“You’re leaking!” Atox says. “Ossa!” He roars through the crowd. “My female is leaking!”
Ossa doesn’t appear.
Tansey pushes Atox aside. “Her water broke, you brute. That means the baby is coming.”
“But she has not turned blue yet.”
Both Tansey and Paloma stare at Atox as if he were lying. “Your women turn blue?” Tansey asks.
“Don’t all females?” I ask.
“No. They don’t turn colors. But when the amniotic sac that cushions the baby breaks, it means she’s going into labor and will give birth soon.”
“Our femalesdon’t leak,” Atox repeats.
“Humans do, which you’d know if you bothered to learn anything about us,” Tansey bites back. “Like not to kidnap us and take us from our children.”
“It’s only been five months!” Paloma says, her breathing becoming rapid as her eyes widen, fear showing in her face for the first time since the racanna nearly drowned her. Like Tansey, this female doesn’t scare easily, which puts Atox and me on edge. He puts his arm around Paloma’s waist and calls out for Ossa again.
“Everyone is dismissed. Find Ossa!” I order the crowd.
Tansey squats in front of Paloma. “Listen to me,” she says in a very calming voice. “Panicking will only make things worse for the baby, so you need to stay calm. Take long, slow breaths.” Tanseybreathes long and slow, until Paloma matches her. “That’s good. How about we get you to your quarters, okay?”
Our graka nods, fear still in her face. “It’s too early to deliver.”
“We don’t know that. This is the first orc-human child. And as you heard the big brute say, their women turn blue and don’t leak. Clearly, there are some differences in the birth process, yes?”
Paloma nods, her breathing evening out finally. “But Lily had her baby at six months.”
“Lily?” Tansey says. “Who’s that?”
“She ran off with an orc before you arrived at New Earth. She has a healthy baby boy. He had to be eight, nine pounds at birth. But she delivered at six months.”
“Then, five months may be considered a little early, or maybe six months was a baby who didn’t want to come out on time. These babies are half orc after all, which means they’re inherently stubborn and obstinate.” Tansey glares at me.
“You are the one who cannot accept her fate here, female,” I reply.
“I have a son that you’re keeping me from.”
“Mate me. Perform the risha with me, and I will bring your son here.”
“Absolutely not. On both counts.”
I lean in to whisper so Paloma cannot hear. “You think by mating me last night that I would bend to your desires and release you? I am a patient male. You will perform risha with me, and then you will be mine for eternity.”
“Never,” she whispers back.
Paloma lets out a scream of pain. “That was a contraction!”
My grak and graka are about to have their first youngling. I look into the eyes of the female I cannot knot. The female who refuses risha with me. I will never have another youngling. “You no longer have a youngling to guide, to raise, to love,” I say, thinking of Veeya.
Tansey raises her hand to slap me. I react to the movement and catch her wrist, then pull her against my body. “You must accept never seeing your youngling again.”
“You’re a bastard.”
Paloma screams out in pain. “I think it’s coming!”
Tansey yanks out of my arms. “Breathe, Paloma. Follow what I do.” She turns utterly calm for Paloma, her anger at me shoved aside as she demonstrates more breathing, her attention fully on Paloma now.
