Page 39 of Interstellar Love Song (Villains in Space #3)

MICAH - THREE MONTHS LATER (IN OUR UNIVERSE)

“There’s the official runaway space bride!” Zion’s booming voice rattled my eardrums as we walked into his recently renovated brownstone.

Renovated and expanded.

Apparently, big bro was expecting Balty to give birth to an entire litter of Lacertus, as he’d bought the brownstones on either side of theirs and turned it into one big, interconnected family compound.

Which means Zig and I could have more kids too…

“IS THAT MY NEW COUSIN?! MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!!!”

I cackled as a familiar curly head came barreling down the hallway, elbowing her dad out of the way to get to her prize.

“Hey, Daisy.” I grinned down at my niece— when the hell did she get so tall?— “Meet Rebel Lux Andromeda.”

“Ohmygawwwwd, they are the cuuuutest!” Daisy exclaimed dramatically. “Can I hold them? I promise, I’ll be super careful.”

I wasn’t worried. As the oldest cousin in this ridiculously large family, she was an old pro. Plus, Rebel had a fairly solid shell formed at this point.

Which looks exactly like a chunky human baby… with glittery, void-black skin.

And lil bb tendrils.

When we first noticed the striking similarity to our Earthling forms, I’d finally worked up the nerve to ask Leeloo if the Eki looked like humans under their robes.

They’d laughed and explained each Eki took creative liberties with their appearance, but the opposable thumbs were a common feature that helped with matter manipulation.

Maintaining that air of mystery, I see.

I’d also asked why they hadn’t been convinced the Hydrassian’s prophecy of “the child of two rebels twice over” referred to Rebel Lux, but my space sensei had simply shrugged.

“It is clear the seers were picking up on both our Zig-ee and the other Zig-ee, from the other universe,” they’d decisively stated, and I knew better than to argue with a certified space wizard.

Especially since I am one.

During that visit, my mentor had presented me with a brand new sparkly robe, and an official certificate of space wizardry to hang on the cockpit wall. It was a gift not just from my fellow Eki but the entire universe—as a thank you for saving everyone from the Big Bad Musaa .

The recognition was a little overwhelming, to be honest—especially since I hadn’t done it for fame—but I would never say no to another certificate.

Even if the cockpit wall is running out of space at this point…

The thing was, the victory didn’t just belong to me.

Not only had Ziggy, Leeloo, the twins, and countless Stellarians, Eki, Earthling supes, Trols, Xuni, and Hydrassians supported me, but another hero stepped up as well.

By some miracle, the Other Musaa had answered my call to put an end to their counterpart’s reign of terror.

While I’d closed up the portal the best I could on my way back to this universe, they’d finished the job for me…

by collapsing the core of its counterpart and absorbing the problem Musaa into itself completely.

I guess that’s one way to do it.

This effectively closed off travel between universes for good, although the collective well still somehow existed.

Whether or not this meant both universes could connect within this in-between space remained to be seen, but Gabe and Dre promised to keep checking for signs that Other Micah and Other Ziggy had leveled up their powers.

It should be any day now…

Relatively.

I was still sad I’d missed most of Ziggy’s pregnancy thanks to the time discrepancy between universes, but I knew my man didn’t hold it against me. Rebel was healthy and our family had been there for him when I couldn’t be.

An excited high note rang out as Daisy arrived in the den with the star of the show, and I grinned at Ziggy, knowing exactly who our child had spotted .

“There’s my favorite little star cluster!” I heard Gabe call out in reply, no doubt trying—and failing—to pry Rebel from Daisy’s clutches. “Look how big you got…”

“G better not be talking about me,” Balty muttered as we popped into the kitchen to say hello, and I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing.

Maybe they are having an entire litter.

Baltasar Suarez was the size of a goddamn planet, but I knew from experience that the best thing to do was to let Zion handle his mate’s delicate sensibilities.

“You look beautiful, beautiful,” Z cooed, somehow wrapping his arms around my brother-in-law’s girth from behind. “But why don’t you let the caterer handle the food?—”

“I’M NOT USELESS JUST BECAUSE I’M PREGNANT!” Balty howled, making Ziggy freeze beside me.

Well, that sounds familiar…

“It sure smells good in here!” I piped in, hoping to ease the tension.

“Oh, hey, guys!” Balty brightened, his troubles instantly forgotten at the sight of us. “I hope you like eggplant parm. It’s Z’s recipe…”

The best recipe.

As much as I loved living the intergalactic life by my space husband’s side, getting to see my Earthbound family reminded me there was an extended crew of maniacs who had our backs .

“It’s obvious this perfect specimen of Stellarian heritage takes after me.”

For better or worse.

“Rebel is both Stellarian and Eki,” Ziggy corrected Theo, eyeing the way our child was draped over his maker’s arm like a sack of starry potatoes. “And we plan to raise them with a complete knowledge of their rich heritage.”

Theo sniffed. “It’s a shame they won’t be able to take over a vessel someday, since that is truly one of the most satisfying aspects of our heritage. I still wonder how it would feel to inhabit the twins…”

Dre would kick your ass while inside him, sir.

“…which reminds me, I meant to ask how it felt to have another creature inside your vessel, Zig, because— FUCK, you are enormous, Baltasar! I hadn’t gotten a good look at you when you first arrived…”

My brother-in-law slowly turned, knife in hand, but before he could play Stab the Stellarian, Zion grabbed Theo by his other arm and dragged him away.

That left us alone with a seething supervillain, but Ziggy of all people broke the silence. “I did not particularly enjoy being pregnant,” he haltingly offered. “However, the reward was worth the discomfort.”

Dr. Ziggy in the house!

I knew how difficult it was for my man to empathize with others—never mind admit to a moment of weakness—so when Balty set the knife down and yanked Zig into the world’s most awkward hug, I got a little teary .

“Thank you, Alien Rambo…” he sniffled into Ziggy’s Beam Me Up, Space Daddy tee shirt. “I’ve just been so fucking cranky lately. Like, why is this the best-worst thing ever?”

Zig stiffly patted Balty’s back. “At least your cesarean section will heal up quickly.”

It was my turn to freeze, since I wasn’t sure if this big himbo knew the gory details of how he’d be giving birth to the multiple eggs growing inside him.

I mean… unless there’s an alternative?

Ew.

Luckily, Zion chose that moment to reappear and pry a freaked out Balty off my man to take over empathy duties.

It’s definitely for the best.

Zig and I continued on to the den, just in time to overhear Theo relaying a story to the true leader of the Suarez clan.

Mafia Queen Simon.

“There I was, minding my own business in the Muonova’s red light district, when who should I run across, but the very Stellarian I’d allowed to escape my massacre all those centuries ago! What are the odds, hmm?”

“I’d say, one in I don’t give a fuck,” Simon replied absently, his attention pointedly elsewhere.

The Mafia Queen’s wary gaze was locked on his inventus— Wolfgang Suarez, aka, The Hand of Death—who had somehow stolen Rebel away from everyone like the goth mother hen we all knew he was.

Goth mother hen with baby fever .

Unfortunately for Simon.

“I certainly hope mpreg isn’t contagious in this family,” Simon muttered. “The last thing I need is to share Wolfy’s attention with one more helpless, needy, unwashed Suarez-Salah-Stellari?—”

“Andromeda!” I added, just to piss him off. “But don’t worry—the rest of us will take care of popping out the supernatural babies for Uncle Wolfgang to fuss over.”

“Thank you, Micah,” the deadly AF man in question replied as he tossed a happy Rebel into the air. “I am more than available to fuss over my family.”

We noticed.

All this talk of babies had me thinking of our original, accidentally adopted child, Pedro.

Now that the Hydrassians had been properly put in their psychic place, they knew they’d better leave the Trols alone in the future.

This meant the shield hiding the endangered species’ planet would soon be lifted, and our ferocious little star could finally go home.

We wanted the choice to be up to them, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little choked up thinking about it. Ziggy was playing it cool, but I would put money on my secretly soft-hearted Space Daddy losing his shit when the day came.

And Honnor and Bron?

Niagara Falls.

Another caveat of the Hydrassians being allowed to practice prophesizing again was that they agreed to not use their powers to control the Dionaea muscipula co-inhabiting their planet.

While they hadn’t outright admitted to mind-controlling the foliage before— big surprise— the sneaky snakes needed to learn a little humility, and that started with knowing their place.

At the mercy of Shock and Awe.

My gaze drifted to the twins, who’d somehow stolen Rebel away from Wolfgang—probably because they were their eldest brother’s favorite “babies” before the next generation came along.

Even Dre was smiling— kind of— but with how he and Gabe were watching Rebel, while Theo watched them…

If I’d been able to resonate, it would have been heard loud and clear.

I could bust out my harp…

Zion and Balty eventually joined us, with the catering staff wheeling out the famous eggplant parm behind them, and we all prepared to enjoy our low-key “rehearsal dinner” before the big event tonight.

Zig and I renewing our vows in the pretentious library where we first met.

I’d known since then that this hot-bod bodysnatching alien was destined to be mine, and—as proven by recent events—absolutely no force in the universe could come between us.

So there.

“What are you thinking about, sunshine?”

That my space husband asked this question through our mental bond while we followed the food parade into the spacious dining room meant he was assuming filthy things were the answer.

Fair.

I could have told him my extra schmoopy thoughts, but if that fool didn’t already know how I felt about him, well… then I’d just have to star hop his ass back to the Lodger and show him.

Which gives me an idea…

“Oh, I’m just thinking about how disappointed I am that I didn’t sample the skinsuit closet as much during this adventure as the last two.”

Kidding.

But not really.

Ziggy’s lip twisted as he stifled a smile.

“All you have to do is ask, babygirl. And I have the perfect skinsuit in mind for after our ceremony tonight…”