Page 58 of Retribution
“Oh, it might be more than a moon cycle,” Fallonn said, reaching for a utensil. “She’s very comfortable and content in there, and she so loves the sound of your voice.”
“Wonderful,” Layla said sarcastically, though she was secretly pleased by Fallonn’s commentary. Knowing the baby was happy warmed her heart, though she anticipated the day when she would finally hold little Colleen in her arms, and she knew Zamek was looking forward to meeting their daughter too.
It was a beautiful day, and after lunch they went for a walk in the vineyard. Layla was grateful that she got to see Betsy on a regular basis now, though she often found herself missing Fiona terribly. Perhaps one day Ambassador Merokk would decide to visit planet Kall and bring Fiona along. Until then, Layla would have to keep exchanging messages with Fiona on the interplanetary comm that Zamek had recently installed in the house for her use.
Fallonn and Lissa spotted their husbands and rushed ahead to meet them, and Layla and Betsy slowed their pace and moved closer to one another. They watched as Xazzok planted a kiss upon Fallonn’s forehead, while Draken leaned down to make a silly face at Broxx before scooping the infant up into his arms. As Draken held the baby, Lissa regarded her husband with warmth and adoration reflecting in her eyes.
Layla’s throat burned and her face also heated, because she felt like she was spying on a private, intimate moment between husband and wife as she watched Draken and Lissa’s sweet interaction. In all her life, she’d never seen a couple appear so deeply in love.
“I can’t believe this is real sometimes,” Betsy said. “That we’re here, I mean, on planet Kall. Together. And neither of us are slaves anymore, and we’re happily married to Kall warriors.”
“I know what you mean,” Layla said. She reached for Betsy’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “I was so worried for you. I hope you know how much I fought with your father, trying to get him to help you after you got arrested.”
A faraway look entered Betsy’s blue eyes, but her vision soon cleared, and she regarded Layla with a thoughtful expression. “Had I been on Earth when Michael did what he did, I would’ve tried everything to help you, too. Your goodbye letter, well, it ripped me apart. I was so worried foryou. When Ambassador Merokk sent a message saying the general didn’t kill you in the courtroom though, I started to feel hopeful, and I prayed for you every day.”
Layla blinked against a sudden sheen of tears. “I still can’t believe you tricked Commander Edek into bringing you into Sumlin on auction day just in hopes that you’d catch a glimpse of me. That was rather devious of you. But it was wonderful to see you that day, even if we couldn’t even hug one another or talk for long.”
Betsy grinned for a moment, but her visage abruptly darkened. “It didn’t take him long to figure it out. When I kept making excuses to walk closer to the vendors near the square, he caught on and asked if I was looking for you. I thought that perhaps if you were still alive, General Zamek might decide to sell you.
“Of course, it wasn’t precisely auction day that drew me into town but seeing theTammushaon the landing platform outside Sumlin,” Betsy continued, “and then once I realized it was also auction day, well I couldn’tnotlook for you. Even though Edek was annoyed with me, he took me closer to the auction, and then once it ended, we walked the streets of Sumlin, hoping for a glimpse of you.”
They fell silent for some time, each lost in their memories of that day. A sharp breeze cut through the vineyard, and Layla pressed her hands down on her dress to keep it from flipping up in the wind. Little Colleen started rolling and kicking inside her, as if excited by the breeze.
“Perhaps once the video feed on the general’s interplanetary comm is working, you can introduce me to your friend Fiona Lockhart. I-I know that everything has worked out—it’s a relief to know she has found happiness with Ambassador Merokk—but I still feel as though I ought to apologize to her. Or thank her. I-I am not sure which. Both, I guess. Do you think she’ll want to talk to me?” Betsy shot Layla a hopeful look.
“Fiona has a kind and forgiving heart and I’m certain she’ll wish to meet you,” Layla replied.
Two huge Kall warriors stepped into their path, and Layla’s heart raced at the sight of Zamek. He’d taken an airship into Sumlin today with Commander Edek, but apparently the two males had returned from their business with the council, business to which neither she nor Betsy were privy, though Zamek had assured her that it was nothing to worry about.
As Zamek approached Layla, his gaze sweeping appreciatively over her swollen belly, Edek wrapped an arm around Betsy and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.
“Wife,” Zamek said, taking Layla’s hand. He pulled her close and gave her a chastising look. “You shouldn’t walk so far from the house. What if you go into labor?”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Then the baby will fall out right here in the middle of the vineyard.” She grinned when he growled at her impertinent reply.
As Betsy and Edek walked ahead to join the others, Zamek guided Layla deeper into the vineyard, stealing her away for a moment of privacy. Once they reached a shaded area, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her forehead. Then he placed a hand upon her stomach. His eyes widened when little Colleen kicked him.
“She’s strong. Just like her mother.”
“And her father,” Layla added, standing on her toes to kiss Zamek.
He grasped her face and pressed his lips to hers with a softness that made her heart flutter. But the slow growl that emanated from his chest, as well as the growing hardness of his manhood, revealed he was restraining himself. When he stepped away, his eyes blazed with heat and longing. And affection. The warmth he settled upon her with a single glance often caused her heart to skip a beat.
He stepped closer then and leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.
“Soul to soul, wife,” he whispered, his breath caressing her face.
Her throat burned and she found herself blinking back tears. He’d only quoted this poem to her once. Several months ago, on the night they officially consummated their marriage. But hearing him say it again, or at least the last line, brought back the memories of that night, when they’d confessed their love to one another.
“Soul to soul, husband.”
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