. You know that we will be there with you the entire time. And if it’s not safe, you won’t be setting foot off the vessel. Your safety is our primary and only concern at all times.”

“I know, but I also know that no matter what, you will both be out there on the planet, danger or not. I’m just nervous. I can’t help myself. I will worry about both of you when you are off the ship and on world. I truly will.”

“And we will come back to you safe as always,” he said. Rubbing his hand up and down her back, he pressed a kiss to her hair. She heard him sniff and then he drew back. “Elisabeth, are you using something different when you are bathing?” he asked with a confused note in his voice.

“Nope. Just the same stuff I always use when you are both with me.” Closing her eyes, she soaked up the heat of his body against hers. When Lukkis moved to her back, she felt relaxed once more. “That’s so very nice. I think I need this often.” Her arms tightened around Kraven, holding him closer and needing him to hold her closer—an odd feeling to say the least, the need to be held so tightly.

He gave her a squeeze, but she knew something was off. He was tense and so too was Lukkis at her back. She felt Lukkis nuzzling her neck before he jolted. They didn’t say anything aloud, but somehow she knew, just knew they were conversing over her head silently.

Eli pulled back and looked up first at Kraven and then at Lukkis, “Okay. Out with it. I know when the two of you get all overprotective, and both of you just tightened like whoa crazy on me. What in the world are you two silently discussing?”

As she watched, she could practically hear them going back and forth with
you tell her; no, you tell her.

Kraven finally glared at Lukkis before turning a soft and loving look her way. “Elisabeth, little mate,” he said gently. “I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll just say it straight out. You are with child.”

“What?” She couldn’t be. She was on injections to keep from getting pregnant. They weren’t ready for a baby, were they? “Are you sure?” At Kraven’s look, she licked her lips. “Of course you are.” Her knees felt weak. She felt uncertain about everything. “I just thought it was nerves that made me sick this morning. Nerves about going onto the ship and to another planet. Mercy.” She paused and then frowned. “You aren’t making me stay behind because of this, right?” If so, they were all three going to fight.

“Of course not,” he growled at her. “You are our mate, and you are always to be at our side. But it is something we need to take into consideration, both on the vessel and whenever we travel with you. We couldn’t be separated from you any more than you could be from us, especially during this time.”

“Thank you. I was worried that this would change everything.” She moved one hand to her belly, and she looked up at Kraven. “You are certain?” Yes, she had asked earlier, but this was shocking to her. “What do we do next? I know nothing about pregnancy, at all.” She knew nothing of what to expect, what to look for, nothing.

“We are sure,” Lukkis said softly, sliding an arm around her so his hand came to rest over hers. “As to the rest, we will need to find some files on this, as we know next to nothing about pregnancy as well. Especially when it’s interspecies. We will need to have you seen by medical personnel soon, though, so they can adjust your food requirements and give us any other recommendations as to what you will need as well.”

She nodded and stroked her thumb along Lukkis’s hand. “And will we know who the father is? I don’t care, but I would imagine that the diet would have to be adjusted for species, or am I incorrect?” They were both men with Beasts inside of them, but they were two very different beasts. “I love you both. I’m happy. Stunned but so happy.”

“To a degree, but not until later in the development. The medics won’t be able to tell for several risings either. We will likely know long before them, as your scent will change to match more to the one that is the father. It’s a protective mechanism to hide you from detection,” Kraven explained gently.

“There won’t be issue between you two, right? The two of you are my mates, and you won’t become overly protective of me over the other?” She didn’t want a wedge between these men who had known each other for such a long time. She didn’t want to do anything that would cause their relationship harm.

“That is not how this works,” Lukkis told her. “While only one of us can be the genetic father, we are both your mates and therefore fathers to this child. We will both be with you through every step of this, beginning to end. There is no competition or need to ever protect a mate from the other person in a mating bond. Not a one of us could ever harm the other, and we all know that.”

“Thank heavens,” she whispered and felt her entire body sag with relief. “I was worried. I know that’s odd, but I was worried that perhaps one of you would become far more possessive.” She laughed and added, “I can’t believe we will have a babe running around in nine months.”

She felt both of them become still at that and didn’t even want to know. She didn’t have to ask, though, because Lukkis just told her. “Well, that would be slightly inaccurate. By your calendar, it will be closer to six months before the birth. We develop at a faster rate even with interspecies matings, and the births occur sooner because we tend to be very large even as children.”

“What?” She turned so fast to look at Lukkis she would have fallen had it not been for Kraven. “Six? By the stars, that can’t be right. We will still be in space.” She felt like hyperventilating. “Won’t we?” She had no idea actually.

“No, we’ll be back at your settlement by then,” Kraven said. “Long before then actually. Or we could return here for the birthing if you prefer. Space travel is quicker with our engines than it was with yours, Elisabeth. We have some options to choose from.”

“Where would be the best place to birth our child? The safest place for our child’s birth?” She felt silly talking about this now, but if there were only six months in a pregnancy, then she was seriously going to have to ensure that they were wherever they needed to be in that time.

“Here,” they both said.

“We would bring in medical help to be here during the last risings before the birth. That way, when it comes, the doctors are here and at the ready. It is also the best place for you to recover after the birth,” Kraven said.

“We can talk more on this later, but we are going to be late if we don’t depart now,” Lukkis said to them both.

Eli nodded. “Can we send word to my dad? See if he would like to meet us back here when it comes time for the babe to come along? I would very much like for him to be around to meet his first grandchild.” She wanted that and hoped that they would be able to somehow arrange that for them.

“We will see him in a few days,” Kraven told her. “You can pass on the news to him then, and if he’d like to travel with us or later, we will arrange it.” He picked up his bag and hers as Lukkis grabbed up his own. Then they hustled her out of the house and toward the station.

Eli wasn’t surprised when Kraven wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close on the train platform, or the feeling of Lukkis flanking her even closer. She enjoyed having them both as close to her as they were.

When the transport arrived, they got inside and found a corner for her to sit in so she was fully protected. She knew it for what it was. They were already even more protective of her, and it had barely been an hour since they’d discovered she was pregnant.

Eli just smiled, relaxing and accepting the blanket as Kraven passed it to her and the pillow that Lukkis seemed to pull from thin air. She hadn’t seen pillows the last time that they were on the transport. How odd. Closing her eyes, she sighed when both men were close and licked her lips. “Perfect.” She was warm and happy, and she had the men she loved on each side of her. How much better could life get?

“You should sleep while you can. You won’t be able to during liftoff,” Lukkis said. He took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. “After which we’ll be moving into hyperspeed, which is disconcerting, so you’ll undoubtedly not be sleeping then either.”

“This is very true. I will rest.” She had them both close to her, both of them touching her, and felt the heat seeping in and relaxing her even more. “Thank you. A nap does sound wonderful. Wake me when we get there?”

She heard Lukkis snort. “Well, actually, we were thinking we’d just leave you on the transport sleeping when it was time to get off. Of course, we will awaken you, silly female. Now go to sleep already.”

She giggled. Stars above, but she giggled. “I was actually hoping you would do something endearing like carry me to the ship and ensure that I was able to sleep longer.” She yawned again, however. “But thank you. For waking me later. Now, shh, and can you turn off the light over our seats, please?”

“For that, I’m throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you off,” Lukkis muttered. She felt him shifting around in his seat, and then the light went out. “Females are seriously unpredictable creatures,” he said as he relaxed back into his seat.

She snorted. “We both know that you wouldn’t dare. You would be far too worried that you would somehow hurt our babe.” A baby. Heavens, she was still trying to wrap her mind around that one!

“I would not allow him to do it,” Kraven said from her other side, squeezing her hand. “He shouldn’t even be thinking of doing that with you. At least while you are with child,” he added with a small, soft chuckle.

Eli laughed. “Oh, honey, believe me when I tell you that our little one is right now nestled firmly inside of me. There will be no harming our babe. We all know that.” Just the idea of a babe growing inside of her made her smile. Man, she was so toast. “When our child comes, however, I think that the two of you will have to be the disciplinarians. I would give in to our child far too easily.” Her little child who would look just like its father.

“Not me,” Lukkis said. “I’m too much of a—what is that term you use, Elisabeth? A softy. Kraven will have to be the mean one out of us all, I’m afraid. He does it so well with everyone else, I think he could with our child as well.”

“Are you kidding? He will likely be the biggest softy of us all. He won’t be able to tell our baby no, and you know it as well as I do, Lukkis. So it’s going to have to be you. Sorry, bub.”

“Me?” he squeaked. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea. And I know for a fact he can be mean or firm when he needs to be. I’ve seen him in action when he’s nearly driven his crew into tears. He’s truly mean.”

Kraven let out a low growl at that.

“That’s them. This will be my child. Our child. Do you honestly think he would ever be able to tell our child no? I don’t.” She looked to Kraven and smiled. “Or am I wrong? Unless it would harm or endanger the child, we both know that you couldn’t say no to them.”

“You are likely not wrong,” Kraven said. Lifting her hand, he pressed a kiss to her fingers. “I cannot tell you no, so our child would not be any different, I am afraid. So, yes, Lukkis will have to be the one to discipline this one and any others.”

“Well, hell,” Lukkis muttered.

Eli nodded and leaned into Kraven’s touch. “See, told you so.” She yawned, then was sound asleep.

Chapter Twenty-One

They woke her up with a few minutes to spare so she could reorient herself. Which was good, because as soon as the transport slid to a stop in the station, they were off and moving quickly. Kraven was in front of her, Lukkis was behind, and they were not letting anyone near her. At a wild guess, it was likely something in Kraven’s expression making people clear a wide path for them. The man could be just so fierce when he wanted.

At the gate, they were through quickly, and then they backed off the sandwich routine to let her walk with them shoulder to shoulder to the vessel.

“Lukkis,” Kraven said.

“I’ll get her settled,” her mate said with a nod. Taking her hand, he led her straight to the ramp while Kraven veered off toward a group of his crew standing at the ready.

Eli walked hand in hand with Lukkis. “Where will I be for the takeoff? On the bridge with Kraven or in your weapons workroom with you, or are you two going to make me settle into our room for the takeoff?” She was certain that they would want her with one of them. She just didn’t know who had drawn the short straw, so to speak.

“We’re all going to be up on the command deck,” he told her. “Kraven wants you close, a sentiment I completely understand, so we’ll meet him there. Hopefully, we can find a corner to perch in until he’s up there and some order is brought to the chaos I’m sure is happening. Either that or we can steal his chair,” Lukkis said with a grin.

“Oh, you know his chair is very comfy, and we both know that he wouldn’t mind if I were settled in it. He might toss you out of it, but he wouldn’t mind me. Especially if he got to hold me.” She was teasing Lukkis and they both knew it. Kraven wouldn’t be settled in his seat for the takeoff. He would be far too busy standing and watching over everyone to ensure they did their jobs.