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Gren nods. "Our son."

"Was he that big when he came out? Where is your mate?" Did she die, producing such a giant creature?

Gren shakes his head. "Babies are much smaller when they are born. They grow over time. Shade is almost four years. Yours will be tiny and fragile when your mate has it."

Relief hits me, so strong it makes me dizzy. I exhale loudly and bend over at the waist, head spinning. "Thank kef."

"Never seen a child?" Gren asks.

"Not until we arrived, no." I straighten, glancing over at him. "Are you a clone of a gladiator?"

"No. I am the original, as far as I know." His mouth curls wryly. "In a sense."

"Did you…have many battles?"

"Enough." The splice shrugs, his gaze on his son as the boy starts digging another hole. "That sort of thing does not matter now."

"It is all I know," I confess, voice bleak. "I have no battles, but my knowledge is rules and regulations, strategies and nothing more. If there are no games here, no competitions, what do I do with myself? What is a gladiator without a challenge?"

Gren eyes me, and then his expression softens as his son comes running up again to show him another shell. "What is a gladiator without a challenge? A father. A good mate. A provider and protector. A friend to others." He shrugs. "You are mourning a life you never had. Embrace the one in front of you."

"Good size?" the little boy asks as he holds up a shell, his small body quivering with excitement.

"A fantastic size," Gren tells him, ruffling his hair. "Good job, my son."

The boy breaks out into a grin, showing a gap-toothed smile, and something inside me softens. Embrace the future. Embrace this life.

The child turns to look at me, squinting up. "Who are you?"

"I am Corvak," I say, kneeling down to his height. "And I am new here. What are you digging?"

"Shells," he says. "But only shells with critters in them. Mama wants them for dinner."

"I have never hunted shells," I say, admiring his digging stick. "And I will need dinner for my mate. Will you show me how you hunt them?"

"It's easy," the tiny boy says, holding out his stick to me. "Come on."

CHAPTER

THIRTY-TWO

AIDY

What a wonderful day.I'm overwhelmed in the best way by our welcome at the beach camp they call Icehome. I've met so many people, all friendly and open and happy. Everyone looks like they're thriving, and I can't tell the clones apart physically from the "natural" humans. It just tells me there's nothing to worry about when it comes to that, and I'm relieved.

I've hugged every baby on the beach. I was never into babies all that much before, but now that I'm pregnant, I can't seem to stay away from them. I snuggled each one and wondered what my baby would look like, and it made me want my baby even more.

We might not have intended to get pregnant, but I can't say I'm unhappy with the situation. Nor am I unhappy with the fact that we seem to be stranded here. It's not ideal, but with a loving community around us, I feel so much more hopeful than I did before. It means Corvak and I can stay together. I can't picture my life without him at my side or going to sleep without his arms around me.

Everyone asked my name, and each time I announced it, it was a reminder that I don't know what Aidy is short for. Just that it's short for something. But the more that I met the others, the less it seemed to matter. There are two other women—Vivi and Natalie—who have no memories of their lives before, either, and they're both doing well. It reassures me that I'm going to be just fine.

Once the early introductions are done, Corvak insists that I sit down with the healer to get looked over. The healer turns out to be a human woman named Veronica. She's the most unassuming, mild-looking woman, but her little home is the biggest and her mate is a golden-scaled, flamboyant alien called Ashtar. They have two cute little boys that get into everything and do their best to distract their mother while she puts her hands on my stomach and "listens" to my body somehow.

"You're pregnant," she confirms. "Did you two have any issues conceiving?"

"Considering that we weren't trying? No issues at all."

Her brow furrows. "Interesting. I wonder what's different."