Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,135

Nykasha.” Zevris brushed away her tears with his thumb and pressed his lips to her forehead, then to her nose, to each of her cheeks, and finally her lips. He drew his head back and looked down into her eyes again. “I’m here.”

I’m alive.

For a few seconds, everything she’d felt in those fleeting moments before the accident came back to her—her excitement, her shock, her all-consuming fear. In that instant before the other car had struck hers, she’d thought she was about to die, that she would never see Zevris again, that he’d never know...

Her eyes widened. She shifted her hand to her belly and clutched it. “The baby. Oh God, the baby! Is our baby—”

“The baby is fine, Tabitha.” Once again, he covered her hand with his, squeezing gently. “Our baby is fine.”

That only made her cry harder. She twined her arms around Zevris’ neck and pulled him down. It hurt to do so, but she didn’t care. She needed him close, needed him to wrap his arms around her, to hold her. And he complied. She buried her face against his neck, her body trembling, and sobbed as he whispered soothingly to her in that deep, rolling voice of his.

Eventually, that torrent of emotions ebbed, and the flow of tears ceased, leaving her sniffling but calm. She loosened her hold on him.

Turning her face slightly, she kissed his jaw. “We’re compatible.”

He pulled back to meet her gaze. Even though he had his disguise on, she swore there was just a hint of that blue glow in his eyes, which were already bright with love. “And I am ecstatic about that.” With overwhelming tenderness, he traced her features with the pads of his fingers. “But even if we weren’t, this would still be my happiest moment.”

For the first time Tabitha had ever seen, Zevris’s eyes glistened with moisture—with tears of his own.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said, voice raw. “Knowing you are alive, that you are safe, means more to me than anything else. Baby or no, you are my mate. My love and devotion are yours forever.”

Tabitha reached up and cupped his face. The bristles on his jaw tickled her palm. She smiled wide. “I love you so much.”

He flashed her a smile in return.

She sniffled and laughed softly. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

Zevris slid one of his hands down to her belly. That smile of his only widened. “And you are going to be a mother. The most amazing, beautiful, caring mother on this world or any other.”

Though Tabitha’s entire body felt like one giant bruise, and the ride home from the hospital was far from the most comfortable drive of her life, Zevris’s attentiveness and care ensured it wasn’t also the most painful. He kept a steady speed on the freeway, braked early to avoid jarring stops, and eased through every turn with the finesse of a man who’d been driving a for decades rather than a single year.

Of course, all his control and caution didn’t stop her from tensing up whenever another vehicle passed them. She had closed her eyes every time they stopped at a red light or a stop sign just to diminish the fear that made her chest tight and twisted her insides into knots when they started moving again.

She’d been fortunate that her injuries weren’t more severe, fortunate that her leg hadn’t required surgery to repair, fortunate that she’d only had to spend three days in the hospital, though those three days hadn’t been nearly enough to shake the mental trauma of the accident. She knew that would take more time, but she was confident that she’d get there eventually, and Zevris would help her along in every way he could.

Tabitha shifted her casted leg, brushing her hand over her soft pajama pants as she did so. Zevris had made a trip home to grab her a change of clothes before she’d been discharged. When he’d returned and pulled her favorite pair of baggy pajama pants out of the bag, she’d kissed him.

Zevris reached over and settled his big palm on her thigh. She looked up at him. Their gazes met for a moment; his eyes were soft and warm, and they shone with adoration and love. His hand was solid and strong, but that strength—as always—was there to support her. To comfort her. To ease her burdens in any way possible.

She smiled and traced her fingers over his, feeling his claws even though she could not see them.