Gateway to HeVan (19 page)

The guard gave the blade one last look and led the way through a side entrance to the ballroom where the household had assembled.  Just as they reached that part of the building, he showed them a doorway which led to a long hallway.

“This hallway leads around to the back of the ballroom.  The servants use it to deliver trays of food and beverages during parties.  The door at the end opens on the small stage where the orchestra sits during a party,” he said. 

The guard was a little worried the duchess would punish him for not bringing them through the front, as she had instructed.  But the anger in the eyes of the warrior convinced him any punishment she could mete out would be slight compared to what this warrior could do.

BianCa was getting nervous but tried not to show it.  They stopped at the door.  Just before Jarmin opened it, Illianna sidled up to BianCa.  “She keeps a knife in her left sleeve,” she whispered. 

BianCa thanked her and then walked through the door.  Thors and Jarmin followed her.  Illianna and the guard stepped through but hung back against the wall.

As BianCa came forward, she pulled out her tablet and brought up the video she wanted to show.  She had spliced several scenes together to quickly and definitively prove who she was.  She projected the holographic image to appear at the front of the stage, directly in front of the throne-like chair. 

In the chair sat a tall woman with black hair in an intricate style on her head.  From just behind and to the left, all BianCa could see was that she was wearing a blue gown with gold embroidery.  The gold embroidery was only legally allowed on clothing worn by members of the Royal House.

It didn’t take long for the woman, and the audience, to understand what they were seeing.  BianCa placed the tablet on the floor, still projecting images into the room as the woman leapt from the chair, shouting.

“Invaders―guards― kill them!” she screamed, even as she ran toward BianCa.  The woman was taller and bigger than BianCa but BianCa had years of anger on her side.  As the woman drew near, she raised her foot and kicked her in the stomach.  The woman screamed and clutched her waist as she fell back and down to the floor.

BianCa reached over and taking Thors’ staff in both hands, she swung it down and held the blade just over the woman’s throat. 

“Move and you die, bitch!” said BianCa. 

She gestured for Jarmin to take the woman.  “Make sure you check her for weapons.  I understand she keeps a blade in her sleeve,” she said to him. 

After Jarmin had done as she asked, BianCa returned the staff to Thors and then reached down and picked up her tablet, stopping the images.

“While I am shocked this female has successfully impersonated me for
so long, I’m not very surprised my first husband would be party to this deception.  All of you have been also fooled.  Or at least those of you who have not left this holding since we were wed have been fooled.  Those of you who have traveled to the city and back will have to answer for keeping this secret and being party to breaking our laws.  For now, I want you all to meet the new duke and Proctor of the House of LucenTio.  This is my husband, Thors of the Nephilim from HeVan,” she said. 

She was going to mention the queen and Grace and what Addie had done for the KowLer people, but noticed many women in the advanced stages of pregnancy and many infants and small children. 

Whatever had affected the rest of the KowLer people had not affected the women of this holding. 

“I see many children here and many women heavy with child.  No female KowLer outside of this holding has gotten pregnant in the last five years.  It’s obvious this is another crime which can be laid at my former husband’s door.  If anyone here has information about this, speak now,” she said in a strong voice.

It was apparent the assembled household was in shock.  Looking around the room, there were a few who seemed to be edging toward the doors.

“Anyone who is so cowardly they would attempt to leave, will be taken directly to jail and not be given the opportunity of a defense, as they don’t deserve one,” shouted Thors. 

He hoped it would work, since he hadn’t brought any additional warriors with him.  He was please to see some of the household guards come out of their shocked stupor and act on his behalf and block the exits.

The crowd of people parted as an old, bent woman came forward.

“Come with me; I think I know what you’re looking for.  Don’t let anyone leave this room.  Especially the witch who’s been acting queen-of-the-manor for the past two years,” she said in a strong voice. 

Several other women came out of the crowd and offered to make sure the woman sitting on the throne-like chair, glaring with hatred-filled eyes at BianCa, didn’t cause any more trouble.

As they followed the old woman through the hallways, BianCa wondered aloud at how they had kept this huge secret for so long.  The old woman heard her and answered. 

“There is no advanced technology here.  The duke said he came home to get away from
being surrounded by all that.  He wanted to be the only one who had access and so made it law that there be no video or electronic communications here, not even entertainment visuals or music.  The duke was the only one who could send communications out or get communications in.  And now we know why.”  Cackling, she added, “That’s why there are so many children; there’s not much else to do,” and Thors burst into laughter.

“BianCa and I intend to spend most of our time here.  In that case, we intend on having a lot of children,” he went on to say.

“Good.  I’ve served the dukes of LucenTio since I was a girl of twelve.  I’ve known three and, except for this last one, they were all good men.  I can already tell you’ll be a good one, too.  Now, here behind this door, is something.  It’s the only room in the whole place no one was allowed in, only that woman, and I don’t even know what to call her now,” she said, making a tsking sound.

“I’m going with
ugly witch—
it suits her,” said BianCa, causing the old woman to make her dry cackling laugh again.

“I liked the way you put her down.  She needed it, the way she treats the people here.”

She and BianCa had stepped to the side as Thors and Jarmin looked at the door.

“What is your name?” BianCa asked.

“I’m called Melbas.”

“You said you’ve been here on the estate for your whole life.  What can you tell me about the people here?  I was kept in the city
ever since our marriage and was disappointed never to spend time here.  Thors and I both prefer country life to city life and would like to spend the bulk of our time here.  Like so many of the women I saw, I am also expecting my first child.”

“Children are a blessing. 
The
ugly witch,
as you called her, never had a child.  She begged for one.  It’s one of the reasons there are so many here.  The duke said she could take a baby another woman had given birth to.”

At BianCa’s gasp, Melbas nodded her head and continued
, “Yes, she wanted a child until the first one she chose got the colic and wouldn’t stop crying.  She said it was defective and gave it back.  The next one threw up on her favorite dress.  After those incidents, the new mothers made sure their infants were in some way displeasing to her.  It worked because she quickly decided she didn’t want a child, after all.  She went through the motions when he was here but we fixed it quickly,” she said with a snicker.

BianCa smiled, “What happened?”

“Well, he wanted a son, didn’t he?  But he wasn’t having one of his own.  So he looked over the batch of them and picked out the one he thought was the pick of the bunch.  We helped his decision by dressing them in a particular way.  If one cried the instant he was picked up—well, perhaps there was a pin sticking him and other things.  Then, when he chose the one we expected, we’d timed it right and dear Horace passed his lunch all over the duke’s clothing.  He’d had quite a bit of fruit, you see, and his diaper may have been a little loose.”

Thors and Jarmin had been listening at the same time as they tried to open the door.  When Melbas
finished her story, they both burst into laughter.  Thors had to stop what he was doing and bend over with his hands on his knees, he was laughing so hard.

“Afterwards, he said he’d wait until they’d grown up a bit,” she finished with a smile.

“We’re going to enjoy living in this house.  For one, the inhabitants have proven themselves to be highly intelligent and inventive,” Thors stated when he finished laughing and caught his breath.

Thinking of children and remembering what Natalie had gone through just a short while ago, BianCa was suddenly anxious to get in the room.

“Are you going to be able to get into the room?  I feel it’s very important,” BianCa stated.

“Yes, but we’ll need some tools. 
Also, I’m going to need to borrow your tablet,” said Thors.

“My Lord, young Lorman, the builder
—it’s possible he can help you with this task,” said Melbas.

“Where might we find young Lorman
—not to be confused with old Lorman?” he asked with a smile.

“Oh, well, as to that, they’re all still in the room, aren’t they?  You didn’t say they could leave.  Old Lorman died some twenty years ago.  So there’s just young Lorman, who’s about fifty and
very
young Lorman, who’s expecting his first this spring,” she said, making Thors laugh again.

“What will you call him
—baby Lorman?” he asked, laughing at his own joke.

“Melbas and I will go back and find this young Lorman for you and send him with the tablet and some tools.  Then I’ll disburse the household back to their jobs.
I’ve yet to deal adequately with the black-haired witch.  She’s had her first lesson.  Now she knows legs are longer and stronger than arms.  For her next lesson, I’m going to teach her never to mess with me or mine ever again,” said BianCa.

“Be careful
—she can still hurt you,” said Thors, pulling her into his arms.

“I will be.  I really like this new life of mine.  I’m not going to risk it,” she said
, before she kissed him.  Like always, a simple kiss turned hot and heavy in the blink of an eye.

“Newlyweds,” Jarmin joked, even as he smiled. 

Melbas nodded and beamed.  She grew hopeful for the future of her people; because, as the eldest, she did consider all of them her people.  She would let them have their fun and then she would gently lead them where she wanted them to go.

Grace had been having trouble getting comfortable when she went to sleep at night.  Last night, it had taken six strategically placed pillows for her to be able to rest.
Her
Ankida
then carefully lay around her.  She could no longer sleep draped over Justyn, with Jalen and Jett on either side.  These days, one of her
Ankida
had to sleep in another room because there wasn’t enough room on the bed.

Last night, it had been Justyn, so he was getting his reward now by waking up his wife with his head between her legs.  Jalen and Jett were worshipping her breasts.  Her pregnancy had made them so sensitive
—they could bring her to orgasm simply by giving her nipples a little attention.  Grace woke as her first orgasm rolled through her and she cried out.

“Oh, God, oh,” she moaned.

Justyn had raised her legs over his shoulders.  He drank up the evidence of her first peak and was now urging her to a higher one.  He pushed one finger deep in her anus, at the same time as he pushed two fingers inside her tight channel to reach both of her pleasure centers.  When the orgasm hit, she arched her back up off the bed, squeezed her thighs on either side of Justyn’s head and pushed her feet into his back.

In the aftermath, she tried to catch her breath.  Her
Ankida
watched as the flush faded from her skin and she settled back against the sheets.

Grace looked around at all of them.  “I don’t mean to be
so selfish. I love you all. I’d like to give back what you just gave me—but I really have to pee!”

They laughed as they helped her up from the bed.  Then they all turned to watch as she quickly waddled her way into the bathroom
, wrapped in a sheet.  The further along in her pregnancy she became, the more beautiful she was to them.

She was walking back into the bedroom, a secret smile on her face
, when the communications panel signaled an incoming message.  Grace detoured to answer it. Jalen brought over a robe, tucked it around her as he pulled away the sheet, and gave the babies in her womb a good morning kiss. 

When the call ended, she knew her
Ankida
would surely miss the blowjobs she’d been planning.  Unfortunately for them, she was a woman on a mission.  She needed to get going.

She ran
into the bedroom as fast as her belly would let her and headed over to the closet.

“Grace, do you need any help?” asked Justyn.  He’d taken a quick shower and had just finished dressing.

“I need to get dressed and go see Catherine.  It’s important,” she said, grabbing the first maternity dress she saw.

Justyn got a worried look on his face.  “Is it the babies?  Are they coming?  You don’t need a dress.  I can carry you in a blanket.  Jalen!  Jett!  Hurry up!  Grace is having the babies!”

He then ripped the blanket from the bed, rushed over and started wrapping her up. He finally stopped talking long enough for her to get a word in edgewise.

“Stop!” she laughed, slapping at his hands, even as Jalen and Jett rushed into the room.
“Don’t pick me up, help me get dressed.” 

She was having trouble talking, she was laughing so hard.  Her men were so cute the way they worried about her.  She got a good look at Jalen and Jett.  Jalen was dripping wet and had a towel slung around his waist.  Jett’s chin was covered in hair
-removal foam and he had his teeth cleaning wand in his hand.  Just seeing how they reacted sent her into another peal of laughter.  She was still trying to stop Justyn from wrapping her up.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, spreading around to her lower back.

“Ouch!  Ooh, Justyn—I changed my mind, wrap me up and get me out of here,” she said, letting out a long moan.

All three of the men freaked.  Justyn swooped her up in the blanket and the three of them rushed to the door.  As they were running down the hall, Jalen’s towel slipped from his waist and he tripped over it and fell into Jett, knocking him down.  Justyn didn’t stop, he just kept moving.  Somewhere in his brain, he knew it was too soon for the babies to be born.  She was barely six months along.

Jett and Jalen stumbled to their feet and ran after their brother and mate.  Jalen didn’t even notice that he was now naked, the towel left behind in the corridor.

Rushing as he was, it didn’t take long for Justyn to reach the medical bay, even carrying Grace.  He wasn’t even breathing hard as he shouted for help.  Jalen and Jett arrived just as the medical came in from the back.  Taking in the problem at a glance, he turned back to the exam rooms and told them to follow.

“Put her down on the bed.  I’m going to call Catherine and then get her vitals,” said the doctor.  He went to the com link set in the wall. 

“There are scrubs in the closet just outside the room,” he mentioned to Jalen
, as he activated the link. 

Jalen, realizing he didn’t have a stitch on, hurried to get some scrubs.  For the moment, Grace didn’t seem to be in pain so he felt it was safe to leave the room for a brief time.  Still, after grabbing the scrubs, he took them back into the exam room to dress.

The medical, Kashir, took Grace’s pulse and blood pressure as her
Ankida
looked on.

Grace was feeling fine now and she wasn’t comfortable lying flat on her back.  She tried to sit up.  When she felt another sharp pain, she gasped.

“Don’t try to move.  Just stay still, my love,” urged Justyn.

Catherine rushed in as Kashir was finishing her vitals.  They conferred briefly before Catherine came over to the bed.

She gave Grace a smile as she ran her hands over her swollen belly.  “I know we have all of these great advanced medical devices but I like to stick with what I know best.  So I’m going to pull out my stethoscope and give a listen.  I’m sorry if it’s cold.”

“I feel fine, I really do.
The sharp pain I felt is completely gone now,” said Grace.

“Well, you’re here, so let’s not waste the visit.  I’ll give you a complete check-up; you’re due to start weekly exams, anyway.  Now, tell me exactly what happened to make you feel the need to rush in here before breakfast,” she said.

Grace went on to explain, with Justyn adding in a word here and there.  Jalen and Jett listened closely because they had rushed in from the bathroom and hadn’t been in the room when it happened.  As she went on with the story, Catherine kept a hand on her belly, checking to see if her muscles tightened with a contraction.

“So you were laughing when the pain started?” she asked.

“Yes, they were being their overprotective selves and I was hurrying, trying to get dressed.  Justyn got the wrong idea.”

“But then you had a pain anyway?”

“Yes, it was sharp, but then it went away,” said Grace.

“Why were you trying to dress in such a hurry?” Catherine asked.

“Oh!  I can’t believe I forgot!  BianCa called.”  Grace, in her excitement, moved on the bed and felt another sharp pain. “Ouch.”

Catherine immediately checked her.

“Okay—we’ve got good news and bad news.  Good news is you aren’t in labor.  Bad news is you’ve pulled—or maybe torn—a muscle, one you’ll need when you are in labor.  First, we’ll determine if it’s pulled or torn.  The determination will tell us how long you’re going to have to stay in bed.  Now, I can see you’re burning to tell me something.  So if you promise to hold very still, you can tell me as I use some of this advanced Nephilim technology to examine your muscle.  Remember to hold still.  If I need you to move, I’ll direct your
Ankida
to move you.”

Catherine went to a cupboard and pulled out an instrument.  As she leaned over the table, Grace spoke.

“BianCa found out why Natalie lost her babies.  Her
Ankida
poisoned her.”

Catherine nearly dropped the scanner, she was so shocked.  The men started growling deep in their throats.

“Wait a minute!  They didn’t do it on purpose.  They were poisoned first,” she nearly shouted.

“Okay, this is obviously going to be a serious discussion.  Believe me
, no one wants to hear this more than I do.  Natalie had to be sedated last night.  It will help her recovery tremendously if we can tell her what happened.” 

Catherine had been running the scanner over Grace as she spoke. 

“You
have
torn the muscle, but I’m not comfortable performing surgery on it when you’re this far along.  We’ll get you a truss to support the muscle and those babies you’re carrying.  You’ll be spending the remainder of your pregnancy on modified bed rest.  No bending, twisting or lifting anything heavier than your glass of juice at breakfast.  If you need to stand or get out of bed, let one of your
Ankida
be your muscle for you.  Justyn can carry you back to your quarters and we’ll replicate a chair like Addie’s for you.  Actually, we’ll replicate two—one for your quarters and one for Addie’s.  You can sit together when you want to have another movie marathon or just visit together.

“
Now, as to this information from BianCa—after you’re settled in, your
Ankida
are over their fright and you’ve all had something to eat, I’ll come by with my own
Ankida
.  This information is going to have a bearing on so many. As head medical officers, they need to hear it, too.  We’ll also need to contact our counterparts on KowLer, if BianCa hasn’t already done so.  Of course, we’ll need to treat Peet and Reeko as soon as possible.  Is there an antidote to the poison?”

“Yes, BianCa said there is an antidote.
It was the middle of the night there.  They are out in the middle of the country, so she contacted me while they were waiting for a medical to reach them,” explained Grace.

“It sounds like it’s going to take a
while to get all the data. Go home and put your morning back on track.  I’ll relay this to Addie when I go for her daily exam.  Don’t worry about Natalie; I’ll take care of her and her
Ankida
.  I want you to concentrate on your own babies and your own
Ankida
.  Will you do that for me?”

“Yes, I’ll be good.  I’ve had torn muscles before; I know what to do,” said Grace. 

“Thank you, Catherine, for what you do for Grace and all the women on the ship.  You are also pregnant and we haven’t forgotten.  I’m sure we interrupted your own breakfast.  We are grateful for all your sacrifices.  If there is anything you need that we can provide, please let us know,” said Jalen.

“Thank you, Jalen. 
I’ve been enjoying taking care of all the women.  They’re allowing me to help them deliver new life.  It’s the best job in the world.  There is one thing you could do for me, though. We have a lot of hormonal women on the ship.  So no more streaking, okay?”

Grace started laughing at the red flush suddenly staining his face and she held her side at the pain.  “Oh, don’t make me laugh.”

****

An hour later
, when Catherine went to see Addie, she was shocked to observe Addie and her
Ankida
angry with each other.  She asked the men to leave the room by telling them her own
Ankida
had some extraordinary news to share.  They weren’t happy about it, but seeing the message in Catherine’s eyes, they left.  Perhaps Catherine would be able to make sense of Addie’s anger and she would act rationally again.

Catherine could tell now was not the time to pull out the blood pressure reader or her stethoscope.  A lot of times, just talking to a patient was the best medicine.

“Okay, girlfriend, what’s up?  Don’t say
nothing—
because when I walked in, the tension in here was so thick you could cut it with a knife.”

Addie gave a big sigh.  “I got a high-speed transmission from Glynnis.  She had a lot to say about Malpha.”

“What has the bitch done now?” asked Catherine, her voice going hard.

“See?  This is why I’m so angry.  We’ve been blaming Malpha for everything.  She is a strong-willed and opinionated woman.  However, it turns out most of the manipulations attributed to her were the Council members playing her and my
Ankida
off each other.  They never got together and figured it out because they thought she would force them into a mating somehow.  She never went to them because she’s in love with them.  She believed all this time the only way to save their people was to mate with them.”

“So she’s not a bitch?  We don’t hate her?”

“Well, as to that, you can’t run an entire world in crisis for hundreds of years without having a strong personality.  She’s just not the major bad girl we thought she was. I have practically forced her into a marriage with King Ben KowLer because I didn’t have good information!”

“So the person you’re really angry with is yourself?”

“Yes! No!  I don’t know,” she said sulkily.

Catherine sat back in her chair and thought about what Addie had told her.
  “Instead of looking back, why don’t you look forward?  What’s done is done; you can’t change the past.  Malpha is going to be arriving in a few days.  You need to prepare the people here so she gets the welcome she deserves.  As to the marriage with Ben—well, I don’t know what to say about that.  Why don’t you see how they act with each other before you do anything?” asked Catherine.