The Alien's Equal (Drixonian Warrior #7) - Ella Maven Page 0,65

my side, I knew we could fix any problem that arose.

Daz swallowed and lifted his head to Gram. “I thank you for this.”

Gram nodded. “I can’t give you back what you lost, as much as I wish I could.”

“You’ve done a lot,” Sax said. “You didn’t make the decision to unleash the virus.”

“No, but I still feel responsible. We all do.” The Uldani behind him, silent until now, murmured assents in low tones.

Footsteps sounded behind us, and I turned to find more bodies approaching, this time in the form of females. Val and her belly led the way. As soon as Sax saw her coming, he jogged to her side, and with one hand around her waist, and the other holding her hand, he helped her waddle forward. Frankie wasn’t far behind, walking as fast as she was able with Miranda.

More Drixonians had begun to emerge for the day. I hadn’t realized we’d drawn a crowd.

Val’s face lit up when she spotted Gram, and her eyes glistened with tears. “My savior,” she murmured.

Gram’s face colored as he let Val draw him into a hug. Sax hovered nearby, clearly not happy about his pregnant mate being so close to someone else. Val gripped Gram’s hands. “Thank you so much for all you did.”

“You make a lovely pregnant female,” Gram said.

“Yeah, okay, we know. Get your paws off her, Uldani,” Sax huffed, breaking up their contact. Val swatted at him, but that didn’t deter him from drawing his mate into his arms.

“What’s going on?” Frankie asked as she stepped to Daz’s side.

He still held the tablet, but at the presence of his mate, he came out of his stupor to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Gram has come bearing news.”

“Oh yeah?” Frankie said, craning her neck to peer at the tablet. “What news?”

A serene smile crossed his face. “We’re going home, my cora-eternal.” His voice rose to carry over the gathered Drixonians and humans. “You will birth my chit on Corin, on the land our mothers and fathers walked. We’ll feed him from the soil that nourished the bodies of generations of Drixonians before us.” His chest heaved and his eyes glowed.

Frankie stood at his side, the breeze blowing her long dark hair around her shoulders and her dress around her legs. She gazed on with pride at her mate, just as I watched my drexel with respect.

“We’re going home!” Daz shouted to the gathered crowd.

Cheers went up, feet stomped, and soon the very ground was vibrating with the celebrations of hundreds of Drixonian males.

I clasped Justine’s hand, and watched as tears streamed from her eyes.

Daz bent down and placed a hand on Frankie’s bulging stomach. With his hair flying and his nostrils flaring, he roared one last call to arms. “She is All!”

“She is All!” The echoing chant was likely heard all the way to Corin.

Epilogue

One month later…

Frankie

I already had to pee every five minutes because of the gigantic baby pressing on my bladder, but now I also had to pee because I was shaking with nerves. One thing I knew for certain, I would do just about anything not to get on a spaceship again.

We’d spent a week on the massive warship, and I had to admit the accommodations were nice Daz’s room—a massive En suite afforded him as the ship’s captain—was impressive, with a large bed, a massive cleanser stall, and even a soaking tub, which I’d used almost every day since my back hurt literally all the time.

We’d sent scouts on a cruiser ahead of time, who sent word back that Corin was habitable and the first crew of Drix and females could return home. I wasn’t sure what I thought about the word habitable. That seemed a little of a low bar to me, but Daz’s excitement was palpable. No way would I ruin his homecoming with my fretting. I’d asked him questions, so I knew vaguely what to expect.

But still, as I stood next to Daz at the hatch of the warship waiting for it to open along with a hundred warriors and all my friends, I feared I’d pee myself from fear. What would the planet look like when this hatch opened? For a long time, I’d resented the walls of the Night Kings clavas, but now they represented safety to me.

I trusted Daz, and I trusted his warriors. If they said it was safe, then I had to be brave.

With a jolt, the giant hatch began to lower. We’d landed near the city