Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
I've hugged every baby on the beach. I was never into babies all that much before, but now that I'm pregnant, I can't seem to stay away from them. I snuggled each one and wondered what my baby would look like, and it made me want my baby even more.
We might not have intended to get pregnant, but I can't say I'm unhappy with the situation. Nor am I unhappy with the fact that we seem to be stranded here. It's not ideal, but with a loving community around us, I feel so much more hopeful than I did before. It means Corvak and I can stay together. I can't picture my life without him at my side or going to sleep without his arms around me.
Everyone asked my name, and each time I announced it, it was a reminder that I don't know what Aidy is short for. Just that it's short for something. But the more that I met the others, the less it seemed to matter. There are two other women—Vivi and Natalie—who have no memories of their lives before, either, and they're both doing well. It reassures me that I'm going to be just fine.
Once the early introductions are done, Corvak insists that I sit down with the healer to get looked over. The healer turns out to be a human woman named Veronica. She's the most unassuming, mild-looking woman, but her little home is the biggest and her mate is a golden-scaled, flamboyant alien called Ashtar. They have two cute little boys that get into everything and do their best to distract their mother while she puts her hands on my stomach and "listens" to my body somehow.
"You're pregnant," she confirms. "Did you two have any issues conceiving?"
"Considering that we weren't trying? No issues at all."
Her brow furrows. "Interesting. I wonder what's different."
"Hmm?"
"Oh, just thinking aloud. Your mate looks very similar to Gren, but there must be something different in their physiology. He and his mate weren't able to conceive easily." She prods and feels my stomach again. "But I didn't tell you that."
"Um, okay."
"I can't communicate with your baby because there's no khui, but your body seems healthy enough. If you're getting sick in the mornings this early, it might be something to do with vitamins or electrolytes, which I'm clueless about." She lifts her hands and wiggles her fingers. "I'm practically a faith healer. But there's a fantastic herbal tea that the sa-khui make that helps with an upset stomach and you might try that."
"So there's nothing wrong?" I touch my stomach, still flat and completely normal looking.
"Not a thing." Veronica smiles up at me. "Extra nausea during pregnancy is normal when you're carrying a half-alien baby, I've noticed. Just take it easy and eat small bites of roots or porridge in the mornings."
"We have porridge?" I'm stunned.
Veronica laughs and begins digging through a basket of supplies. "Don't get too excited—it's made from crushed seeds, but it still hits the spot pretty nicely. Do you want some hand-me-downs to wear? You look about the size I was before baby number two. I have some clothes that I no longer wear because my ass never recovered."
"Your ass is magnificent and I want to take a bite out of it," Ashtar calls from the other room in their tent, where he's watching their children. "Do not make me come over there and prove it to you."
"We're just talking," she yells back, a charming pink tinge flushing her cheeks. She pulls out a tunic with a decorative fringe and some flowers embroidered in the leather along the hem. "Try it on, see if it fits?"
Hours later, I'm wearing Veronica's soft, soft clothes, snuggled into a makeshift bed in a supply hut near the main firepit, where most of the cooking is done. There are baskets of roots and tea leaves stacked everywhere, and rolled up skins, along with piles and piles of bones that will be re-used to make utensils. There's barely room for a bed for us, a fact which leaves a lovely, kind woman named Gail absolutely chagrined. "Tomorrow morning, we're going to clean that hut out for the two of you. It's not right to make you have to sleep in our clutter. You can come stay with me and my mate Vaza tonight if you'd like."
It's sweet of her to offer, but after being around people all day, I kind of just want to be alone with Corvak, and I'm positive he feels the same. "The supply hut is more than generous, I promise."
We have a pallet of piled-up furs to sleep on, and a thin mattress made from feathers that goes on the stone-and-mortar floor. The moment the door-flap goes down and we pull the covers over our bodies, I'm hit with a wave of exhaustion. Corvak curls his arm around me, tugging me close, and I gratefully snuggle in against his chest.