“They only want us, and all that matters is that you are safe. I need you to be safe. You now carry my child, Jessica. I didn’t wish to tell you now, but… my datapad. I used it to scan you this morning without asking, while I was speaking with my brother. You are carrying life inside you.” I placed my hand on her belly where our child rested.
She shook her head. “No, no. They can’t take you away. I need you, K’Tem. You have to try to hide if they come. You have to. Promise me.” I was grateful to hear her words, that she would travel through the trees with the Aashi.
“I promise, my love.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jessica
Iwas carrying life inside me… I was going to have a baby.
Koh and Tomlee took turns carrying me through the trees with the others. My body hurt from the way I held on, and I wasn’t one to be scared of heights, but when they jumped through the trees and swung off the branches… I was scared. I held on so tightly that Koh asked me to loosen my hold as it was causing him some pain.
I felt terrible. I didn’t want to hurt him as he was doing heavy lifting… aka me, while trying to jump through the trees. I didn’t want him to miss a branch and have us fall to our death.
“We will camp here for the night,” Vallyn called out. The M’Mori ships had disappeared and moved on some time ago, but it didn’t mean they weren’t waiting somewhere for us. K’Tem couldn’t get ahold of his brother so he wasn’t able to find their location. I just hoped they weren’t where we were headed.
“I want to go down, to be with K’Tem. We can’t leave him down there alone.”
I could see the look in Koh’s eyes. He didn’t want me to be down there, but he wasn’t going to argue with me either.
“My mate, it’s not safe down there,” he muttered as he descended the tree. I kissed his cheek and I saw the edge of his lips turn up in a smile.
“You try to distract me, my love.” He chuckled. I grabbed on tighter. Hell no, I didn’t want him distracted as we were dropping out of a huge tree.
“No more distractions. Get us down safely.” Tomlee chuckled beside us on another tree.
“I am very skilled at climbing trees. I wouldn’t let you drop,Jee-seka.” I laughed, and before I knew it we were on the ground. My muscles too sore to stand, I collapsed in a heap.
“My hearts, why are you down here?” K’Tem swooped me up into his arms. I pulled him in for a kiss.
“I wanted to see you. I wanted to sleep with my mates.” I was glad the moonlight made it easy to see. We would see the M’Mori coming… right? But K’Tem was just like Koh, only he had the guts to stand up to me.
“You go up there, sleep where it is safe. Sanza and I will sleep below. This way, if anything happens, you will hear it and be able to move on swiftly.”
I didn’t want this; I wanted my new family to be together as one. My heart was breaking for K’Tem. He fell in love with someone he shouldn’t and followed his heart. And now he might be killed by his own people. Because he betrayed them to save a whole world and the Aashi people.
I choked out a sob. This was important now. I carried his child. I hadn’t stopped thinking about those words. I didn’t know his datapad could do that—look for life inside me. I wanted to scan Brooklyn and see how many she was really having. This could be such a useful tool to have. We could check the health of the babies.
“I will protect your mate, Jessica.” Sanza came to stand beside K’Tem. He was so tall. And blue. It was interesting seeing the differences between the two of them, where Sanza could hide in the night, K’Tem’s whole chest glowed as bright as the night sky.
“Cover your chest, please. I don’t want them finding you with fated marks.”
K’Tem looked down and the look he gave me was cute, like he forgot they were there as he ran his fingers over the swirls absentmindedly.
“I didn’t think of that, thank you, Jessica.” He kissed me again, and when he let go, Koh jumped up the tree with me, scaring the crap out of me as he rushed back up. I watched K’Tem put on a shirt to cover his glowing fated marks.
“Do you wish to sleep beside Elle?” Tomlee asked. I looked over and saw she was lying against her mate, Marin. But it was like she was on a platform that had been built there.
“We have room,” she offered and I agreed. If she was fine with my guys, I was with hers. It was Tomlee who sat with me. I was wrapped in his arms just as Elle was wrapped in Marin’s arms.
“I’m exhausted and I haven’t even done anything but be carried. I kinda wish I could have slept while I was being carried, but too much jostling,” she told me as she yawned. I followed the yawn.
“I’m feeling the same, but I don’t know how I will sleep knowing K’Tem is down there… I can’t lose him.”
Elle reached her open palm over to me. I moved in Tomlee’s arms so I could reach out and hold her hand. She was supportive and caring, and knew I just needed her reassurance.
After a long time and I still couldn’t sleep, I reached up and stroked Tomlee’s face. His face was so relaxed as I traced his brow line and down to his lips. I could feel his cock growing beneath me. I stopped and I could see the hint of his smile.
