Cloud Rebel (R-D #3)(18)

It isn't—but there will be a risk if we engage in physical sex.

You just made it worse, I pointed out.

My love—I have not had my child, yet. If I have physical sex with you, I may not be able to hold back from implanting my embryo. I do not want you to be pregnant unless or until you wish it.

Until then, I hadn't even considered that option. Yes, I'd read about Larentii fathers forming the entire embryo in their bodies and placing it in stasis until a suitable mother could be found. Val had waited to place his child.

He'd waited for me.

I wanted to shiver and ask him to hold me at the same time.

Do not be concerned, my love. We will work this out between us, he soothed. We will select our surrogate father together, too.

Huh?

You may think of a surrogate as a godfather, only much more involved. He will help care for you and the child before and after he or she comes.

I need that much care?

You are Larentii, so that will likely be minimal. It is merely a precaution, Lara'Kayan. Non-Larentii mothers need constant attention. The child will need advanced instruction shortly after birth so he learns to control the power he has been given. It is a taxing job in many instances. Since many mothers are not Larentii, they are not equipped to handle those situations. Most mothers are returned to their races, without any memory of their pregnancy.

And that's why they're called found mothers, I grumped.

I see you have a problem with that concept.

I do.

Yes—Father said you would. You must understand that long ago, the mother was not compensated in any way. After Saa Thalarr became mothers of Larentii, that changed because of their influence.

I'm still not totally on board with grabbing unsuspecting women, I grumped.

Then perhaps you should use your influence with Kalenegar to effect changes there.

Influence with him? Riiiiight.

You may have more than you realize. You must present your case in logical and achievable terms, however, to command his attention.

You mean a smack on the shoulder won't work?

I wouldn't anger the Head of the Larentii Council without just cause, my Cori, Val cautioned.

Yeah.

"We probably should start looking for those responsible in the deaths of the employees from the Nevada facility," James said, breaking Val and me out of our private conversation. "Just to see who may now have possession of the drug."

"I shudder to think who may have it," Matt muttered. Well, he'd likely be able to imagine likely suspects, just as Val and I could. The drug in any hands could become a nightmare. This was the one ring—capable of corrupting whoever held it. In the wrong hands, it could spell doom for the entire planet.

"We should keep tabs on those idiots sent by the ASD, too," I pointed out. "I feel trouble may come from that direction, and in a way nobody will appreciate."

They cannot gate away from this world, now, Val advised me. Those have been closed against them.

Yeah, but they can cause too much havoc in other ways.

True.

I'd like to kick Norian Keef's snaky butt for sending them, I said. Surely somebody better was available.

I thought your Earth connections prevented you from speaking ill of the dead, Val hid a smile.

Norian's not dead in the here and now, I pointed out. Besides, Hitler's dead. That doesn't stop me from saying what a colossal f*ck he was.

You're comparing Norian Keef to Hitler?

Only in the fact that they're both dead—one now, one in the future.

Ah. I so enjoy our conversations. They are so fresh and challenging, he grinned.

Well, conversation boy, what should we do about tracking the ass-hats who killed the folks from the Nevada facility? We need to sort that out and keep the folks here safe at the same time.

I may have a solution, Val's grinned widened.

What's that?

"I here," a new voice announced, startling everyone except Val.

I blinked in astonishment. I knew already that Norian Keef was a lion snake shapeshifter—this lion snake shapeshifter was a thousand times better than Norian would ever be in his best moments, and like Val, he was from the future and quite powerful.

Bekzi, the reptanoid, had arrived to help.

"Who is this?" Auggie stood, silently asking me for a more detailed explanation.

"This is Bekzi," I said. "And you should just hand over all the medals you can give to him right now—that's how good he is."

"You make embarrassed," Bekzi gave me a blinding smile.

Somebody really is looking after you, Matt informed me. He sounded grumpy, even in mindspeech.

"This is what you should do," Val said smoothly. "Bring Dr. Shaw here, to tend Katya and Sergei. At least one of us," he indicated himself, Bekzi and me, "will be here to protect them. The others can take Rafe wherever he needs to be and help him investigate the murders and drug disappearances. We will also look in on our ASD infiltrators from time to time, just to keep them out of trouble."

"I'd like to amend that and add Dr. Farrell and his new charges to the list of those staying here," Auggie breathed a sigh. "I think they'll need your protection as well as Leo's assistance."

"I agree," Rafe said. "Help from these three will be welcome," he nodded to me. "I would like to hear updates from the Dublin investigation, too."