C22 Samantha - I can't be pregnant

Three hours later, I was landing on a small refugee planet called Ambrosia. Alva had gotten me a temporary visa and loan to stay here and the name of a good lawyer who saw cases like mine. The entire spaceship ride, I kept feeling like someone was watching me. Like the hairs on the back of my neck would stand straight up. But when I glanced behind me, it was only other passengers. No Knox. No Angeliminir.

Disappointment churned in my gut. Half of me had hoped that Knox would chase after me, declare his undying love and we’d live happily ever after. I let out a snort that made the back of my eyes burn. Like that would ever happen.

No, it was better this way, him on his world and me starting over.

The planet was grasslands with crops of greenhouses sprinkled in villages like a communal site. All types of aliens were here, including a few humans. One was a Roulex that blinked when it saw me, and my heart seized. But it turned away, not recognizing me, its tail severed.

I swallowed down the bitter taste in the back of my mouth, my stomach still upset from the trip over here.

After I paid for lodging, I crashed into the bed. Tears fell freely and my heart broke all over again. This really was the end.

* * *

One week later, I ran up to the arriving spaceship eager for news. Jonkas, my new lawyer, had returned from court. His blue skin rippled, shifting to a darker color. “You can return to Earth without fear.”

“Really?” I straightened in my chair. I had wanted to go in person, but the Virlex lawyer had said it was best to stay here, that too many humans had been abducted on their way to Earth with them growing more and more scarce. “What happened?”

“It was an illegal operation. The Nebobite student you were teaching to drive was an adult in disguise.”

“Wait. What?”

“Yes. He and his family would stage an accident of some sort, blame the human who would then get sent to a breeding prison, and they would walk away with money in their pockets, along with the judge.”

I pulled him aside as more passengers exited the spaceship. “What about my ex-boss, Mr. Simmons?”

Jonkas sighed. “I’m afraid he was in on it too. He discovered your medical records and we obtained copies from a spy in the prison.”

“What about them?” I wanted facts, not guesses.

He paused and I stiffened.

Was I dying? Some weird new disease that had no cure. “Just tell me.”

“You’ve Angeliminir in your ancestry.”

“What? Like my DNA?” I frowned. Which of my relatives had inbred with an alien? Doubted anyone would know who or when I hadn’t even known.

“You were—are a prime candidate for breeding. That’s why you were targeted. And the Roulex promised him a portion of the cash and the Roulex threw in a deal for him.”

“And he took it, bastard.” I fumed. Simmons had sold me like I was a fucking slave. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Hush.” Jonkas grabbed my arm, pulling me further away from the spaceship. “You don’t know anything about this. You had nothing to do with it, okay? As your lawyer, I only got your debt and warrant for your arrest revoked… nothing more.” His blue skin was now a pale blue like he was going to be sick.

A coldness wrapped around me. “What are you saying?”

Knox came around the edge of the spaceship and my heart stopped. “He’s saying that the Nebobites and Simmons will never be able to hurt you again.”

I straightened, clenching my fists at my sides. “What are you doing here?”

“Excuse me.” Jonkas hustled away and into the local tavern.

“You’re looking well,” Knox said softly. “I missed you.”

“No.” I lifted my chin, angry that tears were prickling my eyes. “You don’t get to say things like that to me. Not now, not ever.”

He took a step toward me and my breath hitched in my throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. That I had to have Reganald cloak us and follow you here to see what you would do.”

“Wait. You were on the ship here?” That feeling I’d felt had been him? God, another stalker and so not what I needed. “Go back home, Knox, to your wife. I’m over you.”

There. I’d even kept my voice steady and my eyes from watering, though I felt like shit inside.

He looked abashed with a bluish tint to his cheeks. His horns gleamed in the orange sun and his silver eyes never left mine. He took in a ragged breath. “Alva forbade me from telling you until we were sure you weren’t working for the Roulex.”

“Why do you believe me now then?” I crossed my arms.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “When I first met you, I thought you were a spy sent in to tempt me. But then I got to know you and realized I was wrong. You were innocent.”

“Thanks for nothing, I guess. I can’t believe you thought I’d lied to you. I never have.”

He winced. “I know, I know. But you were only in prison for a few days. I was there for over three years, receiving beatings and losing my mind. They’d tried everything to get me to breed.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, a headache and heartache growing. “Look. That’s great that you’re safe and back with your people, but that still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.”

His chest puffed up. “I helped take care of your enemies. They will never bother you again.”

“Oh my God, did you kill them?” I mean, I hated them, but I didn’t actually want them harmed.

“No, but if they come near you again or threaten you in any way, I will. And they have no doubts about that.”

“Thanks. Okay.” I let out a breath.

“You can go back home to Earth now, if you wish.”

I glanced around Ambrosia with its orange sun, flat grasslands, and mix of so many species I couldn’t name them all. “No. I think I’ll stay here. They need teachers and I have a little experience.”

“You’re sure? It’s kind of plain.”

“It’s perfect for me.” I took a step back. “Thanks for everything, Knox. Good luck.”

“Samantha, wait.”

My name on his lips made my eyes shut briefly and my knees threatened to buckle. I wasn’t this strong. Why was the universe trying to punish me?

“There’s something else. Well, a lot. I’m making a mess of this.”

I turned back to him, waiting.

He looked uncomfortable. Like he was going to confess some big, dark secret that was going to piss me off or make me cry or both. “You’re pregnant.”

Of all the words I’d thought would come out of his mouth, those didn’t even make the list. I barked a laugh. “Yeah, right.”

“No, no, it’s true.” He reached out for me, then dropped his hands at his sides. “You’ve been having nausea ever since we escaped from the prison, right?”

“I-I can’t be. We didn’t have sex—” I covered my mouth with my hand. “The shot? Shit! Did they inject me with Roulex sperm?” A wave of dizziness rolled through me. Why would they shoot it in my hip and not my vagina? Then again, why did the Roulex do anything that made sense?

“No. It was an enhancer. It helped escalate the pregnancy. By our estimation, you’re about eight weeks now.” He watched me like I was a bomb fixing to explode. “I wanted so badly to tell you, but I was forbidden.”

I took in gulps of air, trying not to pass out. “I-I need to sit down.” Since we were outside, I just plopped down on the ground. No way was I going to make it inside the tavern. Pregnant?