The Alion King(36)
“She appears to have a bug.” His mother glanced up at Alyx. “Did you take her to the falls?”
He nodded, guilt shredding him from the insides. It was his fault Bella was sick. He should have known better. “It’s my fault. I took her there.”
“Calm down, son. She’ll be fine.” His mother tapped Bella’s jaw and felt her forehead. She glanced at Gerri and motioned to the kitchen. “Make some tea out of the herbs in the green jars.”
Gerri rushed off to the kitchen to make the tea. Alyx bent down to hold Bella’s hand. “What made her sick?”
“It was something small, Alyx. Minor. Normally, she wouldn’t have gotten sick, but her system is...” She pressed her lips together as if fighting the urge to grin. “It’s changing. So her body couldn’t cope with so much at once.”
He didn’t understand what that meant. He paced the living room. Gerri returned with the tea a few minutes later. He helped Bella sit up, watching her open her eyes to smile at him and then at his mother. “Oh, wow. He looks just like you.”
“Thank you, dear. That’s the highest compliment you could pay a mother,” his mom said.
“Here,” Gerri said, passing Bella a mug of tea. “Drink this.”
Bella sniffled and sighed. “The heat is opening up my airways. It smells so good.” She sipped on the tea and swallowed repeatedly. “Tastes fruity.”
She drank the tea, and Alyx watched, his lion restless from the need to help his mate.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
His mother frowned. “It’s going to take more than thirty seconds for it to work, you know?”
Bella frowned, glancing around as if for the first time. “I don’t get why getting a cold is such a big deal. I bet this won’t be the last time for a human who comes here.”
“She’s right,” his mother said. “Any others who take human mates will need to be made aware that they run the risk of getting sick.”
“I still don’t get how she got sick,” Gerri said. “This place is germ-free.”
His mother curled an arm around Bella’s shoulders, hugging her to her side. “Bella was bitten by the Flower Tindle.”
“The what?” Bella asked.
“It’s like a ladybug from your planet. Under normal circumstances, that’s not going to make a person sick.” She glanced at Alyx, her lips no longer suppressing the smile. “But Bella’s body is changing, and her immune system couldn’t handle the bite and the new DNA flooding her body.”
“Excuse me?” Bella asked, looking totally lost. “You confused me with the ‘new DNA.’”#p#分页标题#e#
“You’re pregnant,” Gerri said. “Hah! Why didn’t I think of that?” She shook her head. “Your scent changed, but I thought it was because you were inhaling the food and atmosphere here.”
Alyx’s heart sped up so fast he thought it might spring from his chest. “She’s pregnant?”
His mother nodded. “Very much so.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Bella curled a hand around her belly. “Holy shit!”
She’d gone from having a cold to “Holy crap, I’m going to have a baby!” in a few hours flat. Alyx glanced at her. She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. This had to be good, right? He’d definitely mentioned wanting her pregnant at least once. He offered her his hand, and she stood, her legs no longer wobbly, and left the cabin by his side.
They walked together, in silence through the quiet night, down a path that led to where they could see the moons clearly.
At a rock, he lifted her to sit on the flat, smooth surface and proceeded to stand between her legs, cupping her face in his hands.
“Alyx?” She was getting worried. He was so quiet, and his face gave nothing away. “This is good, right? You want babies.”
He nodded, pulling her into a tight hug, and brushed his lips over hers. “I love you, my Bella. Ym Neevk.”
She smiled and kissed him back. “I love you, too.” She met his gaze and sighed. “Can I tell you a story?”
“You can tell me anything. I will always listen.”
She smiled. “Communication is important.”
“Yes. I was told by someone very intelligent that couples need to listen and talk. And trust each other.”
“That is a smart person.” She laughed.
“What’s your story?”
She bit her lip, unsure how to begin. “For so many years, I lived on a planet where I was reduced to the size of my clothes.” She slid a hand over his scruffy jaw, running her fingers through his beard.