them, but she kept that information to herself. “Thank you, warrior. You did well.”
“I did very well.” Eight-Two puffed his chest out. The young warrior appeared pleased with himself.
Lea smothered her amusement and opened the pack. “I fabricate garments.” She removed the pieces. “If you see anything you like, consider those items to be gifts from all of us here on Chamele 4.”
“Fuck, yes. I see something I like.” Ellie held out an ass covering Lea had constructed for a young human male. “This has all the sheaths and holsters a trainee could want. And it is decorated with images of weapons. This garment might finally bring a smile to Lysagh’s sullen face.”
“I heard she was asking about becoming an assassin.” Gale wandered to the other chair. “She has so much anger in her.”
“We might lose her.” Ellie sighed. “I’ll do my best to stop that, but we can’t, unfortunately, save them all.”
Lea didn’t know who Lysagh was, but she heard the caring and the worry in the females’ voices. “Don’t give up on her.” Everyone needed someone to believe in them.
“I never give up on anyone.” Gale picked up an experimental piece Lea had crafted.
It was a neck decoration in the form of a flower. She’d fabricated it out of scrap pieces of leather, hadn’t sought to match the shades of brown, as she never thought it would be seen.
“There are much nicer neck decorations in the other pile.” Lea hovered by the blonde. “I meant to destroy that one.”
“I want it.” Gale clutched it to her chest. “Don’t destroy it.”
Lea was appalled. It wasn’t a piece worthy of the female, and it wasn’t representative of her work. “But—”
“My gerel has an affinity for broken things…and for broken beings.” Murad gazed at Gale with open adoration. “You would make her extremely happy, Tolui’s gerel, if you gave it to her as a gift.”
Lea didn’t want to share substandard work with anyone, but she very much wanted to make the female happy. “Of course she may have it.”
“Thank you.” Gale smiled, clasping the neck decoration as though it were a treasure.
“Did you see anything that interested you, my little bounty hunter?” Khan approached Zeta, his gaze fixed on his gerel’s face.
“I’m not little. I’m as large as a full-grown unee.” The female glared at her Warlord. “And you know I can’t wear a fuckin’ thing in this chamber, barbarian.” She unwrapped the ropes from her waist and flung them to the stone floor. “I can’t even fit into my own ass coverings.”
The skintight garment was partially unfastened. Her stomach had a slight curve to it.
All talking stopped. Warlords and warriors and gerels stared at the female.
“You’re having a child.” Murad was the first to recover from the surprise. “You’re a fortunate Warlord, brother.” He slapped Khan on his back. Hard.
“This is why you didn’t volunteer for the assignment.” Berke’s head dipped. “You will be as great of a father as you are a warrior.” He pounded the male also. Equally hard.
“I’ll strive to be as great of a father as ours was.” There was a suspicious sheen clouding Khan’s dark eyes.
A silence fell between the Chamele Warlords.
Lea, having known loss, understood their regret.
Her father would never meet her Warlord. She glanced at Tolui. He would never meet the male she loved.
And the Chamele brothers’ father would never meet Khan and Zeta’s baby.
“Second, source containers of beverage for everyone.” Khan was the first to recover. “We’re celebrating new life and hard-won peace within our sector, this planet rotation.”
One warrior rushed out of the chamber. The others cheered.
“Don’t source a container for me.” Zeta gazed up at her Warlord. “I can’t drink fermented beverage, either.” Her hands curved protectively over her stomach. “Ugh. I can’t drink, can’t track our enemies. Which is what I do…or what I used to do.”
Lea was grateful the female couldn’t undertake that last task. She suspected one of those enemies had been Tolui.
“You wouldn’t allow me to tell Elle and Gale about our baby over the communication lines.” The pregnant bounty hunter continued to air her frustrations. “Because you’re a paranoid bastard, and you thought someone would dare to target me…like anyone could defeat me in a fight.”
“No one would dare to touch you.” The Warlord she had called a paranoid bastard clasped the female’s hands and pulled her into his arms. “You’re skilled, and you’re beautiful, and you glow brighter than our sun.”
“I’m bigger than our sun.” Zeta leaned back and frowned at Khan. “You did