Page 57 of Loaned to the Leonid Knight

“Huh?” He jerked back to reality, felt Sasha’s now familiar form cuddled to his side. “What, my Queen?”

“I want to go to Lynx-Nineteen when we get in range. I want to go on virtual and holo tours so we can pick out our land. Our house. Meet the neighbors. Let’s talk to Dane and Cherie. Let’s order the trees. And the goats. And the baby furniture. A crib. Little clothes.” Sasha clutched her middle, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Do you know that these are happy tears?” she demanded with a giddy laugh, pointing to her cheeks.

“I hoped,” Gideon whispered, hurriedly wiping them away.

“If I were pregnant and had to give my baby to Farhet? I would be sobbing in misery. I might have tried to break the contract, but on my own, with his power, and carrying his biological child? It wouldn’t have happened. With his hatred of humans, I would have never even seen my baby again. But you! You and me? We’re going to raise her in a beautiful, safe littleworld, with lots of friends and a mommy and daddy who will love her and protect her. Never give her away or leave her.”

“Never, ever will we do that.” Gideon pulled Sasha into his arms and dared to rest his paw on her belly. “Little one, you are not able to hear me yet, but I am telling you that you are safe. Your mother and I will never let anything bad happen to you.”

“That’s right.”

“Wait. You said ‘she.’ Can human mothers tell?”

Sasha shrugged. “It’s just a feeling. This first one is a girl. The next, who knows?”

“The next?”

“That doctor in Hillhead knows what he’s doing. Someday, maybe I’ll be his assistant. Maybe someday, we’ll be helping couples like us. I know that’s a huge dream—”

“No,thisis a huge dream,” Gideon whispered, voice awed. He had a Queen in his lap, and his child in her, growing in safety, with their love protecting her. “This is the biggest dream. All the rest is small by comparison. We can make anything else happen now, my love, if we work for it. And I promise, by all the stars, that I will be the hardest-working King you have ever seen.”

“You already are.” Sasha kissed his cheek. Then his lips. “Mmm. Gideon.”

“No, no. No, I am going to be strong, Sasha, and let you rest. I mustn’t jostle the baby until it’s more firmly secured. Past the first cycle and a half, that’s the old Queen’s tale.”

“A cycle and a half without sex? Nope. We’ll just be gentle. But if you’re worried about doing it until I have a few more check-ups with Dr. Marcus, that’s fine. Want to take me on a holo tour of this Hillhead place?”

“Yes! Let me go to the database computer and—oh. Look, Elio says there’s a shuttle marked as freight coming from Leonid-One.” Gideon opened the screen and immediately sawthe notice from theComet Stalker’sFreight Coordinator appear in the corner.

“Your stuff. Farhet must have found out that he lost the contract contest. I hope he didn’t break it all up out of spite.” Sasha bit her lip.

“I think he’ll be too busy scrambling to find another Queen to provide him with a child before Memhet comes home with a bride. He probably just had some of the houseboys throw everything in boxes and take it to the shuttle port. Hm. It says it’ll be here within the week. He even paid for a hyperjump. Wow.”

“That’s generous.”

“I imagine the servants did that. They were never what I’d call friendly, but the houseboys and the cook did know that I managed most things to Farhet and his father’s liking, which spared them hours of haranguing and complaints. It was probably a kindness they hoped Farhet wouldn’t notice.”

“You should try to get in touch with them,” Sasha said, hugging his arm tightly as she stood beside him in front of the computer. “I bet they miss you.”

“Are you going to try to get in touch with your old roommate?” Gideon challenged. “I’m sure she misses you. How could anyone not?”

“No. No, I get what you’re saying. Time to let go of the past, and move towards the future.”

“Mmhm. Our future.” Gideon kissed her middle, making her laugh. “Let me show you this little place on the edge of town...”

Chapter Seventeen

“That’s the heartbeat. Right now, it just shows up as an electrical pulse. Soon it’ll be a whooshing sound. Not for another few weeks, but hey, it’s amazing how early we can detect it now.” Marcus removed the probe from Sasha’s bare stomach and let Gideon wipe off the gel. “That little guy or gal is the size of a citrine seed. Next week? A plumcotta pit. By the next cycle, it’ll be the size of a spice apple, and you’ll see the limbs and tail clearly.”

“A tail.” Sasha sat up and looked over at Abigail, who was helping out in the clinic. She was carrying Mara on one hip. “The tails are so adorable and tiny,” she whispered, eyes fixed on the baby Leonid’s little tail as it poked through the back of a snuggly pink suit.

“I know you haven’t been wanting to hold the cubs too much, and I understood why,” Abigail said with a warm smile. “But come to the nursery today? Wendy runs it with all of our help. She’s teaching Chance and Alana to write and pawpaint, recognize letters, and sing little songs. Chandra is building with blocks and putting things together, and they have story time and play with dough and little instruments. Our cubs are too young for that, but they can go there and be loved and snuggled by their aunties and uncles, whoever has the time. It’s a wonderful feeling to hold a little cub in your arms,” Abi sighed. “And you two should practice.”

“And you two should also get out of my Queen’s way. Doctor, Nessa feels some of those early warning contractions!” Kamau hurried in, earning a startled snarl from Gideon, who hurriedly tugged Sasha’s shirt over her stomach.

“Honey, I told you that’s gonna happen starting in the fourth cycle!” Nessa protested, waddling in after him.

“Can I hold Mara?” Sasha whispered, holding out her arms as she hopped off the table.