Stolen - Nhys Glover Page 0,83

before they left your planet. It has taken us eons to evolve to a stage where we can lift our physical vibrations to a level where we can shift directly into other densities.’

‘So, maybe we’re not compatible. Maybe I can’t get pregnant with your seed if we share no comparable DNA,’ I suggested hopefully.

That seemed to reassure Charsus a little. ‘Yes, that’s likely. I hadn’t considered that possibility. I know it wasn’t raised when my sister chose her Danans because we understood their procreative process. I… I just don’t know…’

‘How long is the gestation period for your kind?’ I asked, remembering that Danan young gestation was a third the length of a human’s.

‘Twelve of your months.’

“He thinks you’re having his young? Charsus is worried about that?” Lain interrupted aloud, putting together my side of the conversation.

“We’re trying to work out if it’s possible. Now we know you guys have ejaculated, pregnancy is a possibility, I guess. One way or the other.”

“A podmate can’t… I mean, it doesn’t work that way,” Lain stammered out his mixed thoughts

“A mating frenzy doesn’t ever include a non-Danan, so we’re on virgin soil here. No pun intended,” I said getting more worried the longer we talked about this subject.

Talk about a buzz-kill. I wanted to rewind to those post-coital moments of bliss and connectedness we all felt. Even Rian/Charsus had shared in those.

Charsus had, hadn’t he?

‘Yes, I did. It was an incredible experience.’ He answered solemnly. ‘Mind Speak allows for such intense intimacy. The emotions exchanged are so highly charged. I have never experienced the like.’

It sounded so impersonal, the way he described his experience. I knew it wasn’t him with me when Rian had his body, but still…

‘I think we have to table this discussion for now. If you’re pregnant with anyone’s young it won’t be an issue for a while. We still have to get home. That’s our priority!’ Rian broke in to include his two-bit’s worth.

It was a worthwhile contribution, and I felt Charsus agree with me.

Aloud I said, “Talk of pregnancy is a discussion for later. Now the adrenalin is gone, I think we need to sleep. I assume we have a long way to go tomorrow.”

There was agreement from everyone.

“I’ll take first watch,” Nial offered.

Did we need someone keeping watch? By the way the others quickly agreed, and Meida offered to take second watch, I knew it likely was a necessary evil. Who knew how many more Vargeez were out there looking for us. And if some had found us, it was likely others could too.

With that unsettling thought I settled in between Lain and Rian and fell into an exhausted, deep sleep.

24

MARISSA

I turned from the viewing screen to see Raesus approaching. His expression was clearer than it had been for some time. Rhain followed him, a smile splitting his lips.

“What is it?” I demanded, desperate to hear the good news.

The journey to find Jenna—that had turned into a journey to find the witches who let loose the Darkness—had been a stressful one, filled with plan changes that left us mere mortals in a tailspin.

We had set out to find Jenna, with Rian and Charsus leading the way. They’d rescued her but ended up crash-landing on a planet on the other side of a worm-hole. Instead of going after them, Rhain had decided to send the rest of Jenna’s pod after her while we went on to follow the ion trail of the Keeda who were transporting the witches back to the hole they’d crawled out of.

None of us had been happy about that decision, especially not Bronwyn, who had too recently lost one of her sons. Though she had him back again for now, no one knew what the future held for him. Two souls couldn’t exist within the same body for ever, after all.

But they’d gone, and we’d kept to our original course, picking up the trail easily enough and following it to the witch’s nest.

A political shit-fight started up then as the Confederacy stepped in. Our plan to wipe the witches out was unsanctioned. So, an impromptu court was set up. All the evidence we’d gathered against the followers of the Darkness was presented.

By the time the decision was made to take out the witches, by the Confederacy peace-keeping force, we knew Jenna and her pod were on their way back to Varga. On our way back ourselves, we were informed their ship sustained damage during an escape into an asteroid belt, but that they were heading