Chapter Two

The cinnamon roll didn’t taste quite as good on the way back up. Mackie hugged the toilet bowl of the downstairs bathroom as if it were his lover and retched until his stomach felt like he’d been kicked. God, he hated throwing up more than anything else in the world. He knew it was some peoples’ kink but couldn’t imagine why. To him, this early morning technicolor yawn was pure torture. He slumped against the wall when it finally ended, too exhausted to even flush. Thankfully, if mortifyingly, Val had followed him in and was there to lend a helping hand.

“Thanks,” he muttered, closing his eyes and begging the gremlins plaguing his stomach to leave him in peace. “No offense to Damien, but I think I ate something bad.” Although, as he said it, he wasn’t sure it was food poisoning. He’d been feeling ‘off’ for a few days now.

“I don’t think so, baby.”

Mackie opened his eyelids to slits. Val crouched down in front of him, his beautiful violet eyes filled with concern and sympathy. So many people judged the man by his size and stern expression. They didn’t see the side of him that Mackie did. It was on display here and now. The look Val gave him was like a tight, comforting hug. Mackie always felt perfectly safe…and loved.

Mackie tried for a smile. “You think it’s like a stomach virus or something?”

Val shook his head even as he stood once more and grabbed a small towel from the rack. He ran the cloth under the faucet, then wrung it out. “No,” he said, kneeling now and gently rinsing Mackie’s face. The delicious coolness of the towel eased the hotness of his cheeks.

Val’s lips thinned in a grimace. “My blood would fight off any of those human illnesses.”

When he didn’t say anything more, Mackie grabbed his wrist. “What is it, then?” Even as he asked, he already knew the answer. In truth, he’d probably known for days.

“You’re breeding.” Val’s words were loaded with a harshness that Mackie couldn’t identify.

His stomach lurched, and he twisted lightning fast to heave up what amounted to no more than bile into the toilet. Val was right with him, making sure that Mackie’s hair stayed away from his face, then rubbing slow circles on his back while he trembled.

“I’ll be right back,” Val said quietly, reassuringly.

Mackie took in deep, slow breaths to convince his stomach that it had done enough partying for the day. Val was back quickly and produced a bottle of water. Mackie took a small sip to swirl around his mouth and spit before Val helped him sit again. He shook his head slowly when Val held the bottle to his lips once more.

Neither of them said anything for long seconds, the only sound in the small room being Mackie’s uneasy breathing.

“You think I’m pregnant already?” he finally asked, trying not to sound as freaked out as he was feeling.

Val’s expression turned extra grim. “I’m sorry, baby, but yeah, I do. I, uh…recognize the signs.”

Of course Val would. Mackie didn’t dwell on it much, but he did know that long ago, Val had loved and lost another human boy and his son in the bargain. It was why Val had fought his love for Mackie for so long. The big, bad warrior couldn’t bear the idea of losing another lover and child. Yet, he’d come around in the end, needing to love Mackie as much as Mackie needed to love him. Their marriage was rock-solid, and the alien blood that his husband fed him made Mackie feel wonderful.

He’d known the price he would eventually pay for it—the changing of his body into something capable of nurturing and bearing life without completely transforming him into a woman. In the abstract, it hadn’t sounded like a bad bargain. He got to live a lot longer and all of it with his husband. Pregnancy and childbirth wouldn’t be so bad. Women did it all the time, and with modern medicine and Harry on hand, it could be done safely.

Now that the theoretical had become concrete, he found himself scared out of his mind. “I’m not ready,” he confessed in a voice laced with the insecurity he always hid.

Val cupped his cheek and stared down at him. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

You won’t let me die like Robbie did, you mean. He didn’t voice his fear, because he knew how painful Val’s past losses were to him. There was, however, a feeling of resentment that tried to rise up in him, much as his breakfast had. It wasn’t fair, yet he couldn’t help wishing that they’d been more careful about all this. He’d trusted that Val had known what he was talking about.

“You said it would take years for me to change enough for this.” Shit, he hated the whininess in his voice. He’d moved on from being a brat.

Val squeezed the plastic bottle in his hand so hard that water spewed out and over it. He ignored it and kept right on staring Mackie in the eye. “Yeah, I did, baby. Obviously, I was wrong. I’ll ask Harry, but maybe it has something to do with the drug in your system.”

Ah yes. Mackie often forgot about how Dracul’s synthesized drug had been slipped by a club member into Mackie’s drink. It would have killed him if Val hadn’t thought to feed him his blood. It had saved his life and fast-tracked the effects on Mackie’s body. Really, they should have realized that it wouldn’t stop with increasing his speed and strength. He was as much at fault as anyone for not considering the ramifications. Plus, only he could perceive the changes to his body. That weird sensation deep in his gut was something he shouldn’t have ignored.

“Hanging with Annika might be a factor, as well,” Val mused.

“Really? I would have thought having the Queen around might have stopped my transition. You don’t need to manufacture a female when you’ve got the real deal.” He thought his logic was sound.

Val was already shaking his head, indicating another ‘no’ before Mackie had finished his thought. “The Queen’s pheromones have a strong impact on hive fertility. She’s already in the process of bringing us all together with her in the epicenter. I didn’t think I’d ever experience that sense of belonging again.”

Val went quiet for a few seconds, his gaze unfocused, an almost wistful look on his face. Then he snapped his attention back to Mackie. “Baby, you know you don’t, um…have to go through with this. Harry can take care of it for you.”

It took Mackie a moment to understand what Val was saying. When he did, his hand instinctively cupped his still-flat abdomen in a protective gesture. “What are you saying? It’s our baby. Our son. Or maybe it will be a girl, like Annika.”

Val was shaking his head again. “Right now, it’s only—”

“Our baby,” Mackie repeated. “We took vows, Val. And maybe we didn’t specifically make promises about children, but I understood that was what I was signing up for. I’m your husband, and giving you children is part of my job.”

Val raised his eyebrows. “Your job is running the go-go boys, Mackie. Our BDSM contract doesn’t run to my getting to knock you up any time I want.”

Mackie pouted. “Poor choice of words on my part. What I meant is that it’s my pleasure, my way of showing you my love and devotion. So, we’re ahead of schedule? It just caught me off guard, that’s all. I want to have this baby,” he added, with as much conviction in his tone as he could manage. He swallowed down his fear and doubts, much as he did the bile threatening to escape once more.

“Okay, baby. Don’t upset yourself,” Val soothed. “It’s your choice. Totally. Only, it’s going to get rough. If”—he coughed as if something was stuck in his throat—“if Robbie’s experience was anything to go by,” he choked out. “You’re going to be sick for the next few months. I’m pretty sure Lucien had it just as bad. Hopefully he can give you some tips about what helps. In the meantime,” he added, tossing the bottle into the sink, “I know that I can help by feeding you.”

So saying, the alien whom Mackie loved and had married without hesitation, let his fangs descend. It was exactly like any vampire movie he’d ever seen, with the gleaming pointed teeth dominating the guy’s mouth. The sight of them always made Mackie shudder, and goosebumps popped up over his arms. But it was all positive, a sign of arousal and not fear. His dick came to life and a sweetly torturous thirst claimed his throat. He leaned forward, even as Val scored the inside of his wrist and brought it to Mackie’s lips.

The first sip always broke what little control he had. Within a second, he’d fastened his mouth around Val’s flesh. He tugged in rhythmic pulls that came naturally to him now, taking the life-giving blood. It slid down his throat, soothing, yet never quite satisfying the burning need there. His stomach quieted almost immediately, and soon he went limp against the wall with his eyes closed. He felt relaxed and energized at the same time.

Too soon, Val tugged free. Mackie couldn’t hold back the whimpering protest. Sometimes he wondered if Val didn’t control the feeding, would he take and take until there was nothing left for his husband to give? The thought always disturbed him, but he reminded himself that he was Val’s slave twenty-four seven. He didn’t need to worry about anything. Val was in control. His husband would take care of him. All Mackie had to do was obey.

Oh, and incubate and give birth to a human alien hybrid. Piece of cake. Speaking of which… He opened his eyes and said, “I think I’m okay now to eat breakfast.”

“No way, baby.” Val’s tone brooked no argument. He scooped Mackie into his arms effortlessly as he stood. “Let’s get you lying on the couch then ask Lucien for advice. Privately, of course, given that Damien is still out there. My guess is that he’s going to recommend some ginger ale and saltines until we’re sure your stomach has truly settled.”

Mackie wrapped his arm around Val’s neck and rested his head on his husband’s broad shoulder. “I feel fine now.”

“Good. Let’s make sure it stays that way.”

Mackie knew better than to argue the point. And truly, if Val pampered him through the entire pregnancy, would that be so bad? Except something he hadn’t considered before suddenly occurred to him.

“Wait,” he said before they returned to the kitchen. “How am I going to hide this from the other boys, you know, the ones who don’t know, like Damien? They’ve all seen me naked, so I can’t pretend to be a transgender man.”

“Sorry, baby. You’re going to have to make like Earth women did way back when pregnancy was treated as too private to be seen by others and go into confinement as it advances. No one outside the family will be able to see you, once you start to show.”

“Oh, shit, I never thought of that.” He was going to have to be essentially locked away for months. Kind of like that brat Merlin. God, if he had only that kid for company… And he and Val couldn’t even play, not in any way that Mackie craved, while he was pregnant. “This is going to suck!”

Val stopped out of earshot of the human in the kitchen and glanced down at him. “You can always…”

“Don’t say it. I’m going through with this. I’ll deal.” With the boredom, he meant. But no small part of his brain was trying to raise the threat level to Defcon One over the enormity of what was happening to him.

He snuggled closer to his husband for comfort and strength, rubbing the tag he wore around his neck with thumb and forefinger for extra grounding. It marked him as Val’s, and nothing made him feel better than that reminder. He would get through this difficult journey. He’d survived living on the streets and attacks by Dracul’s minions. This was nothing compared to that, because in the end he’d have a child to love—and Val’s child at that. Besides, with Val looking out for him, he was damn near invincible.

 

* * * *

 

From her perch at the counter, Annika watched the warrior, Val, secure his human husband on the big sectional couch in the middle of the large living room. Most everyone was focused on the boy after his obvious distressful time in the bathroom, hovering around and offering him comfort. Mackie was going to have a baby. She’d known for a few days now and was surprised that no one else seemed to have realized it. She pretended ignorance of the fact, as well as other things she knew sometimes, to help her hive adjust to her ascending dominance. Nevertheless, she acquired new perceptions every day. There was a nascent drone burrowed inside Mackie’s body, and the idea that she would soon have another hive member pleased her immensely.

She enjoyed seeing her hive acting in concert to help one of its members. It was how it should be. It was really quite interesting the way the humans’ behavior approximated her own species. And she did think of herself in those terms. If her human father had contributed to her being, she felt nothing of it. To her way of thinking, the humans were the aliens, not her or the others of her kind. Earth might be a new home for them, but it was exactly that. And it would change for the better. She was the beginning of the process and felt the weight of that obligation more heavily each day.

Babette whined and pawed at her foot. Annika grinned at her pet, delighted as always at its devotion. She broke off a tiny piece of bacon from her plate and said, “Sit pretty.” The dog complied immediately, sitting back on her hind legs while lifting up the front ones. How could Annika resist such beseechment?

“Good girl.” She dropped the food right into her pet’s yawning mouth.

The human who’d provided such a sumptuous meal passed by on his way to the living room area. He held a bottle of some drink and a plate of plain crackers. Annika watched him bring his offering to Mackie. From where he stood with his legs braced and still drinking his coffee, her father tracked the human’s movements, as well. It was always thus, since they’d first arrived. Her father wanted Damien with the same ferocity as Babette wanted bacon. Annika found it confusing—not the desire, but rather her father’s reticence in the matter. It was not in their nature to be anything other than forthright. Why did he hold himself back?

It was time to ask, she decided on the spot. Some matters should not wait. As Queen, she had a duty to make sure everything within the hive was harmonious. It would be easy to play the little girl and let everyone dote on her, and it had been fun these last few weeks. But there were troubles from the outside that had to be dealt with and the hive could only do so if it were strong.

Hopping off the stool, she went straight to her father. Babette trotted by her side without prompting. Dogs, unlike humans, understood hierarchy and instinctively knew authority. Such uncomplicated creatures. As focused as he was on Damien, Willem nevertheless shifted his gaze and his attention to Annika before she even reached him. She was his primary concern, which was exactly as it should be.

Their relationship was changing rapidly, however. He’d always been a solid, loving presence in her life. She’d spent many happy hours wrapped in his arms—protected, educated and entertained by him. She loved him in a way that she would never feel for anyone else. But as much as he’d been both mother and father to her, the time had come for their roles to switch. She was his Queen, and that meant control was shifting to her. Sometimes the enormity of it scared her. It wasn’t possible to show it, but she thought perhaps Willem understood it anyway. He was there, solid and steadfast, ready to help her in any way he could.

And she could still hug him and take comfort from his strength and love. When she did so now, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his chest, he didn’t hesitate to hold her tight and run his hand down the back of her head like he’d always done.

“Mackie is frightened about his condition and Val worries about him,” she said quietly, very aware that Damien didn’t know who and what they were. It was tedious to hide themselves from the humans. That would change soon, though.

“Yes,” Willem replied, equally softly. If he was surprised by her knowledge, he didn’t show it. “It’s a scary time.”

“Were you frightened?” she asked, because it occurred to her for the first time that her existence might have been worrisome to her father.

“A little, but more astonished, really. I hadn’t expected it to play out quite the way it did.”

Annika could imagine that was true. She knew he fretted over whether he was doing right in raising her. He had nothing in the way of knowledge and experience, after all. “You’ve done very well,” she said, because encouragement was always important. “I’m ever so grateful,” she added, because appreciation cost her nothing in her standing and power. Or, if it did, there was no one to tell her that she was doing things the wrong way. She was the Queen. She could make up her own rules, couldn’t she?

Willem kissed the top of her head, a familiar gesture of affection. It made her smile and cuddle closer. “Raising you is my greatest honor and pleasure.”

“Your job is almost done.”

“I’m in no hurry for it to be. Can you not stay my little girl a while longer?”

She smiled at the almost-teasing question and pulled back enough to raise her face to look at him. “Well, I’m happy to have you baby me, if that’s what you mean. Cuddles and stories at bedtime are most welcome.”

He tapped her nose with his fingertip. “That’s good to hear. I haven’t used up my full allotment of fatherly instincts yet.”

“You could always have another child,” she reminded him. “I wouldn’t mind a sister, in fact.” She slid her gaze over to Damien, who was walking back to the kitchen area.

Willem made a sound deep in the back of his throat that she couldn’t quite decipher. His normally strong, steady and comforting heartbeat skipped as the human passed, shooting a quick grin in their direction.

“Mr. Damien is ever so nice, don’t you think, Father Willem?” She whispered the questions so that the human couldn’t hear.

He made that weird noise again before dropping another kiss on her head and gently disengaging their bodies. “I think, with your permission, I shall go see if I can help Val by checking on the club. He’s obviously occupied still with Mackie and someone needs to do a security sweep to make sure there is no trouble.”

Annika frowned. “Are you avoiding my question?”

“I am. I’ll await your chastisement later when I’m done working.” He didn’t seem the least perturbed by the idea.

“You promised we’d take Babette for a walk,” she reminded him.

“And so we shall, after I help out Val.”

Annika wanted to stamp her foot in frustration. Instead, she said, “Very well,” and switched her attention over to Babette. Her dog, at least, could always be counted on to do her bidding instantly.

With a furtive bow of his head, her father turned on his heel and left—but not before shooting one last look in Damien’s direction.

Honestly, males can be so stupid sometimes.

 

* * * *

 

Val forced himself back to his usual routine by mid-morning. Mackie was in good hands, with Quinn and the other boys dancing attendance. He was, in fact, taking a nap on the couch—or at least Val had left him doing so. With the feeding and the human comfort of food and drink, Mackie’s stomach had settled enough for him to rest. He’d been more like his old self very quickly. Of course, Val knew that everything was temporary. The next few months were going to be rough on his human husband. The thought of it made Val want to cut his own balls off.

I did this to him. Goddamn, he should have started using condoms. It was supposed to have taken years for Mackie’s transformation to finish, not mere months. Except Val knew better than to make assumptions. Everything about his life with Mackie had defied expectations. Maybe none of this had been predictable, but complacency was always a bad thing.

If he dies… No, Val couldn’t let himself think in those terms. Mackie was not Robbie, and this was the twenty-first century. Harry knew what he was doing, too. This time, it would be different. He had to believe that, otherwise he’d go mad. And with Dracul potentially still lurking out in the world, ready to pounce, Alex needed Val operating on all cylinders, not curled up in a terrified ball in the corner. He did, however, regret giving up smoking at Mackie’s request. If ever he needed a hit of nicotine, it was now.

Will had done a great job making the rounds at the club for him. That was, until Damien had come back from the family’s quarters. At that point, Will had done his usual puppy-eyed longing for a few seconds before excusing himself and heading in the exact opposite direction. Christ, what is the guy waiting for? Even Val, who barely knew the kid, could see that Damien was equally interested. And it wasn’t as if Annika needed her father’s constant attention and monitoring. She was practically growing right before their eyes. In the not too distant future, she’d be a fully mature, if inexperienced Queen.

Of course, maybe that was problem with Will making a play for Damien. The human spent so much time with them as it was that he wouldn’t miss how Annika was having the growing spurt to end all growing spurts when it finally happened. Val knew the guy was loyal to their family in general and Emil in particular, but could he be trusted with their secret? Val didn’t know. And it wasn’t really his problem anyway, except fuck, how long had it been since Will had been laid? Probably since his lover had died, and all that pent-up sexual frustration wasn’t good for their kind.

Val found Emil with Alex in Alex’s office. They were both watching something on the big flat screen on the wall.

“What’s doing?” he asked as he entered and joined them. “Oh fuck me,” he said when he saw the screen. “Is it election time again?”

“It is if you count an election that’s more than a year away,” Alex replied.

Emil tsked. “It gets longer and longer every cycle. It’s as if having found democracy, humans can’t resist exercising it endlessly.”

Val plopped onto the couch and made a rude noise. “Stupid humans. If they could only recognize the value of having queens.”

“They have from time to time,” Alex reminded him.

Val repeated the noise. “I mean intuitively recognize their natural leader—and for her to rule with selfless devotion to her people.”

“It’s not in their DNA,” Emil reminded him. “They’ve done very well to have evolved to this system.”

“And yet, they seem intent on fucking it up. Who is this asshat anyway?”

A bland man who was rather on the young side, with perfectly coiffed hair and an earnest look on his face, was droning on about forgotten morals or some such crap.

It was Alex who answered. “He’s one of the Massachusetts delegates to the House of Representatives. He’s just announced that he’s running for President.”

Val tipped his head back and folded his arms. “Well, I didn’t vote for him.”

“Ha ha, as if we can vote at all in this country. Quinn, on the other hand, is quite excited at the prospect of voting in the national elections for the first time. It’s adorable.”

“You think everything he does is adorable,” Val countered.

Alex shot him a sharp look. “As do you, when it comes to Mackie.”

“Huh! That’s not how I’d have described him this morning as he hugged the porcelain god.”

Emil landed a hand on his shoulder. “He’s going to be fine.”

“Indeed,” Alex intoned. “We shall make sure of it.”

Shit. He should have known he couldn’t hide his fear from his shipmates. They knew him too well. Val sighed and stared at his feet. “Yeah, I know. It’s just…”

“Robbie,” Emil said quietly.

Val nodded. “But more than that. What if that crap our kind manufactured and that human shithead doped Mackie with is still in his system? And what if it fucks with the whole pregnancy? Harry still can’t say if there was any lasting damage. And we’re got one eye out for you-know-who, and that keeps me up at night.”

“We understand your worries, Val,” Alex replied. “Rest assured we are here to help you both. We will all see Mackie through this event unscathed.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll feel better when the others arrive.”

“It will only be three more—Christos, Antoniu and Claudiu. Tony and Claude are bringing their lovers and a hybrid each.”

Val raised his eyebrows. “They’ve been surprisingly busy.”

“Indeed.”

“And the others?” Even with many of Dracul’s men decimated, it didn’t pay for them to fight with less than a full complement.

Alex shook his head, a resigned look on his face. “A thousand years locked in a deadly fight has taken a toll. I can’t ask more of them than they are willing to give. It’s a miracle I’ve kept my authority this long. They want peace and quiet, and I can’t say I blame them.”

“I can.” Val was disgusted that they all weren’t coming when called. As far as he was concerned, they owed what lives they had on this miserable ball of dirt to Alex. Fighting for him one last time was a fair trade. He couldn’t say more, however, because the door opened and in came Damien, carrying a tray. “Hi, guys. I brought you lunch.”

Emil’s sous chef was getting to be as good as his boss. The meal he delivered smelled delicious, even before Val saw the pulled pork sandwiches.

“Thank you, Damien.” Alex flashed a smile. “Please put it on the coffee table. We’ll serve ourselves. This private service almost makes up for the tedious paperwork we need to catch up on.”

“Happy to do it, bossman.”

The man who would be President continued to blather on in the background. Val caught something about how the guy loved all his constituents and would serve them equally. But yes, in answer to someone’s question, he continued to hold the belief that the bible was the inerrant word of God, that marriage was the union of one man and one woman and that he hoped his LGBTQI brothers and sisters would see the light and come in from the destructive lifestyle that they’d chosen. Blah, blah, blah. Holy God indeed. Val hated the sanctimonious asshole.

Damien glanced at the screen. “Oh that guy. Man, what a cocksucker he is.”

“Yes,” Alex agreed. “He does seem to hold very disagreeable positions.”

Damien snorted. “Nah, I mean he’s a real cocksucker, in the literal sense of the word. When he’s not giving his stump speech next to his sweet, little wife, he likes to hang out in the skeeviest of gay bars and suck randos’ cocks. He’s on his knees so much that I’m surprised he doesn’t have holes in his pants.” He chuckled again. “Hypocrite.”

“I’ll say.” Emil shook his head. “I hope he’s caught out in his lies before his candidacy goes much further. You’ve had enough deceitful Presidents in this country.”

Val reached for a sandwich, only half-paying attention to what was going on. His mind kept wandering back to Mackie, worrying. He couldn’t help it. No matter what anyone said, he wasn’t going to rest easy until Mackie was safely delivered of their son—unless, of course, he carried a daughter. And wasn’t that an even scarier thought? The idea of raising even a worker daughter, let alone a queen, scared him shitless.

But then all thought of that possibility fled and he forgot the sandwich in his hand. Because as the cameras panned out to show the crowd of supporters and volunteers for the asshat’s campaign, a horribly familiar face came into focus. The guy was dressed in an expensive-looking suit, with carefully styled short hair and wrap-around sunglasses that hid his eyes. Val knew him in an instant, regardless.

“Fuck!” He uttered the swear and rose out of his seat without caring that Damien was in the room. “Alex, it’s Bran.”

Alex and Emil both shot to their feet as well, their mouths moving with all kinds of profanity.

Damien looked back at the screen once more. “What? Is that someone you know?”

It was Alex who said it for all of them in his usual understated way. “Regrettably, yes.”