14. Sten

Chapter 14

Sten

M y father stops me in the hallway, looking very agitated.

“What is wrong?” I question, worried there’s an actual emergency.

“Did you know that the Librarian you hired to oversee those artifacts from the cave has returned?”

“Of course I know. It’s all anyone can talk about. She’s here at the ranch for the event. I’ve been trying to find her and have a moment to talk to her alone.”

“That Librarian is pregnant,” he hisses.

I stand in shock and then a flood of disappointment hits me hard. For the last three moon cycles I’ve been wanting her more and more, which is silly considering I didn’t particularly like her when she was on Tarvos. But I continue to dream about her at night and think of her during the day. “She’s mated with a human?”

“No, if that were the case this pregnancy would have nothing to do with me and I’d ignore it unless she spoke up about the child she carries and wish her congratulations. But I saw her out by the main fire pit and stood close to greet her and scented the pheromone trail of another Hyrrokin growing within her, similar to how my daughters-in-law scented when they carried my grandchildren. But I am told that she is an unmated female.”

“So this means…”

“This means that when she was here originally, an unmated male here on Tarvos pleasure mated that innocent human and then left her behind, carrying his offspring. This is unacceptable.”

A growl rumbles in my chest. “Is she here to find this Hyrrokin who mistreated her in such a way?”

“I do not know. But I want to find this Hyrrokin myself so I can exact punishment. Do you have any idea who this could be? Was it Tilden?”

“Or Erid?” I growl.

“We will find out.”

I turn a corner and then I finally see her standing on the back balcony. I burst through the doors. “Taylor.”

She turns around and I cannot believe how beautiful she is, more so than before. “Sten,” she smiles brightly, as if she were truly happy to see me. “I was looking for you.”

But all I can think of is the fact that the female I think I’ve concluded I must want as my own, has been avoiding me because she wants another male as her mate and now she’s legally some other Hyrrokin’s bound.

“What’s wrong?” she questions.

“I learned that you are pregnant.”

“It’s true,” she sighs. “I was here to tell you. I wanted you to learn first from me. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out that way.”

I step up close and inhale her scent, trying to gain clues as to which unmated male has treated her poorly, discarding this worthy female and her offspring. A growl rumbles in my chest and I step closer and pull her into my arms. “How?” I choke. “How is this child mine? How can you be pregnant with my offspring?”

She looks up at me with watery blue eyes. “Because, when we were alone in that cave we had sex two different times, and then a rock hit you in the head and you completely forgot it happened.”

I hear a noise behind me and let go of my female. I turn to see most of my nosy family gathering behind me.

“Her baby is yours?” Thorn growls.

“Sten,” my mother admonishes with a frown.

“Sandstone family meeting,” my father’s voice booms. He blasts a flame out of his jaw. I take Taylor’s hand and lead her inside. Soon everyone walks quickly toward the front living room of the ranch house and we close the door behind us for privacy.

My female instantly begins chatting with my two human sisters-in-law. “She brings out a side of him I’ve never seen,” one female says.

“Sten is usually so gracious and polite.”

Taylor snort-laughs so hard she sprays out a bit of her drink. “Since when?”

“Oh, I’ve seen this side of him plenty,” Thorn growls. “But usually, he only lets close friends and family see his bad side.”

“I don’t have a bad side.”

Rake throws back his head and laughs. “Yes, you do. I think you’ve always secretly liked her. Why else would you allow her to see the real you, not simply the formal mask you put on for the guests?”

I fall back into a chair because now that I know about the baby the true memories of what happened in that cave are hitting me hard. I look up at my female. “I’m remembering everything now. Taylor, why didn’t you tell me? You’ve been letting me walk around for three full moon cycles without this knowledge. Letting me treat you as if we were simply coworkers and nothing more.”

“You didn’t remember me,” she cries. “It was terrible.”

“You rejected her when she greeted you when you awoke in the cave,” my brother reminds me.

I put my face in my hands. The memory is too bad to bear.

“Oh, this is awful,” my mother exclaims. “You had a fiancé this whole time and I didn’t know and I was trying to set you up with possible mates? I’m so sorry Taylor, I didn’t know either. That must’ve been so painful for you too. No wonder you left so quickly. I wouldn’t want to be around all of that either if I were you.”

“And then later you discovered you were carrying his child and you came back?” my father questions.

“Yes,” my female answers, placing a hand on her stomach, “that’s why I’m back. I wanted to tell Sten about this and give him the chance to be a part of this baby’s life, if he wanted.”

He nods. “This is good. I was ready to punish the male who had mistreated you, even if it was my own son. But at least I know Sten did this only because of his amnesia. And… he as the ability to make it all right.”

I stand up. “I do have the ability to make it right and I will do so right now.”

Taylor looks back and forth between me and my father. “What are you two talking about?”

I take her hand in mine. “I love you, Taylor. I told you, in that cave, that you were mine. And when you questioned me later because you were human and didn’t understand, I was trying to tell you before that last aftershock happened, that I wanted you to walk to the courthouse with me.”

There is a loud gasp from the humans. The other Hyrrokin in the room nod in agreement.

Taylor stares at me in shock. “You…you…” Takes a deep breath. “No, I can’t…What would I do here? I still…I still want to be a Librarian, of some sort.”

My mother speaks up. “There is much that this Librarian can do after her work with the tablets is complete. She can categorize our private library. And I’ve been meaning to start a local library in Fire Creek.”

“You want a human to do all of that? Not a Hyrrokin?” I challenge.

“She’s a professional. I’m certain that if there’s anything she knows will need direct Hyrrokin advice, that she will seek out that advice.”

“If you were to be my bound, you’d be stuck here on Tarvos for the rest of your life. I can’t leave this job and follow you around to all your positions on far off planets. You could leave, but I can’t.”

“I understand.”

“And I’m essentially a host. There are at least five different events that are held here at this ranch where the whole town is invited onto the grounds. There is a field specifically for this. And we often have VIP visitors to fire wine and dine. I need a bound who would gladly stand at my side and tirelessly greet all these Hyrrokin.”

“On top of that I need someone who will get along with my family and enjoy the workings of the ranch.”

“All of this is moot, she’s already your bound,” my older brother, Rake, snorts.

Taylor’s eyes widen. “I’m not his bound.”

This is when I notice that Erid has entered the room. The Sheriff speaks up, loud enough for all of us to quiet down and listen, “Taylor, you are legally his fiancé because you carry his offspring and when you give birth you are legally his bound. Usually, the custom on Tarvos is for a male to formally ask his mate to accompany him to the courthouse and then they perform a bound declaration ceremony, and after that the mate becomes pregnant. But the two of you are doing this backwards due to odd circumstances and interspecies misunderstandings.”

I step forward and loudly proclaim, in front of my family, “Taylor Duman, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Courthouse so that you can legally become my bound and the mother of future Sandstones?”

“This is what you wanted to say to me, in the cave?”

“Yes.”

“I wanted you to be my husband too.”

I grin. “I know.”

“Yes, I will walk to the courthouse with you Sten Sandstone, I’d be proud to be your bound and to have you as the father of my children.”

And then everyone in attendance is clapping and whistling their agreement.