The Alien’s Pet (Earthly Mates #2)

Chapter 17

Seventeen

"Karin, you have to let me go." Korrev tried to unhook Karin's arms which were wrapped around him. Karin's bare breasts were rubbing against his torso and his cock was hard. But he didn't have time for morning sex.

He was behind on meetings because of the time he had spent in Europe. Korrev could not spend more time in bed with his queen, no matter how much he wanted to.

Karin pouted but eventually let him go. "Will you be back for lunch?"

"No." Korrev kissed her forehead as he put on his clothes. "But I will be back for dinner. Make sure you take your nap."

"I will." Karin sulked. "Can I visit Alice and the baby?"

Korrev hesitated.

Karin rolled her eyes. "They live in the palace." She pointed to her choker. "Not to mention, you have this to keep me in line."

"Fine. You can go after you take your nap and before dinner. I don't want to have to chase you down, Karin."

Karin rolled her eyes. Korrev gave her a playful slap on the bottom, causing her to giggle.

After eating lunch and taking a very short nap, Karin made her way to Alice's quarters. Kyvan was not there, so Alice answered the door. Unlike Karin, she was half dressed with the exception of her breasts.

Alice complained she was always constantly leaking or the baby was always hungry. There was no point, she said, in covering up.

Kovin was happily sucking on her breast while poor Alice looked on the verge of exhaustion.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked teasingly as Karin prepared drinks and snacks.

"More than anything." Karin squeezed Kovin's little foot. "Though, hopefully, my babies are only half the size of yours."

Alice let out a small laugh. "I doubt it. Krotev men are large, so it means large babies, unfortunately. Azis has the best medication, though. You won't even feel a thing. Believe me, the pain comes afterwards when the baby is hungry every five seconds and both your son and your mate want your attention at the same time." Alice let out a small laugh. "I was surprised when I found out my son and Kyvan could argue with each other, even though one of them can't talk."

Karin smiled, but she couldn't ignore the pang of sadness she felt in her chest. When she had been in Europe, becoming pregnant had been the furthest thing from her mind, but now she was in Krotev, and it was the only thing she could think about.

Alice sensed she must have said something insensitive because she quickly changed the topic. "How was Europe? Don't leave one thing out. I want to hear all about Korrev riding public transportation and dealing with tourists."

Karin laughed as she told her about the places they visited, the food, and Korrev's lousy mood. She had brought a few gifts back for them. For Kyvan, she had brought a case of French cigarettes, for Alice, some lovely hair accessories, and for Kovin, many little toys he could play with since he was too big to fit into normal baby-sized clothing.

"Thank you, Karin, you have been very generous," Alice replied warmly. "Not to mention, you have managed to distract me from breastfeeding which I greatly appreciate."

"I should get going." Karin kissed her cheek regretfully. "Otherwise, Korrev will throw a fit."

Karin stood up, but suddenly, her knees jerked and her legs felt wobbly. She had to hold on to the edge of the chair to prevent herself from falling.

Alice tore the baby from her chest, leading to a crying fit. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Alice tried to soothe her screaming baby while checking on her friend.

Karin shook her head, but she was still feeling a bit dizzy. She bit her lip as she waited for her vision to clear. "No, I just felt dizzy. Like I used to feel after I woke up from eating the berries."

Alice looked worried. "Maybe you should lie down. Here, you can rest on our bed."

"No, really, it's not necessary. I am perfectly all right." Karin tried to stand up again, but another wave of dizziness hit her. She had to sit back down. Even Kovin stopped crying to look at her with wonder. "Maybe I should rest for a bit."

Alice led her to the master bedroom because her other room had been turned into a nursery for the baby. "I'm sorry for being such a bother." Karin’s cheeks flushed. This was so embarrassing. "I'm sure I will be okay after a short nap."

"Take all the time you need, sweetheart." Alice draped a blanket over her as she balanced the baby on her hip.

A wave of exhaustion hit her and before she knew it, Karin closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber. She only woke up when she felt someone shaking her awake. "Karin, Karin, Pet, please wake up." Her eyes opened when she heard Korrev's voice. He still called her "pet" at times, but it was now used as a term of endearment.

When she woke up completely, she saw Alice and Kyvan standing by the doorway. The baby was no longer with Alice, which meant he must be in the nursery. How long had she slept?

"Alice told us you weren't feeling well." Korrev cupped her face in his hand as if checking for a fever. "Was it your stomach?"

"No," she admitted. "It was just a dizzy spell. I'm sure it's nothing." She tried to get out of bed, but another wave of dizziness hit her.

Korrev managed to grip her by her waist, to prevent her from falling. "Karin," he hissed at her, "stay still."

She reluctantly did as she was told.

Korrev scooped her up in his arms as if she were a new bride and took her out of the room without saying anything else to their friends, much to her embarrassment.

"Do you think these are remnants from the berries you ate months ago?" he asked her as he tucked her into bed.

"No, I've been feeling fine. I didn't experience dizzy spells in Europe. I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow."

But the next day, she was just as sick if not worse. Even getting out of bed to go to the bathroom proved to be a hassle.

Despite her protests, Korrev dragged her to Azis after breakfast, convinced she was dying.

Azis didn't look at all pleased to see either of them as he ran a series of tests which made Karin feel very sore.

When he finished with the examination, he turned to her with what, apparently, was his version of a smile. "Congratulations, my queen. You are pregnant."

For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. Then Karin let out a loud squeal as she wrapped her arms around Azis. "Are you serious? Am I truly pregnant? Please tell me you're not joking."

He pursed his lips as her king pulled her away, apparently not very happy she was hugging him.

"I am not the joking type, Karin."

"How far along am I?"

"Only a month. But if you're getting dizzy spells so early in the pregnancy, I am concerned it might be very difficult for you. You must rest as much as you can and follow every instruction I give you."

She nodded as she touched her still flat belly. "Oh, I will. I promise I will be very well behaved." Karin turned back to Korrev, who was looking at her with an amused expression on his face. "Oh, Korrev, we are going to be parents."

"Yes, Karin, I did hear him. I also heard the part where you must have plenty of rest." He squeezed her hip. "How many checkups should she have?"

"I would like to check her every week for the first trimester and every month afterwards."

Karin was hardly listening to him. She was acting like an overexcited puppy. "I'm going to have a baby."

Korrev chuckled at her adorableness. "Our first little prince."

"Congratulations on your pregnancy," Alice said, smiling as both women watched her son play with the toys Korrev and Karin brought back from Paris. Kovin was currently busy stuffing the arm of a stuffed bear in his mouth, covering it with saliva.

"Thank you." Karin covered her stomach even though it was still flat. It had only been a few days since Azis had confirmed her pregnancy, but she kept looking at her flat belly as if expecting some sort of miraculous growth.

"I think allyou needed was some rest and relaxation. Not to mention a bit of Parisian romance." Alice winked as she stopped Kovin from putting a small block in his mouth. "I'm happy for you, Kar. It will be fun raising our babies together. Plus, we know they will all be boys so they will be best friends."

Karin hesitated. "Please tell me the birthing part is completely painless."

Alice laughed. "Unlike on Earth, Azis prefers to use the strongest medication possible so he doesn't have us screaming in his ear. The healing part afterwards is a bit tedious, but not as much as it would be if we were giving birth on Earth. Why do you think so many mates keep having babies? If it were painful, Krotev's birthing rate would be low. I could come over after the birth for a few days and help you if you want. I'm sure Kyvan can take care of Kovin."

Karin laughed. "Thank you, but I'm sure Korrev wants to do all of the taking care of."

Alice rolled her eyes. "That doesn't surprise me. I'll be surprised if he even lets Azis help you with the birth. He might just do it all himself. Have you thought of a name?"

She shook her head. "No, Krotev names are so strange, but at the same time, human names like John and Andrew wouldn't suit them, either."

"Pick something simple and not too strange." Alice picked up Kovin and hugged him tightly. "That's what I did."

"I look like a fat cow!" Karin whined as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was only six months pregnant, but she looked like she was about to pop. The baby was big and in a breech position, refusing to move. He was apparently as stubborn as his parents.

She had heard Azis and Korrev arguing about a C-section, but she decided she would worry about it when the time came. It wouldn't be her decision in the end, anyway.

She moved her hips slightly, hoping she would look smaller, but she only looked bigger. Karin puffed up her cheeks in frustration. At this point, she didn't want to imagine what she would look like at nine months.

Korrev, who was standing a few feet away from her, raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who wanted to become pregnant so badly. What did you expect? For you to remain slim your entire pregnancy? Females swell up during pregnancy. Everyone knows that."

"I know, but no one wants to hear it." She glared at Korrev. The man was so insensitive at times, she was surprised she had never pummeled him to the ground.

Her breasts, worst of all, had grown so full and heavy that walking, let alone jogging, had become a pain. She had worn a bra for a week or two, but she couldn't stand those, either. It seemed she had gotten used to being nude all the time.

Korrev came forward, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her. "It will be over soon, you'll see, but for what it's worth, I've never seen you look more beautiful."

"It's taking too long." Karin tried to keep her voice from shaking but found out she couldn't. She was too nervous and it seemed Azis had been working on her for hours when, in reality, it was probably only thirty minutes.

"It will be over soon, love," Korrev soothed her as he brushed back a piece of her blonde hair away from her face. "Just relax. Azis and the other healers are working as fast as they can." He glared at them. "Right?"

"I warned you we should have put her to sleep," Azis mumbled from the other end. "But you wouldn't listen."

During the last month of her pregnancy, Karin's feet had swollen and she had grown increasingly tired. Eventually, Azis had suggested, for her and the baby's safety, it was better that they perform a C-section.

Azis had wanted to put her to sleep, but she had refused because she wanted to see the baby. Of course, Korrev had backed her up on it, much to Azis' disappointment.

Korrev squeezed her hand tightly. He wasn't one for many words, but she knew he would be with her and their child always.

She heard a loud cry and felt her shoulders relax. Korrev kissed her quickly on the forehead before he went towards his son and heir.

"Ten pounds and three ounces," Azis announced proudly as he cleaned him up. "Healthy and fit. The future king of Krotev."

"Can I see him?" Karin whined. "I want to see him, Korrev." She was heavily medicated and couldn't get up.

Korrev took the baby from Azis and presented him to her. The baby was still crying angrily. His skin was dark gray, like Korrev's when he was in his alien form, his eyes red. Korrev had said, eventually, the baby would be able to control both his human and alien transformations, but his alien form would become more apparent when he was upset.

"He's so beautiful," she whispered. She was grateful for the distraction while Azis was stitching her up. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course." Korrev settled him in her arms while he kept his hand against the baby's head.

As soon as Karin held him, the gray skin and red eyes started to disappear; replacing them were pale skin which had turned pink from crying, angry blue eyes, and wheat-blond hair. Her son looked at her curiously.

Karin felt her heart was close to bursting by how happy she was feeling. "Hello, sweetheart." She kissed the top of his head. "I'm your mama."