Brida Pact (17 page)

“We believe that the other bride who came by initially would
not have visited again if she had not accidentally cut herself and needed
medical attention, which in her case was what you would call a bandage,” Rodin
added.

“Her warrior was beside himself with worry. I believe that
is one of the other pairs that has also decided to fight the Council’s decision
of separation,” Tamin said with a smile, obviously recalling how amusing it
must have been to see a normally cool and calm warrior lose his mind over a
small cut.

Poppy sat there for a minute, completely stunned that she’d
forgotten for even one minute there were other women on the ship.
Human
women. Human women who were most likely in the same position she was in.

“How soon can you contact them, doc?” Poppy asked, her
excitement building the more she thought about it.

Rodin smiled at her exuberance, studied his tablet for a
moment and pressed some buttons.

“I just sent messages to the warriors to approach their
brides and request a medical screening. When they contact me to set up a time,
I will indicate that we have acquired another bride to assist during the exams.
It will help in making them more comfortable while here in the center,” said
Rodin.

After talking about what might be needed for the women’s
visits, Poppy realized it was getting late. Tamin and Rodin had finished up
their paperwork, or in their case, tablet work. While she had been taking
inventory, there had been a couple warriors who had come in to be treated for
various sparring injuries. During both of those occasions, Poppy had been
shielded from the warriors’ questioning glances, and the men were moved quickly
through the med center. It was obvious that the doctors took her protection
very seriously.

Stretching from where she sat on the floor organizing a low
shelf, she stood and swung her arms over her head to get her blood moving
again. Her bracelet caught her eye as she moved. It was blinking! She scurried
over to the wall to check the system for a message. How the hell had she missed
it flashing?

“Poppy, I apologize for today. I spoke with Dathrow earlier
and he said that you were going to the med center to work…I am glad you are
staying busy.” Wheaton’s voice paused on the recording as if he were unsure how
to continue. “It seems that my work with the Council will prevent me from
joining you for our normal evening meal. I am sorry but will speak with you as
soon as I am able to. Just remember what I told you when we were last
together.”

Poppy realized she was on the verge of crying as the message
ended. Why the hell was she so weepy? When she’d been in previous
relationships, going a couple days without seeing her boyfriend had never been
an issue. She wondered if the fact Hannah was taking her place in the apartment
was bothering her more than she’d originally thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t
trust Wheaton. Over the last couple weeks she’d felt closer to Wheaton than
she’d ever felt toward a man. He had become an anchor in her strange new home
and she felt somewhat lost without him. It didn’t help that he
had
acted
possessively toward her and she hadn’t learned much about her new surroundings
before this whole mess started. She could see his point. She was one of a few
women on a ship of a couple thousand men. Men who didn’t have female companionship.
She would have been an idiot to not see the danger in that situation. But now
that Wheaton wasn’t here by her side, she felt as if she’d lost her life
preserver. Leaning on Dathrow and now Tamin and Rodin had been a little hard
since she hadn’t really had much contact with any of them prior to a few days
ago. Lucky for everyone that she made friends quickly, she thought.

Deciding she should get back and figure out dinner and maybe
a movie, she spoke with Tamin about getting an escort to her quarters. It was
at that moment Rodin came in with a couple bleeding warriors. Apparently
sparring sessions were pretty intense on this ship. The men appeared as if
they’d been in an ultimate fighting championship and she figured they’d need a
bit of time in the regen beds. Grimacing at the angle of one of the men’s arms
hanging limply at his side, she quickly got out of their way.

Rodin tried messaging Dathrow for an escort but had no luck.
It seemed as if she would be stuck in the med center for a while. Poppy was getting
comfortable when she heard Rodin say her name.

“Poppy, this is Behyr,” he said, gesturing at the tall,
grim-faced man beside him.

Behyr was an extremely large warrior, mighty fierce with his
long dreadlocks and somber face. He was actually very striking in appearance.
If she could compare him to anyone, it would be that guy from
Game of
Thrones
who married the dragon lady. He was big, with long hair and
piercing eyes and didn’t crack a smile or soften his face at all during their
introduction. The only thing he was missing was the war paint and naked chest.
Both of which, she was honest enough to admit, she wouldn’t mind seeing.

“
Bear
, as in the animal?” she asked. Sticking her
hand out for a handshake, she was surprised to be met with a gentle grasp.

“It is spelled differently in your alphabet but pronounced
the same,” he said in a deep voice that fit the packaging perfectly.

“Nice to meet you, Behyr.” Poppy smiled up at the big guy,
then over at Rodin. Why was he choosing now to introduce her to another warrior
when he had seemed to act as a barrier to the ones who had come in all day
long?

“Behyr has consented to walk you back to your quarters. He
is a senior Skrammon warrior and has guarded Wheaton on missions when needed.
Is this acceptable?” Rodin asked.

“Ummm sure,” she said with a slight hesitation. If Rodin
trusted this guy then she should too, right? Maybe his being so much bigger was
throwing her off. She had seen some Skrammon warriors in passing but this was
the first time she’d actually talked to one and she could see why this was
the
warrior breed. Behyr was intimidating as hell.

“I already contacted Dathrow and he explained he was caught
up in a meeting and unable to leave. He is the one who sent Behyr for your
escort,” Rodin said with a reassuring smile when he noticed Poppy staring at
the large man.

“If you would rather wait for me to be available, I should
be able to walk you back in the next hour or so. We have a couple warriors with
broken bones we need to get started in the regen beds.”

“Yeah, I saw the guy with the hanging arm. Don’t mind me,
I’ve just never met a Skrammon before and was taken off guard by the
differences between the warriors.” She glanced up at Behyr and smiled. “Come
on, big guy. I’m starving and my back hurts from organizing those shelves. I
haven’t been this sore since I decided I was going to start a garden. Now I
remember why my plants died.” Rubbing her back to ease some of the stiffness,
Poppy gathered her stuff.

Waving to her friends, she promised them she’d be back the
next day as soon as she finished breakfast. Following Behyr out of the door, Poppy
took a good look at her new companion and his outfit. His suit was similar to
Wheaton’s everyday wear but was a dark red-brown instead of the black that
Wheaton wore. Wondering if it was a warrior class uniform, she asked him
questions and was surprised when he answered patiently. Behyr explained that
certain colors designated different tiers in the Phaeton class system. Behyr’s
red leather designated his status as a senior Skrammon warrior. The Brakkens
wore shades of blue leather while most Healson warriors wore black.

The short walk back to her quarters seemed much quicker
since they spoke almost the entire way.

“Thank you for allowing me to escort you, Poppy. Dathrow
said he may need me to escort you when either he or Councilor Wheaton is not
available.” With a short bow, Behry turned to leave.

“Behyr?”

“Yes, Poppy?”

“Thank you for walking me back and also for answering my
questions,” she said with a friendly smile. For someone so big, he was actually
very quiet and gentle.

“Have a nice evening meal, Poppy. I may see you tomorrow.”
Bowing to her once again, he walked quietly down the hallway.

She might be smitten with Wheaton but she had to appreciate
the way Behyr filled out his combat outfit. That man was a beast. He was a
beast in the best way possible, if you could judge by the way he filled out his
leather pants. Damn these warriors were mighty fine.

After making herself a pizza and finding a movie, she rattled
around her apartment. Having the time to herself, she couldn’t stop thinking.
How exactly was she going to break the news of the pregnancy to Wheaton when
she saw him? Was she actually going to see him tomorrow? She
hoped
but
with her luck he would be busy again. Maybe she should do a couple runs of
saying she was pregnant so she didn’t stutter when she finally had the
opportunity. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she practiced a couple
times using different phrases. No matter how silly she felt doing it, she did
feel better. After ten different times she smiled widely. She. Was. Pregnant.
And not only was she pregnant, she was really
happy
about it.

“Wheaton, you’re going to be a daddy.” Yep, that sounded
perfect.

The next few days were awful. Absolutely awful. After having
such high hopes the day she’d found out she was pregnant, she was now not so
happy with her circumstances. One call after another with excuses from Wheaton
was getting really fucking annoying. First it was back-to-back meetings he
absolutely had to attend. Then, when he had sought her out, she’d been in the
med center and he didn’t have time in his break to find her. She’d started
relying more and more on the new friends she’d made to keep her company. Her
daily schedule seemed to keep her busy.

She spent most of her day joking with Tamin and Rodin in the
med center. Meals were usually eaten in her new quarters with Behyr and
Dathrow. She was slowly starting to feel less lonely every day. The men often
laughed at her antics and requested she play her music whenever they were
around. It was often playing in the background now when she was present. She
couldn’t imagine having a life without music or art. From what she was able to
find out, their society had been very staid and all the men absorbed human
culture like sponges. Big, strong, delicious-looking sponges.

Dathrow had kept her up-to-date on the Council proceedings
but there had been no new developments regarding her bridal status. Whenever
she asked about Hannah the Hellhound, he would close up and change the subject.
Of course that made her worry Hannah was fitting in better with Wheaton’s way
of life than she ever did. Behyr was a superb sounding board. He was still very
quiet and she had yet to make him smile but he had laughed a couple of times at
something she’d said before covering the sound with a cough. Her new mission
was to make him smile and loosen up a little bit.

During one of their afternoon discussions, she had her mind
blown when they described their childhoods. Apparently warriors were raised in
what she would describe as an orphanage. The men who ran the schools were older
warriors who were no longer able to serve in active warrior society. They took
warrior babies and raised them in cold, sterile housing to be trained in the
ways of their breeds. There were no art classes, music appreciation or hugs and
smiles from their teachers. The warriors were raising the next generation the
way they were raised. It all seemed so sad to Poppy and she actually teared up
when they explained it all.

None of them seemed upset about it. Why would they be? They
didn’t know any other way. Rodin and Tamin had rushed to get her tissues when
she started crying, staring at her as if she were losing her mind. Of course
that was when Behyr had come to pick her up and decided to flip out.
Apparently, seeing her crying made him angry, especially when Tamin and Rodin
were unable to explain what had upset her so much.

After she’d dried her tears and stopped hugging the men in a
round-robin hug fest, she told them as plainly as she could why she had broken
down.

“That’s just soooooo sad!” she blubbered, crying all over
again.

Behyr, who was still in the dark about why she was crying in
the first place, decided to give her his first unsolicited hug. Judging by his
face, he was extremely uncomfortable but perhaps thought that since she had
needed to hug them to calm down then this was the way to do it again.

“Why are you crying, little one?” he asked, awkwardly
patting her back. Over the top of her head he was shooting death glares at the
other two men.

“We did not do anything to her but talk, so please stop
acting like you want to kill me, Behyr,” Rodin said, his voice dry.

“Well, one of you made her cry! She was smiling when I
escorted her to the med center this morning,” he said angrily.

“No no no…they didn’t do anything,” Poppy said, her words
muffled into his leather shirt.

“Please explain,” Behyr requested, handing her a tissue.

“The boys were explaining to me how you were raised in the
warrior houses. I can’t imagine it, Behyr. You didn’t have anyone to kiss your
boo-boos, or sing you songs when you were sad…or give you hugs when you needed
them.” Poppy’s voice still sounded teary but she had stopped crying enough that
Behyr felt comfortable stepping back.

“And?” he prompted, perplexed as to why she was upset still.

“Don’t you guys get it?” By this time, she was becoming
upset with them for not understanding how fucked-up their childhoods had been.

“Children need love and attention,” she said, pointing at
the men. “Not barracks and classes to train them to be warriors when they’re
only kids.”

“But, Poppy, this is our way,” Tamin explained with his
eyebrow raised in confusion.

“No. No! I will not let Wheaton Jr. be raised like that.
This shit needs to be figured out before my baby gets here.” Cuddling her
belly, she was in such a tizzy she didn’t realize what she’d blurted out.
Behyr’s mouth dropped open. He turned to Rodin and Tamin in disbelief.

“She is carrying a child?” he yelled.

Tamin and Rodin both held their hands up to calm him down.
As the men argued about her pregnancy being a secret, she sat down while her
mind whirled.

How was this baby going to be raised? Her apartment on the
ship was small and could only accommodate a couple. Were there bigger
apartments on the ship that could house a family? She would never turn her
defenseless baby over to be raised in an orphanage. Was that what the Council
expected? Did Wheaton just expect them to hand over their baby when the time
came for it to be raised, and then start on another one? So many questions
filled her head. So few answers seemed available.

The men stopped their chatter and stared at her.

“Poppy? Are you okay?” Behyr asked, concern evident in his
voice.

“Guys, what’s going to happen once I have my baby? Will they
expect me to just turn him over to your warrior houses?” Seeing the men glance
at each other, she realized they had no clue what step two of the plan was
either. Fuck. That didn’t help her at all. Propping her hands on her hips, she
stared them down until they at least faked an answer for her.

“Honestly, Poppy, we are unsure what the plan is for the new
generation of children,” Tamin said with a grimace.

“The ship would not be ideal for raising a small warrior
either,” Rodin agreed, shooting a glance at Behyr as if hoping he might have
something to add.

“We know no other way, little one,” he admitted.

“Well, guys, we need to get on the ball because we are on a
deadline now and they are
not
taking my baby away to raise it to be a
cold warrior,” she said in a voice that invited no argument and then continued,
“I can tell you right now, the other brides are going to be on my side on
this.”

As they all sat down to try to figure out possible
solutions, they came to a conclusion. The men explained that most warriors
traveled on ships a majority of their lives, so the ships would have to be
retrofitted to allow for family quarters instead of couples’ quarters. Another
thing discussed was the extensive baby proofing of the ships that would be
needed. That issue would be a huge project by itself. Warriors on the home
planet apparently resided in barracks, so family homes would need to be
constructed there when the babies started coming. According to the men, only
high-ranking Council members had their own areas in the barracks but they
served as office spaces as well as living quarters.

As the list of “things to do” kept getting longer and
longer, Poppy yawned widely. She had not realized how tired she was getting.

“Behyr, I am assuming the whole reason you arrived an hour
ago was to escort me back to the apartment.” At his nod she admitted, “I’m
getting tired and hungry. How about we all think on this tonight and we can
talk more tomorrow?”

The men realized they’d kept her well past her normal time
and jumped up to help her gather her things.

“Poppy, tomorrow we want to perform another scan and check
the progress of the pregnancy. Can you arrive early so we can make sure no
other warriors are present?” Tamin asked.

“Of course I can. I’ll let Dath know to come earlier for
breakfast so we can get here maybe twenty minutes earlier. Would that be enough
time for you to run the tests you need?”

“That is more than enough time,” he agreed.

“And if you can bring those muffs again, we would appreciate
it,” Rodin chimed in.

“You mean
muffins
, Rodin, and yes, I will bring more
tomorrow,” she replied with a smile.

Walking back to her apartment, she noticed Behyr was
standing even closer to her than normal. He acted as if he were on guard, like
something was going to jump out and get her. Linking her arm through his, she
smiled up at the big man beside her.

“Behyr, are you okay? You seem more tense than usual,” she
asked.

He gave her an uncomfortable look. “I am nervous, Poppy.
Before this afternoon, I was responsible for just you. Now I am responsible for
you and also the first of a new line for our entire race,” he admitted. “What
if you fall? What if you do not get enough food to eat? What if you have a
problem in the middle of the night and no one is there for you?” he asked.

Reaching her door, she patted his hand and turned to face
him.

“I’m tougher than you think. And, yes, I might be a klutz
but unless it’s a really bad fall I should be okay. I have food at my
fingertips whenever I’m hungry, and I can call for help whenever I need it
almost immediately, thanks to my nifty bracelet.”

“But…” he continued, still concerned.

“Behyr, I’m scared enough for both of us, believe me. I
think about it every day. I don’t have Wheaton here to talk to about it and
that makes it worse. He doesn’t even know there
is
a baby yet because I
wanted to tell him in person and now with everything I found out today, I’m
really freaking out,” she admitted, tired of the situation she had been forced
into.

“Don’t freak, Poppy. All will be well,” he assured her in a
serious voice.

Poppy began giggling. Apparently hearing the tone of his
voice along with him telling her not to “freak” tickled her funny bone enough
to make her start laughing. Pretty soon his face added to the hilarity when he
appeared so completely confused and she laughed even harder. Obviously having a
case of the giggles was contagious, because for the first time since she’d met
him, Behyr started smiling. And it wasn’t a small smile that he covered up with
his hand. No, it was a full-on, teeth-showing smile accompanied by a booming
laugh. That was when she noticed something that made her gasp.

Behyr had fangs.
Fangs.
Not gigantic vampire fangs,
but they were definitely there. And they were sexy as hell. Before he knew what
she was going to do, she reached up and touched his cheek. Her manners were the
only thing holding her back from prying his lips open to investigate further.
That and the knowledge that if a hug made him stiffen up, then checking his
teeth as if he were a horse would totally scare the shit out of him.

“You have fangs! Why didn’t I know you had fangs? Is it a
Skrammon breed trait?” she asked while he stood completely still, letting her
touch his face.

“Yes it is. We are fighters and sometimes we use our teeth
in hand-to-hand combat. They are intimidating to our enemies as well,” he said,
flashing them again for her to see more clearly.

Nodding now in understanding, she let go of his face and he
relaxed. Not wanting to lose the moment, she held his hand in hers.

“Is that why you don’t smile?” she asked.

He nodded while still appearing slightly uncomfortable. “We
also do not have much to smile about, Poppy. You seem happy all the time…this
is new to many of us. I do not remember the last time I laughed before you
arrived.” His voice had lowered as if he had finally realized what she had been
trying to explain to them about raising her children.

“
What is going on here?
” The booming question came
from a couple feet away.

“Wheaton!” Poppy yelled, launching herself at him.
Practically climbing his body in an effort to reach his lips for a kiss, she
felt his arms come around her and squeeze tight. She saw Behyr, was now
standing at attention with all emotion wiped from his face. Hands folded behind
his back, he resembled a soldier standing at perfect attention. In her
excitement at seeing Wheaton, she hadn’t realized how pissed-off he was. Now
she did. She saw him glaring at a warrior who had once been a friend, but who,
if he didn’t step back from his bride, would be a dead warrior.

“Don’t you dare yell at me, Wheaton!” she said, climbing off
him.

“I do not like the familiar way you were speaking with
Behyr,” he argued.

Oh hell no. Wheaton was delusional if he thought he was going
to dictate who could be her friend and who could not.

“First off, Behyr is my
friend
. Friend. That is all.
Understand?” she said, poking his chest. The action startled him enough for him
to step back and focus his entire attention on her.

“Second, I haven’t seen you in
forevah
, so if you
think you have any right to be angry with
me
, then you’re nuts!” she
hollered with another hard poke as he moved even farther. Soon he had retreated
all the way to her apartment door.

“And third…” she continued only to be interrupted.

Wheaton threw up his hands to ward off more pokes. “You are
right, Poppy. I am sorry. I just have not seen you in days and I did not like
how comfortable you seem to have gotten with another warrior,” he rushed out,
apparently realizing that he needed to dig himself out of a hole and do it
quickly.

Glancing back, Poppy saw Behyr was still standing at
attention. The only thing relaxed in his stance was the small smile he now
wore. Poppy smiled back at him. “I will message you later about my schedule for
tomorrow, okay?”