The Alien’s Claim by Zoey Draven

Chapter Forty-Two

When Erin woke next, it was to bright light and her first thought was: is this heaven?

But if this was heaven, surely it wouldn’t hurt this much. That was her second realization as she groaned.

“Oh my God, she’s waking up,” came a familiar voice. A flash of red hair appeared. “Erin, Erin it’s Lainey. How are you feeling?”

“Lainey,” came a second soft voice. “Don’t crowd her. Give her some space.”

Cecelia, Erin knew, that soft voice unmistakable.

Her vision sharpened, though the room still swam a bit. “Where am I?” she whispered, her throat so dry that she imagined it could tear like paper.

“In the command center,” another voice chimed in. When Erin’s gaze connected with Kate’s, the brunette smiled gently, something wrapped tightly in her arms. She was cradling it like…like a baby. “In the Golden City.”

Erin’s breath hitched, but her head gave a hard, dull throb.

“Enough. Out. All of you,” came a fourth, hardened voice. When Erin looked over at the new voice, she saw it was the old Luxirian doctor. What was his name again? “Even you, lavrix’an. I am sorry.”

“Of course, Privanax,” Kate said, inclining her head. Privanax, that was his name. From the bundle she was cradling, Erin saw a small, chubby arm emerge, the flesh tinted a soft blue from the light.

“Wait,” Erin whispered, struggling to sit up, confused and disoriented and dizzy.

Privanax forced her back down into a supine position and Erin turned her head to see that all the women were there, now filing out the silver door. Kate, Beks, Cecelia, Taylor, Lainey, Bianca, and Crystal.

“Crystal,” Erin whispered, stunned and relieved. The blonde came over before she left, pressing her lips to Erin’s forehead. Tears swam in Erin’s vision and she grasped for her hand. “You’re okay.”

“Yes, I am,” Crystal whispered, squeezing her hand, though Privanax frowned at the blonde, giving her a hard look. “I’m here and safe. Now, you rest. We can talk later.”

Then Erin watched as she, too, left. When the room was cleared, all except for Privanax, Erin felt a little more centered, a little less overwhelmed.

“I am sorry for that, female,” Privanax said. “I told them they could wait, but I did not want them here when you woke. I did not expect you to wake for another span.”

“I—it’s okay,” Erin said, finding her voice. She looked down at her body. She was in a light-colored tunic, her legs bare and strangely pale. There was a heavy ache just over her right breast, and when she peeled the neckline of the tunic back, she saw a white bandage pressed there.

Then she remembered. Po’grak had stabbed her. In the forest. The spaceship, Laccara, the vaccine. And then Jaxor—

She inhaled a sharp breath. “Where’s Jaxor?”

Privanax frowned before he turned his attention back to his glowing screens lining one of the walls of the small room.

“In his cell, I imagine,” Privanax said.

“His…cell?” Erin whispered. Then she remembered the dungeon. The darkness. The vomiting, and then she gasped, pressing her hand to her stomach.

Privanax peered down at her as she struggled to form words.

“Is…” Erin trailed off, wondering how to ask something she hadn’t fully accepted for herself. “Is there a…a baby still?”

Privanax’s lip pressed together and Erin felt a sharp relief, tears stinging her eyes, when he said, “Tev, the offspring is well. Surprising, considering the state that you were in.”

Erin hadn’t even admitted it to herself. That the bouts of her sickness in the dungeon hadn’t had anything to do with the food Kossira had been giving to her. She’d reasoned that surely it would be too soon to have morning sickness if there was a child…then again, she remembered that Luxirians grew quickly—the baby Kate had held in her arms just now was evidence of that.

“You knew you were pregnant,” Privanax said.

“I thought it possible,” Erin whispered. Well, technically speaking, she’d thought it impossible because she hadn’t had a period since arriving on Luxiria. But there she was…pregnant. “Does he know? Did you tell him?”

“I have told no one,” Privanax said.

Erin didn’t know what to make of that. It hurt to swallow and she asked, “Do you have some water?”

Privanax filled her a gobletful and watched as she sipped it. The cool water felt heavenly as it slid down her raw, dry throat.

“I must ask,” Privanax started carefully, “if the child was conceived…willingly.”

Erin stilled, her eyes flashing up to his.

“And whether the sire is Mevirax or Jaxor’an.”

He thought she’d been…

Her voice shook with sudden anger as she said, “I was more than willing. Jaxor would never…”

“I mean no offense, female,” Privanax said softly, his expression neutral. “You were kept in the Mevirax dungeons for some time. I thought that perhaps—”

“How long?”

“Eight spans, we believe.”

“Eight days,” she whispered in disbelief.

It had seemed longer. Much longer. Eight days and nights had seemed like an eternity. She cleared her throat, feeling it tighten.

“I want to see Jaxor,” she said, looking at Privanax. Her heart gave a dull little thud at the thought of seeing him, like it was trying to flutter back to life and failing.

“I do not think that is best right now, female,” he said, his voice gruff and stern. “You are still recovering.”

“I need to know what happened,” she countered. “I need to know—”

Another wave of dizziness made her close her eyes as the room swayed. Now that the memories were returning, she had so many questions they seemed to want to explode from her mind. And yet, she couldn’t form the words.

“Rest,” Privanax said. A sharp pinch came at her arm and when her eyes snapped open and she looked down, she saw that the doctor had injected her with something. “When you wake next, you will feel better.”

Her mind immediately went fuzzy. She closed her eyes and sleep took her again, the jumble of questions dying on her tongue.

* * *

When she woke,only Crystal was in the room this time.

“Hi,” Erin whispered, reaching out with slow limbs to grasp her hand. Crystal was sitting close to the bed and the blonde squeezed her hand tight.

“We were so worried about you,” Crystal said, leaning forward. “Ever since we heard…”

Erin struggled to sit up. Her muscles were sore and aching. Her whole body seemed to throb.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s been five days since they brought you back to the Golden City.”

She blew out a long breath and nodded. She might’ve been asleep for that long, but she still felt tired and groggy.

“What happened?” Erin asked.

“From what Cruxan tells me—”

Erin shook her head, “I meant what happened after that night, after Jaxor took us from the Golden City. In the forest. Were you able to get back all right with Cruxan?”

“Well, no, not exactly. We had to take a long detour thanks to that asshole of yours,” Crystal said softly. Then she smiled, a small, secretive little smile that made Erin’s heart speed. “But I’m kind of glad we did because well, I’m, um…I’m kind of hitched, I guess.”

“What?” she breathed. “To who?”

Crystal was mated?

“To Cruxan,” Crystal said, unable to wipe the grin off her face.

“Oh my God. What…how…” Erin trailed off. “His Instinct woke for you?”

“Yes,” Crystal whispered, a little shy.

Now that Erin was studying her with new eyes, she saw it. She was radiating happiness and contentment. Her whole face was glowing with it.

“Oh, Crystal,” Erin whispered, happy for her friend, even though a treacherous little ache threatened to spoil it. Tears welled in her eyes and she struggled to breathe through a tight throat.

“It’s still new, but I’ve decided to stay,” Crystal confessed softly, squeezing her hand.

“You too?” Erin questioned. Only Bianca would be going home now, it seemed. Back to her family on Earth.

Crystal’s lips quirked a bit. “Aren’t you staying too?”

There was a knowing smile in her voice and Erin wondered what she knew. Did Privanax tell her that she was pregnant? Is that why she assumed Erin would stay?

“I’m sure the council will let the charges go,” Crystal continued, her voice soft yet strong. “You don’t have to worry for him.”

Erin’s brow furrowed. “What charges? What are you talking about?”

“Well…Jaxor’an’s charges,” Crystal said, nibbling her lip.

That was when Erin remembered Privanax saying something about a cell. Jaxor was being kept in a cell.

“You…” Erin was breathing a little heavier now. “You think I’m staying because of him?”

Crystal stilled, peering at her, suddenly unsure. “Aren’t you? I thought…I thought you were his mate. I mean, it was obvious when he first saw you in the Golden City. I was there. I saw how he looked at you.”

Erin remembered it well. But she also remembered everything that came after it too.

She recalled Tavar’s mocking voice as he said, “How do you think you are here, female? Jaxor gave you over to us. As he promised he would.”

She remembered Jaxor’s lies. The lies he’d told right to her face. His cutting betrayal. The heartbreak she felt, the numbness that followed. She remembered the darkness, the feel of the earth beneath her fingernails as she retched into the basin Kossira had left for her.

“I’m not staying for Jaxor,” she whispered. “I’m staying for my child.”

Crystal’s face went slack. For a moment, joy sprang up on her features, but when she saw the look in Erin’s eyes, that joy slowly disappeared.

“You know I can’t raise a half-human, half-Luxirian child on Earth,” Erin said, her voice ragged. She tried to lighten the mood with a small, quirked smile she didn’t feel. “I have to stay now.”

She would never see Jake or Ellora or her mother or her other friends again. She’d never see her students again. She’d never see her home, her town, the little park across the street where she took her morning walks again. All the little things she’d taken for granted…

Erin realized all this with a small, bitter ache, even as she pressed her fingers to her belly.

“Oh honey,” Crystal breathed, swallowing hard. “What…what happened?”

Erin licked her lips. “He betrayed me. He gave me over to the Mevirax, knowing that they had a deal in place with the Jetutians. He was going to knowingly send me back to the Pit.”

Crystal gasped, the color draining from her features even as she shook her head. “No, Erin, he wouldn’t do that. He’s your mate. You should have seen him when he came back here with you. When Privanax tried to keep him from you, they had to sedate him to get him back to his room.”

Erin was shaking her head. Maybe it was guilt that drove him to that. She remembered the hilt of the sword, gleaming from Po’grak’s body in the moonlight, right before she passed out. He’d gotten his revenge, finally. Maybe now that it was done, he was trying to make amends. But his revenge had always come first.

“What happened?” Erin asked, changing the subject, not wanting to think about Jaxor because it hurt too much, like her heart was this shredded thing barely hanging on. “Did…did they get the vaccine?”

“Yes,” Crystal said softly, squeezing her hand. “Thanks to you.”

“There were more vials,” Erin said, a small headache blooming when she pressed herself to remember. “In the medical bay. Did they find those?”

“Cruxan said Po’grak took them. Vaxa’an searched all over the spaceship for them, but Po’grak must’ve gotten rid of them. Or destroyed them. The only vaccine that remained was with you. And because of you, there…there might be hope for the Luxirian females. Privanax is already trying to create more. He’s barely rested at all.”

“And…and Kossira? Laccara? The Mevirax?” Erin asked, faces flashing in her mind.

“The Mevirax warriors that survived the battle were taken into custody. They are here. As are the ones that were at their base. The females too.”

Erin’s eyes closed. “Do you know what will happen to them?”

“No, I don’t,” Crystal confessed. “The council had been deliberating. Endlessly. I’ve hardly seen Cruxan the past few days.”

Erin nodded. She needed to talk to Privanax as soon as she could. She needed to tell him what the vaccine had done to Laccara, the pain she’d felt. Though the vaccine had obviously worked with Kossira, she wondered if it was truly safe.

“And,” she started again, “what about the Jetutians? Their ship?”

“Those that survived have already been shipped off to the Uranian Federation. I think that’s what it’s called. It’s this separate governing body, overseeing politics and war matters for the universe. Can you imagine the headache of working there?” Crystal tried to joke.

Erin conjured a small laugh, though it made the wound over her chest pull sharply.

“Luxiria gets to keep their spaceship though,” Crystal added. “One less spaceship in the universe that can travel to the Fourth Quadrant, at least. That’s a silver lining.”

Erin nodded.

“Bianca will be leaving soon,” Crystal said softly. “If you’re staying, there’s no reason to delay her departure.”

Erin gave her a small smile. “They recovered the Luxirian crystal?”

The blonde nodded. “At the Mevirax base. They were just waiting for your decision.”

A tear escaped, tracking down Erin’s temple. She didn’t think she’d cried so much in her life, much less in front of another. But she couldn’t help it. Knowing that Bianca would be reunited with her family, knowing that she herself would never be reunited with her own, was a bittersweet feeling. It choked her. The pain of it was hard to swallow.

“Tell them to go,” Erin whispered, squeezing Crystal’s hand, looking at her through watery eyes. “She shouldn’t have to wait any longer.”

Bianca had a family of her own, a daughter, a husband she loved dearly. She had waited long enough to see them again.

“I wrote a letter to Lauren, to my sister,” Crystal said softly. “All of us have written letters and given them to Bianca to deliver. I thought you’d want to do the same too.”

A sob rose in Erin’s throat and she nodded. “Y-yes, I’ll do that. I’ll do that now.”

When she struggled to rise, Crystal pressed her back and said, “Bianca won’t leave until she knows you’re fully recovered, that you’re okay. You don’t need to do it now. Give yourself time, Erin. You were kept as a prisoner for over a week and stabbed for God’s sake.”

Erin drew in a long, slow breath.

Crystal stroked her hair, sitting quietly beside her.

Then she said, “Jaxor’an has been asking about you. Almost every moment. I think Vaxa’an is going to have him gagged soon because he’s been driving his guards crazy.”

Erin’s lips pressed together. She wished she didn’t feel the flutter in her belly at the thought that he wanted to see her. She hated that she felt it.

“Do you want me to,” Crystal took in a deep breath, “send for him? So you two can talk?” When she didn’t reply, Crystal bit her lip again, her gaze dropping to her belly. “Does he know you’re pregnant?”

“No,” Erin whispered.

“Do you want to see him?”

Erin huffed out a small laugh, but she felt no amusement. Did she want to see him?

Yes. She wanted to see him so she could look him in the eye and ask why he’d betrayed her, why he’d lied to her at every turn. She wanted to see him to ensure that he was alive and unharmed, even though she wished she could hurt him. She wanted to see him to ask if he’d ever had any feelings for her, or if he’d just been lying about that too.

Mostly, she wanted to see him because she longed to see him and she hated that desperate need inside her. She longed to see those blue eyes, hear that dark voice.

What she needed was the truth, however.

“Yes,” she whispered to Crystal. “I need to see him.”