Wyvern Protection Unit - Chapter 96: Chapter 96

“So, he just left you there?”
“What did you want him to do, Caro?”
“I dunno, but if I told Jasper to fuck someone else, he’d likely spank my ass till it was all pink and shiny. Ooh, note to self, tell Jasper to schedule in some naughty us time.” Carolina murmured into her phone, and Jennifer tried not to cringe.
“Please, I do not want to hear about your sexcapades. Especially in your condition. What are you, like seventeen months pregnant?”
“Ha ha. Very funny. Don’t you think I know how fucking pregnant I am, you heifer?” Caro fake-growled and tossed a newly laundered baby blanket at Jennifer.
The two women giggled and went back to folding the baby clothes they’d pre-washed. A few minutes later, Daeja arrived with Kizzy and Luna. Both Drakein females were shy and sweet, and Jennifer enjoyed talking with them. Aliza, Serene, and Hydra came a little bit later.
The females were all quite striking. It was remarkable really how similar to humans they appeared, except for their hair and eyes. The coloring of which was a variety of hues, from bright blues and greens to purples and pinks. All quite different from Earth. Part of her lessons included introducing Earth fashion and conversational speech. What better way to teach than through actual conversations?
“Hey girls, come have a seat,” Caro said, smiling and making room.
They were working on getting the nursery ready for the twins Caro was carrying and that meant a ton of baby clothes had to be washed, dried, folded, and put away. Along with a million other odds and ends that needed sanitizing and putting together.
“Girls? We are women, are we not?” Hydra asked.
“Yes, we are definitely women, but when another woman says girls, it's more a term of endearment,” Kimberley explained with a kind smile.
“Ah, I see. It is what Jennifer Dylluan means when she says colloquial dialog, yes?”
“That’s right. You know, this is perhaps the first time in centuries where cultural assimilation can be considered completely necessary. I mean, you can’t just announce the existence of Aliens to the world. Everyone would go batshit⁠—”
“Everyone would shit bats?” Kizzy interrupted, eyes wide.
“No, not literally. Kimberley is in archeologist. She studies ancient cultures. What she means when she says batshit is that society would find it very difficult to believe,” Jennifer said.
The four Drakein females looked at Daeja, who nodded reassuringly. Jennifer watched with interest. On one hand, she was still experiencing feelings over Aliza’s announcement she had intentions towards Zircon. On the other hand, she was given this assignment to oversee their acclimation to modern human society.
Jennifer needed to stay objective. But it wasn’t easy. Especially when the beautiful Drakein kept staring daggers at her.
“Yes, very difficult. Humans would completely lose their faith in the government, their religion—basically everything. What you are doing, learning our ways to better blend in to keep the Shifter secret and, by larger association, the paranormal world as a whole, is one of the most generous and brave things I have ever seen. I think you’re simply remarkable!”
Jennifer listened in awe as Carolina, Kimberley, even Candy, who wasn’t all that familiar with the human world, welcomed and cheered the Drakein on. The nursery was done in varying pale shades of yellow and cream. The furniture, she knew, had been crafted by hand by the brothers Wessex, and the curtains and bedding had been hand sewn by Carolina and Kim.
With everything freshly laundered, it was time to fill the matching dressers and closets with all the precious clothes, blankies, bibs, and other baby bits Caro and Jasper had received at their baby shower. Today was a continuation of the girl night they’d had last night, and Jennifer looked down at her fingernails and bit her lip.
Maybe they were wrong not to include the five newcomers last night. Maybe that was why Aliza had been particularly snippy when she’d told that lie about Jennifer leaving the compound. She wasn’t sure if she forgave the female for the fib, but she knew she needed to be the bigger person. She was so lost in thought, Jennifer didn’t even notice Daeja had moved next to her until the pink haired female nudged her gently with her shoulder.
“They are trying to fit in, you know,” Daeja said softly.
“I know.”
“Perhaps they need more than just manuals and lectures?”
“I think you might be right,” Jennifer admitted, feeling slightly chagrined.
“I understand things have not been decided for you and Zircon, but you must know Aliza was exercising a sense of worth she never exhibited before. On the ship, the females were treated worse than when we were back on our planet. Being here, meeting females like you and Caro, Kim, and Candy, well, I believe they gave her a boost of confidence.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Daeja, and I appreciate it. But Zircon is not mine,” she said it, wincing at the sharp pain that filled her—her Owl’s reaction to a statement she knew was false.
“I hear the lie in your voice when you say that Jennifer Dylluan—I mean, Jennifer,” the pink haired female corrected herself.
Daeja was so much more than an Alien Drakein now, though. She was Heliodore’s mate, and over the past few months, she’d become a very close friend. Her experience as a nurse and healer were invaluable. She’d even shared her knowledge with the medical experts working for the DPCA.
More importantly, Jennifer trusted her. She’d come to care for Daeja, just as she had Candy. With Caro and Kim, these women made up her closest friends. Heck, that wasn’t right. They were more than that. They were family.
“You know something, Daeja? If you were anyone else, I’d deny that, but you’re right. My personal relationship with Zircon has always been complicated.”
“Complicated? I do not understand. For me, it was simple. I saw Heliodore, and I knew he and I were meant to be. My Drakein recognized my revolko immediately.”
Jennifer smiled and nodded her head. Oh, she knew the feeling alright. How many years had passed since the first time she’d seen him? Too many. And all the while she’d kept a wall between them, blaming her role as their handler and the ethics demanded of her by the job.
But there was no denying what occurred between them every time they touched. The lines had been blurred, and she didn’t know if she could ever go back. Heck. Did she even want to?
Daeja frowned as she watched Caro, Kim, and Candy and Jennifer waited for her to speak. She’d learned early on the female required a bit more patience when gathering her thoughts. But that was okay. Jennifer was good with silences.
“You know, I have discovered an anomaly with the pregnancies, but I have not wanted to worry the women,” Daeja whispered.
“Is something wrong?” Jennifer asked, her instincts immediately on alert.
“No, no. They are all healthy, it’s just, well, it seems the gestation periods of Kim and Candy have sped up.”
“What?”
“Look at their stomachs. And see how low they are carrying?” This used to happen on Drakeinan, but very rarely.”
Jennifer looked at the three pregnant women, and she frowned. Daeja was right. She hadn’t noticed before, but maybe it was because she wasn’t looking. All three women looked very similar in size and the way they were carrying. When the heck did that happen?
“What are you talking about, exactly?”
“Sometimes, when members of the same family or Clan were expecting, the younglings synchronized to be birthed at the same moment—like multiples, but from different parents.”
“You are telling me the young these women are carrying are communicating with one another?”
“Yes. Do not look so shocked,” Daeja explained, laughter smiling in her pink hued eyes.
“How could I not be? How is that even possible?” Jennifer asked.
“There are many planes of existence, Jennifer, and I do not pretend to know them all or to even understand, but the Drakein believed when this happened, it signified an incredible bond between the offspring. We called it Kinakein.”
“Kinakein? Is it dangerous?”
“I suppose, like anything else, it could have complications. Some of our people feared it and would sometimes separate the pregnant females. Keeping them away from one another so we did not have mass births at once.”
“Oh wow. Why?”
“No one has ever said why, but I believe it was to stop Drakein being born with too powerful bonds between them. It would alter loyalties, you see.”
Jennifer frowned and thought about it. In a society where everything hinged on loyalty, she supposed it could be seen as a threat to have powerful beings birthed with bonds already in place.
“Daeja, when will you know for sure if this kinakein is occurring?”
“I must run more tests, but we don’t have to tell the mothers yet. No need to raise their blood pressure with worry. Besides, despite what the patriarchs of my home world thought, the females knew that kinakein was a rare blessing. Those born in kinakein have special places in our history as the best of leaders, warriors, and brothers.”
“Brothers? They’re all having boys?” Jennifer gasped.
“Shhh. I promised I would not tell,” Daeja said, and grinned mischievously.
She nodded and looked back at her friends. Jennifer’s heart ached as she took in their glowing faces as they filled the nursery with beautiful things, the best being laughter, friendship, and love. What she wouldn’t give to have something like that for herself. Jennifer gasped as fresh pain pierced her heart.
We could have all this, her Owl whispered, but you push it away.
You know why, she told her beast.
I know, but it doesn’t make it any better. We are alone. Safe. But always alone.