Page 14

I get Maribel out of the chest harness, kiss her cute chubby cheeks, and then hand her over to Plun. She immediately starts to smile in a way that lets me know she’s going to need a diaper change soon. Perfect timing.

I place a hand on Ghenie’s lower back. “Shall we?” He nods his head. “It was nice meeting you. I look forward to getting to know you better at dinner.”

“You too, son,” Plun says. The words were simple yet they strike a chord within my heart. He called me son. He called me son . I’m not sure how I feel about that. My chest warms but at the same time, that’s yet another terrifying thing, to allow another person in.

For now, I focus on getting Ghenie out of the crowd and into a quieter place so he can rest his mind. Timalah and Miles fall into step with us once we’re on the outskirts of town.

“To the water?” Timalah asks and Ghenie nods his head. He reaches down and laces our fingers together, leaning against my side.

The smell of the salt hits my nose before our feet hit the sand. I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of this place, this view.

“I know a special place,” Timalah says, guiding us to a small alcove naturally made into the side of a hill. “This place is sacred. It holds many, many memories. Fondness practically radiates from the stone, from the sand.”

Timalah shares a look with Miles and it takes all of my willpower not to wrinkle my nose at them. They totally did it here. Gross.

Ghenie steps inside, ducking his head. He looks around in wonder. There’s some type of foliage here, lighting up against the stone, allowing us to see.

“It is beautiful.”

“Just like you,” I say, turning towards Ghenie.

“Oh my god.”

I freeze, turning back towards my best friend. I hold up my hand. “Don’t. Don’t you dare. I’m not afraid to throw you in the sea right now.”

He opens his mouth but I step towards him. He holds up his hands in surrender before pretending to zip his lips closed.

“We should go,” Timalah says, leaning down to kiss Miles’ head. “Let them have a moment alone.”

The last time Timalah kept throwing looks like that, I found out I was a dad.

I narrow my eyes at him but he makes a hasty retreat out of this little cave he’s led us to.

That was weird. What the fuck was that about?

Is a giant snake about to jump out and eat us?

Surely my best friend wouldn’t have a hand in my ultimate demise.

He better take care of Maribel when I’m gone.

Once they’ve made their way out, I turn towards Ghenie. “What was that about?”

“No idea what you mean,” he says right away and now I’m even more suspicious. Ghenie walks deeper into this little cave, running his hand over the stone wall. “In all my time here, I have never seen this place before.”

There are carvings in the stone. Ghenie’s fingers rest over T+M carved by a knife and I smile. Is this Timalah and Miles or has another couple come and carved their initials into the wall?

“This one,” Ghenie says softly, tilting his head like he’s trying to listen as he runs his fingers over a smiley face. “A young man came here and found solace during a storm. He drew this smiley face to show he made it through.”

“This place holds a lot of memories,” I say softly, suddenly feeling like I’m intruding on something special. The voices in Ghenie’s head have a lot to say about this place.

“So many,” Ghenie agrees. “This could be a special place. Something sacred.” He turns around, looking at the entrance.

“What if we redesigned it slightly, opening the mouth and allowing people to come here. What if--” his voice trails off until his eyes finally find mine.

“What if we found a way to leave the Ancestors here. Make this a place where anyone can come and pray to them, to find solace in their presence. Do you think such a thing could be possible?”

My heart leaps into my throat. This might have been a tradition for a very long time, but knowing how loud the voices can be has always made me wish that Ghenie didn’t have to have them.

They can be demanding and loud and straining, yet Ghenie has always held their presence with grace, allowing them a place at the table. Ghenie deserves peace if it’s possible.

“I think that would be amazing,” I say truthfully. “Not only would that give you your own space, but people would be able to come themselves. I’m not sure how that would work with the Ancestors talking back, but I think it could be good for you and your people.”

“Our people,” Ghenie says, looking around. The comment is almost off handed but it leaves me feeling some sort of way. I feel accepted. I feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself. Could these truly be my people too?

“What do the Ancestors think?”

Ghenie hums, closing his eyes and listening.

He holds his head in his hands. It takes a long time before he answers.

“There are a few against the idea but the majority would like me to research this further and see if it is possible. They would be okay being disconnected from me if it means being more connected to our people as a whole.”

I step into Ghenie’s space, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him against me. “They’d have their own space and wouldn’t have to watch us have sex anymore. It’s a win all around.”

“Christian!” Ghenie huffs, chuckling. “You are terrible.”

“Maybe so but for some reason you keep me around.”

“It is the size of your dick, obviously.”

The gasp of shock I let out is incredibly overdramatic but still comes naturally because when did my up-tight, have-it-all-together alien start telling jokes like this?

I always knew he had a sense of humor behind all that seriousness.

Maybe if we can get the Ancestors out of his head, I’ll get to see more of this side of Ghenie.

“I’d be happy to give you a repeat performance,” I say, letting my hands run down Ghenie’s back in order to grab his cute little ass. He gasps before leaning down and stealing a kiss.

His hands come around me, holding me, like he’s afraid I might pull away.

There’s no place I’d rather be. I might have been a run risk in the past, but that part of me has found peace.

I’m not going anywhere, not unless Ghenie sends me away and I have the utmost hope that that’s not happening.

We’re it for each other. He is my partner and I am his.

“Christian,” Ghenie whispers as he pulls back, keeping his forehead pressed against my own. I can feel his antennae against my skin and they tickle. “There are so many voices, but there is a new one.”

“I’m sorry, did someone pass?”

“No, no. Not like that.”

“Then what?”

“This one is a new voice. Well, that is not correct. They are new but they do not have a voice, not yet.”

I pull back so I can look up into Ghenie’s eyes, trying to comprehend what he’s saying. “What do you mean?”

Ghenie takes my hand and brings my palm to his stomach. “They are here.”

I blink, processing this news. It takes me longer than I’m willing to admit to realize what Ghenie is telling me. Then it hits me all at once. He’s pregnant. We’re going to have another baby.

Oh my god.

How did this happen? Nope, stupid question. The ridiculous amount of sex we’ve been having would be the how. Fuck. Okay. This is fine. Totally fine.

I’m totally not freaking out.

“You are freaking out, aren’t you?”

“No! Of course not! There’s nothing to freak out about!”

Ghenie’s eyes scan my face and I do my best to present myself as level headed and calm. He sees right through me.

“You’re freaking out.”

“I’m not! I’m just surprised though now that I admit it, I really shouldn’t be. We’ve been fucking. A lot. In many different positions.”

“Yes. It’s been lovely.”

“But that’s also how babies are made. Jesus, I’m an EMT!

I work in healthcare! I know these things,” I blurt out, covering my face with my free hand.

“I was just swept up in our reunion I didn’t stop to think about things like protection and babies.

Especially because you’re nursing still. Dickbrain took over!”

“Dickbrain?”

“Yes, all the blood went to my dick instead of my brain!”

Ghenie cracks a smile, showing off his little fangs. “I like your dickbrain. It’s been my utmost pleasure.”

“Ghenie! I’m being serious.”

“For once.”

Okay, he got me there. I take my hand away from his stomach in order to cup his face instead. I look up at him, seeing his smile, the excitement in his eyes. He’s happy. Seeing him happy in turn makes me happy.

“We’re really doing this? Having another baby?”

“We are.”

“Can you tell if they’re human?”

Ghenie grins even wider. “I’ve felt them throw emotions in my direction which means they’re either Layperry or hybrid.”

I try to picture them and my stomach floods with warmth. I’m going to be a dad again. I’m going to have another child. Maribel is going to have a sibling.

Sure, this is still a shock and I still need time to process this news but the overall feeling I have is joy. I hold onto that with all my might.

I lean up on my toes and kiss Ghenie’s lips. He makes a surprised noise before he’s sinking into the kiss.

“I’ll do better this time. I’ll be here to take care of you and rub oil on your belly and fetch you your cravings. I’m not going anywhere, Ghenie.”

Ghenie’s eyes fill with tears. “That’s all I could ever hope for.”