Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
“A little. I just figured my eyes were getting worse.”
“Do you wear glasses or contacts?”
“No. It hasn’t been that bad yet.”
I’m holding my breath. I can tell Dankin has a suspicion, but he’s not saying a word yet. He surprises me when he moves to her chest and gently palms one of her breasts. “Have you put on any weight, Little one?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“What about your breasts? Have they been sore or enlarged?”
“I think so.” Her voice is weak, and she glances at me. She also realizes Dankin has a theory.
Dankin captures her nipple between his thumb and pointer. “Have you noticed any discharge from your breasts, Clara?”
She swallows hard. Her cheeks turn pink. “Yes,” she whispers. This embarrasses her.
I’m struggling not to panic. I want Dankin to tell me right now what he’s theorizing, but I hold my tongue. It might not be prudent for him to speculate in front of Clara. I don’t think he’s certain yet.
“I’m going to squeeze your nipple, Clara.” He pinches the little bud several times, and I withhold a gasp as a white substance comes out.
Is she pregnant? The idea suddenly enters my mind. I’ve never heard of a female who was with child being selected by a male from my planet, but that seems logical. Fatigue. Fainting. Weight gain. Enlarged breasts. Secretions from her nipples.
I feel like I’m going to faint, too. I’m still holding her thigh, but my mind is racing a million miles an hour. What if my mate is pregnant? What does that mean for us? I would never be able to part from her. Our bond is already so strong it’s not an option.
Would we be permitted to return to Eleadia if she’s pregnant? Could she travel in such a state? Would it be safe? She would arrive on my home planet almost ready to deliver. I’m certain something like this has never happened. I would have learned about it.
What would we do with a human baby on Eleadia? There are no provisions for taking care of an infant. We don’t have any. It’s been over a hundred years since our females last gave birth. All of those females have since died out, leaving only males.
I assume there are some medical professionals who know about human babies, but how much do they know? The females we mate with and bring back to the home planet do not conceive. We aren’t compatible enough to produce offspring.
It’s suspected that because our males are so large, a human female would not survive giving birth if she could even carry one of our species. That would explain why nature has not permitted compatibility. Our sperm will not penetrate a human egg.
But my Clara… What if she’s carrying a fetus inside her already?
Chapter Five
Clara
I don’t know how I can sense Kalbrac’s stress, but I can. He’s worried about me. I’m worried about me, too, but I’ve been living with whatever is wrong with me for a few months. He only found out a few hours ago.
It’s weird, the bond between us. I feel it growing by the minute. I can’t begin to understand why it’s happening. It’s not logical. I assume it has something to do with the fact that he pricked my skin so many times.
He pricked my nipples… And now the doctor is pinching them. He’s concerned. His brow is furrowed. I’m too freaked out to ask what he’s thinking.
“Did you tell a doctor about this, Clara?” he asks as he switches from one nipple to the other.
I need him to stop. My nipples are very tender from Kalbrac sucking on them. My arousal is growing again from the attention. It’s disconcerting because this time it’s not Kalbrac doing the touching.
I need it to stop. “Papi…” I look his direction.
Kalbrac is paler than before. He looks very nervous. His gaze is on Dankin. His breath hitches as the doctor shifts his attention from my breasts to my stomach. He palpates all over my abdomen. “Any pain, Little one?” he asks softly.
“No, Sir.” I keep shifting my attention from the doctor to Papi. I can feel my stress level rising.
Dankin turns to pick up a device I don’t recognize from the counter. It looks like a metal detector. I’ve never actually seen a metal detector except on television, but I think that’s what they look like.
I’m pretty sure Kalbrac is holding his breath as Dankin turns the gadget on. “This is going to scan your entire body, Clara. It’s sort of like an X-ray and an MRI combined.” He looks at Kalbrac. “Can you let go of her for a few minutes?”
Kalbrac stiffens. I think he might argue for a moment, but he finally lets go of me and steps back. His eyes meet mine. He’s panicked. I get the feeling this doesn’t happen to him often.