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“A little girl,” she whispered in awe, then focused on her quiet men. “Look what we made. We made a little girl.” Tears slid down her cheeks.

The Vorto didn’t cry, couldn’t cry, but they felt emotions just as deeply as she did. The raw emotion on Phara’s face was almost enough to break her. Abject wonder, sheer joy, worry and more warred for dominance, all showing on his face as his gaze darted from her to their baby. The Vorto never pressured her once by talking about babies, but she knew they hoped it would happen. She had, too.

“Our queen had a queen!” Galis’ jubilant and absurdly loud voice echoed in their minds as he leapt off the chaise and raced from the dining commons. They could hear him all the way down the hall.

Just like that, the spell was broken. The little girl in Isa’s arms was startled by the boisterous declaration and turned into a slippery ball of plasm.

“Oh. Oh.” Isa attempted to juggle her baby blob, but the slippery tyke plopped onto the chaise. “Oh my.” Isa grimaced as she tried scooping up the boneless little smidgen.

“Galis!” Phara huffed, while corralling their baby blob against her thigh with his big hands, before she wiggled and slid off the chaise.

“I’ll keep the horde from mobbing us.” Gregis rose and went to intercept the hive who were already closing in, a cacophony of excitement instantly filling the dining commons.

“I’ll assist.” Rego joined Gregis, after giving her another adoring grin.

“She’s fine. Remember we’re flexible, especially hatchlings.” Bellator tried consoling Isa, though she could feel the tension in the new daddy as he rubbed her back. Her sweet teddy bear was just as concerned.

Her baby fluxed back into humanoid form and opened her eyes. The comically big round eyes were more like hers, but with purple irises. Isa was instantly enthralled looking into them, until the tiny hairless brows furrowed, and a healthy wail came out of her mouth. Telepathically Isa didn’t hear words, but she got a pervading sense that her little girl was not pleased, and scooped her up.

“I think this one may be sired by Bellator,” Artifex teased as he grinned at the squalling infant.

“Aw, poor thing. Your daddies are gawking and teasing while you’re probably hungry.”

The expression on Artifex’s face instantly shifted to mortification. “What do we feed hybrid hatchlings?”

“I have an idea.” She smiled down at their disgruntled newborn. “You’re probably the reason my breasts have been a little sore and heavy lately, aren’t you?” she cooed.

Isa tugged one of her breasts out of the makeshift top and lifted the infant to her nipple. Instantly the baby quieted, both physically and mentally, as she latched on to her nipple.

“Amazing,” Bellator murmured.

“So, what are we naming this little wonder?” Isa beamed at her guys.

“Miracle,” Phara replied.

The name fit. The fact that something so wonderful could be created from people born on entirely different worlds, brought together by a series of unfortunate events, was nothing less than a miracle.

Epilogue

Twenty Years Later

Isabella

Isa stared wistfully at Miracle as she packed her things for her voyage.

My baby’s going to be a queen.A tear slipped down Isa’s cheek remembering the day her miracle was born. And now that miracle was heading to a new hive to become a queen herself.

“OhInana, Mom is crying again!” Bella declared, tossing up her hands.

Isa smirked at her third baby girl, born two months after Miracle. Bella was talented and a little dark or emo. She was most certainly Artifex’s child.

The Vorto think that only their consorts are fertile. I’m sure that’s wrong.

In times of crisis, nature had a way of switching things up. For example, baby girls were needed to resurrect the Vorto population, and she gave birth to nothing but girls, one rightafter another for five months in a row. Her hive thought they’d hit the baby girl lottery. She wasn’t special, though. The same thing happened with all the human queens. It had something to do with their hormones.

Eventually they figured out something for birth control. Oh my was it necessary, because shortly after the girls were born, the rest of the hive started emerging in the chrysalis chamber. They quickly had more baby Vorto than they knew what to do with. Correction, the hive was overjoyed, she was the one who was overwhelmed. In less than a year she was wife to two-hundred and fifty-nine Vorto, and surrogate mother to as many hatchlings.

“Don’t tease your mother,” Phara ruffled Bella’s purple hair.