Wed to the Alien Prince by C.V. Walter

Chapter 13

Kaelin expected to be bored. Since she was going to be confined to the quarantine room for a while, she didn't think there would be much for her to do. Roger helped her unpack her things and get settled into the room then hovered by the door.

"I must-"

"You need to go?" she asked, her eyebrow raised at him.

"For a moment," he told her.

"Do you have to go to work?"

"No, I-" he hesitated and sighed. "Briefly, very briefly, and I need to let my people know what to do over the next few days while I'm here."

"People? Do you mean servants?"

"Only in the strictest sense," he told her. "And not really what you would consider servants. I have-"

"You have people," she told him. "And since you took off without telling them what was going on and you likely didn't tell them that I was going to be returning with you, you have to go and tell them what to do."

"Yes," he said, releasing a heavy breath. "Why do you understand that?"

"Because," she told him. "I told you it was okay if you had to work while I was here. I don't expect you to spend all your time with me. It wouldn't be right or fair."

"But I want to spend all my time with you," he told her. "And this will make that possible for the next several days."

"Do you think this will be finished in a few days?"

"I don't know," Roger told her, his voice earnest. "I hope so but I have no idea what Mintonar is going to be able to do. Either way, I need to arrange things to be done in my absence and to make sure that they'll be ready for you when you are ready for them."

"Roger," Kaelin said. "I told you I understand and I do. I'm not upset that you need to go and work and I'll be here when you get back. If that's tonight, great. If it's not, I understand."

He cupped her face and kissed her breathless. "I'll be back tonight. Within a few hours, if everything goes right."

"And if it doesn't?" Her voice sounded high pitched and strange to her ears.

"If it doesn't, it will take longer and I will still return for you. Eat and sleep when you need to and I will join you when I return."

"Even if I'm asleep?"

"I will do my best not to wake you but I find that the thought of going to bed without you in my arms is not something I wish to do ever again."

Kaelin flushed and he kissed her again. Longer this time, lingering over each caress of his lips against hers, until she was pressed against him and trembling.

"Hurry back," she said, and he nodded. When he let her go, she put a hand out to steady herself and watched him back out the door and turn. She sighed. She really, really hoped this worked out. And, if it didn't, she hoped they got far enough to ease the ache that had been building between her thighs since the first time they touched.

Knowing she wasn't going to get relief from that ache any time soon, Kaelin pulled out her ereader and settled into a chair. It was more comfortable than she'd expected it to be and she was only slightly concerned when it started shifting around her. Roger had explained it was supposed to make her feel more at ease and the fabric could 'read' small shifts in her muscles to adjust padding and tension where it needed to.

She settled back, rubbing her shoulders against the back of the chair until it felt just right, then turned her attention to the story she was reading. She was a paragraph in when someone knocked on her door.

"I'm quarantined," she called. "And I don't know how to open the door."

The door slid open and a grinning, happy Molly poked her head in. "I've got permission to visit, if you want visitors," she said.

"Molly!" Kaelin exclaimed and pushed out of her chair. Her friend met her halfway and pulled her in for a hug. "Oh, I've missed you. How are you? Mintonar seems nice, are you happy? I wish you'd call more."

Molly laughed. "I'm fine. Mintonar is very nice and I'm so sorry, I was terrible about calling anybody. Aidan called me more often than I called him. I wasn't sure if anybody wanted to actually hear from me."

"Of course we wanted to hear from you," Kaelin told her. "When you left, we were all worried about you and the only information we got was from pestering Aidan about how you were doing."

Molly squeezed her tighter. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't want to worry anybody but I also knew a lot of people were mad at me for quitting the law firm and getting a divorce."

"I was never one of those people, Mol, and you know it. I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Molly said. "And I'm so glad you're here. Mintonar filled me in on some of what's going on but not everything and I'm sure you have questions."

"I always have questions," Kaelin said. "And I don't know how many of them you can answer."

Molly sighed. "Probably not as many as I'd like. I'm still learning a lot about what's going on and I have the feeling that this pregnancy is going to be critical for understanding how humans work for Mintonar."

"That's great!" Kaelin said.

"It is," Molly agreed. "But that also means he doesn't quite have a handle on how it's all going to go. This is the first hybrid baby in generations and most of them were born on different planets so the data about what can happen is more than a little slim."

"Okay, that part's not great but you can have a baby with him! And he's a doctor and very interested in keeping you and the baby safe," Kaelin said, stepping back but keeping hold of Molly's hand. "And maybe you can have the little girl you always wanted."

"The one I gave up on having over a decade ago," Molly told her. "I'm old, K.K., and I was starting to feel it even before I ended up on the ship. Aidan's an adult and isn't going to need me anymore. I was ready to start a new chapter of my life."

"And you are!" Kaelin could feel the panic start to rise in her chest. "You're on a new adventure and there's going to be babies and friends and someone who loves you, right?"

The smile that broke through Molly's face eased the ache in her chest. "Right."

"And he definitely loves you?"

"More than anybody in my life," Molly told her. "And that's saying a lot because I had you and Mindy to love me."

"But not the same as we do, right?" Kaelin said. "I mean, I know you said being friends with someone is important before you become lovers but, well, girl friends are different than boyfriends."

Molly hugged her again and nodded. "You and Mindy and Trina won't ever be replaced," she said. "Even when I'm stupid in love and having babies."

"I don't think you'd ever be stupid in love," Kaelin said. "Maybe a little reckless but, um, if Mintonar does the things to you that Roger does to me, I wouldn't blame you."

"Roger?" Molly asked. "Oh, the prince? Have you guys-?"

"We just met!" Kaelin exclaimed.

"Uh huh, and?" The grin on Molly's face was wide and bright.

"And nothing," Kaelin said. "He's been the perfect gentleman, mostly."

"Mostly?" Molly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He's very used to getting his own way," Kaelin said. "There's been a little friction there but mostly he's very conscientious about how he treats me."

"Ah, well, yes, he is a prince, after all. Though remarkably approachable for all that."

"I get the feeling he wasn't exactly the favored son," Kaelin said wryly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, would you have taken off for a new world if you were daddy's favorite and set to inherit everything?"

"Probably not," Molly admitted. "Though from what I've heard about the conditions on their home world, I might have. Especially if I didn't think I could fix them or would lose my favored status for trying."

"I don't know as much about it as I'd like," Kaelin said. "But I get the feeling that he was trying to fight the changes going on and it wasn't going well. So, I think you're right, but I think there's more to it than that."

"There always is," Molly said with a sigh. "It's almost like they're a different culture with a deep history and challenges that we can't possibly hope to learn about enough to make a meaningful impact."

It was a long-standing not-joke between them. "Well, you impact Mintonar, I'll work on impacting Roger and hopefully we'll make enough of a difference to make their lives better," Kaelin said. "Then, maybe, our grandchildren will know enough to help their father's grandfathers. Or, they can work on not making the same mistakes."

"You're planning on keeping Serogero?" Molly asked with a smile. "And planning on grandchildren?"

Kaelin blushed and nodded. "I want to," she said. "I still don't know if it's possible but he seems like the kind of person I wouldn't mind keeping."

"Even though he's used to getting his own way most of the time?"

"Even though," Kaelin said. "Heck, maybe because he is. I've pushed back against him being a bully and he seemed to take it with good grace. I'd like to know him a bit longer but I get the feeling that we're not going to have the time to get to know each other better before I'm going to be forced to make a decision."

"I want to tell you that you'll have the time but I honestly don't know," Molly said. "It feels like it's taking forever to move even a little bit forward but that's how these things go, right? Very slowly and then all at once."

Kaelin shrugged. "I guess. I've never made contact with an alien species before so I don't know that I can actually say that with any certainty. But considering that I've known Roger for less than twenty-four hours, I wouldn't mind that slow part."

Molly smiled at her. "He's a nice guy, all things considered, and Mintonar is wonderful. The recognition thing takes some getting used to but, honestly, if you like him and you're having as strong a reaction to him as I did to Mintonar, I can't think of any reason why you'd want to say no."

"Not 'no', exactly," Kaelin said. "But maybe 'not yet'? Is that an option?"

Molly nodded. "Sit down, I'll tell you what I know."

"This sounds like there's not an option to slow down," Kaelin sighed and went back to her chair.

"There's always an option to slow down," Molly said. "Or to walk away. For us, at least. For the Orvax, though, it might actually be life or death. Not just for them as individuals but for them as a species."

With another deep sigh, Kaelin nodded. "I was afraid of that. Tell me what you know."

An hour later, Kaelin felt like she had a better grasp on what was going on. She knew why Roger didn't want to leave her, even for as long as he had to, and what would likely happen if they continued the way they were going. Technically, she didn't have a problem with going forward the way they were, she just didn't know if she was going to be able to do so with the grace Molly was showing.

When she looked down at the little band on her wrist that looked like a smaller version of the one Roger wore, Kaelin knew their time to visit was up.

"I'll be back tomorrow, K.K.," Molly said. "My husband has reminded me that it is time for dinner, or will be soon. And that I have a guest."

Kaelin stood up and hugged Molly again, squeezing her close. "I don't know how you did this by yourself," she said. "Even having you here and knowing Roger is literally biologically programmed to fall in love with me, I'm so scared."

Molly hugged her. "I know you are," she said. "But you have a plan now, right? And you know I'm here to help you. Whatever you need, you let me know, okay? All you have to do right now is decide what you want. Not necessarily in the far future but in the next few hours, then the next few days, and the next few weeks. And if you want those things with Roger, which I'm guessing you do?"

"The idea is not as terrifying as it was," Kaelin told her. "Even if I still feel like I should be pinching myself to make sure this is all real."

"Just wait until you're mad at him," Molly said with a laugh. "Mad enough to spit and maybe claw his eyes out. And if you can't bring yourself to hit him because you might bruise that spot you really like to kiss on his shoulder, you'll know."