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Audril took her by the hand and carefully led her through the bustle of the ship preparing for the jump.
    The proper quarters were a sensory cradle. A semi-reclined seat that was filled to put pressure on all of her limbs so that she could continue to feel the world around her as they jumped. It was very thoughtful of Audril and that was the last thought she had for a while, because as soon as she waved the Captain off and took her place in the cradle, the klaxon rang for the jump and she passed out. 
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    When she woke Sarah felt like she had been trampled by wild beasts, or at least some toddlers. She groaned and grunted as she fought free of the cradle, successfully gaining her feet with only moderate effort. A beeping from the communications console got her attention. “Yes?”
    “Pyro Anders? Are you all right? I am Com Officer Veral.”
    “I am. Why do you ask?”
    “We have been out of jump for two hours and no one had heard from you. We are about to enter orbit around Nyal. The Captain has requested that you meet her at the shuttle bay.”
    “How am I supposed to manage that?”
    “Follow the red lights to the shuttle.”   There was a smile in his voice. “Just joking. Chief of  Security Kellan will be there in a moment to escort you.”
    “Oh. You are one of those funny Com Officers.” She could almost see the grin on the other end of the line.
    “Yes. It gets lonely on the aft side of the ship, no one can find me.”
    Sarah was just about to give another snappy comeback when there was a knock on the door. Unsurprisingly there was an officer outside her door that resembled Athon a lot. The red eyes gleamed down at her with an assessing look, in a face that was all too familiar. His startled look at her belly almost made her laugh, “Chief Kellan?”
    “I am.”
    “Pyro Anders. You are escorting me to the shuttle bay?”
    “I am.” He blinked slowly. “You are pregnant.”
    “You are observant. Shall we go?”
    He held out his arm.
    She took it. It was a gesture common on Dhema, but not Nyal and she smirked as her supposition was confirmed. This was Athon’s father. Their walk through the ship was done in silence, the crew did not look at them and gave them a wide berth. Obviously, a human who had swallowed a basketball was a frightening thing. 
    When they arrived at the shuttle, Captain Audril was waiting.
    The two older persons simply loaded her onto the shuttle, stowed her bag and set the shuttle checks in place. They weren’t speaking to each other, but Audril and Chief of Security Kellan were obviously communicating. 
     
    * * * *
     
    Audril was busy tearing her mate a new one . I can’t believe that you convinced Athon that he needed to start looking for a new mate.
    She left him. He was aggrieved .
    She had to. She was needed on Danyo.
    I know that, now. But at the time I thought his moping was due to his being rejected by that creature.
    She is not a creature. She is the woman who is carrying our first grandchild. You had best remember that or she will bolt. Audril grabbed at the controls and set up the launch sequence that would take them from the ship.
    What if he has found a mate in our absence? Kathak was growling. He always did it when he was losing a battle with her, which was often.
    He will know his true mate when he sees her, but I want to make a good impression on this Terran. She has the resources to take the child away and we would never see it.
    He could keep her as concubine.
    She flexed her hands on the controls to keep from slapping her mate. She is a Pyro of the Citadel, a scorcher. She has more to offer the world than her cunt.
    Kathak winced. If she was using blunt language outside the bedroom, he was in trouble. She announced her title as a Pyro, but I wasn’t listening. Her belly is huge!
    She still has two months to go according to the research I did on her species. They carry out front until the baby drops.
    Are