Chapter 18

Lorelai

" W hy would we get divorced?" my new alien husband demanded. Beneath the dark silver of his skin, I could see a hint of paleness, as if he'd lost color. Had I shocked him that much? I couldn't deny being proud of myself for it.

"Because," I answered, "I don't intend to spend the rest of my life married to you. Why would I? To date, I've wasted half my life on a loser who didn't give a crap about me. I'm not about to do it again."

"Asterions do not divorce," he responded coldly, flatly. "I told you that. Divorce cannot be part of our pact."

"Sorry, Lead Advisor. That's definitely part of our pact if you want to father a child by me. And I am your wife, so…"

In dead silence, we glared at one another. For the first time, I began to feel a niggling of doubt. I'd been so confident I could arrange this to my advantage. I had the golden ticket—my womb. He needed me more than I needed him. I'd figured he'd have to yield. What if I were wrong? What if this was the one sticking point where he refused to bend?

Abruptly, he stood, spinning around, facing the opposite wall. The lines of his back, beneath his shirt, were impossibly straight. Severe.

"How long?" he demanded.

Startled, I blinked a few times, attempting to ascertain what direction his mind had gone.

"How long?"

"How long are you proposing that we remain married?"

"Oh."

I hadn't given that enough consideration. Did I want to specific a number of years? Several factors could come into play—including how well I was doing in my new career and whether I felt ready to step out on my own as a single parent in a foreign world, on a foreign planet.

"You do not have an idea in mind?"

He was still speaking with his back turned to me. His tones were clipped and official. Suddenly, I realized what was going on. He was a politician, a ruler. He was used to negotiations, and, after having been blindsided—like me—he'd switched gears and decided to treat the matter as if negotiating a contract. He understood the importance of nuances, of fine details, and of getting it all done on paper, signed and official.

Would we get it down on paper? Actually write out our pregnancy pact?

That might not be a bad idea, I mused.

Sensing it was time to release the notion of having the upper hand, focusing instead on making a fair arrangement for both of us, I blew out a breath and walked a few steps toward him.

"I'm not sure how many years," I admitted, going on to explain about my career, my feelings as a single parent. "I propose we agree that, when I feel ready, we amicably end our marriage, leaving us both free to marry other people if we want."

"It may not be that simple," my alien husband responded. "The Council will not allow us to divorce now. What makes you think they will in the future?"

I shrugged. "You'll have your heir."

" They want you for more than simply mothering my child," he reminded me. I noticed the subtle emphasis he put on they . The Council wanted this. Not him. He didn't want me. "They wish for you to be a linking bond between Asterion and Earth."

True.

At a loss, I chewed on my lower lip. I guess I'd assumed after the baby was born that the Council wouldn't care that much if we got divorced, but Ellax had a point.

"You know what?" I said. "I'm pretty sure you have contacts. I have faith in you, that you can come up with some means of getting me off your planet and making it look like I ran away. Or died. That's even better. I'm cool with that—as long as we also officially agree that you'll bring our child to visit me. We'll have to work that out too."

Goodness, this pregnancy pact was turning out to be a lot more complicated than I'd ever imagined.

"We should put everything in writing," he asserted coldly.

"I agree," I said, clasping my hands behind my back, squeezing my fingers to keep from feeling intimidated. "We put it in writing and both of us sign it. I wish we could have it witnessed somehow, but I guess that's out of the question."

When he didn't offer any rebuttals, I pressed forward with my final caveat to the agreement. The one that, given his reputation and the past we'd shared so far, I was the most of afraid of voicing, but also the one I was the most determined to voice.

"One more thing," I said.

That did it. I watched his body uncoil and he spun around, his golden eyes blazing with irritation.

"Another request? How many would you make of me?"

"Gee, I don't know," I snapped. "You're using my body for sex and a baby. How many should I get to make?"

He gritted his teeth. "What is it?" he asked slowly.

I raised my chin.

"I want a solemn promise from you," I said. "While we're married, you don't sleep with anyone else and neither do I. Even though this marriage isn't going to last, we're going to keep our vows of faithfulness. No cheating. Ever."

I'd rather expected him to start swearing or cursing. I wasn't expecting the solemn lines in his face to relax into a sort of wicked smile.

"No cheating," he echoed.

"That's right. No cheating." I tried to interject steel into my voice. "I've lived through that before. I won't do it again."

"Is it cheating if you know beforehand that I will be bedding other females?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you hard of hearing? I said there won't be any bedding other females. You have sex only with me and I have sex only with you as long as we're married. After we're divorced or separated or however the hell we handle it, all bets are off. You can sleep with every available female in the universe for all I care. I just won't stand for it while we're together."

"And what will you do if I choose not to concede?" he taunted, stepping closer. His air had changed from negotiator to predator. "I will already have a child by you. I will have what I need. What will you do then, female? Lorelai?"

Hastily, he corrected himself, proving that he was actually considering my list of demands.

"I'll take our child and flee," I said coldly. "That's what I'll do. I won't stay with another man who breaks his word to me. And you better believe while I'm acting as your wife, I'll be building up my own lines of communication with people who can help me take our child and run. Run so far that you can search the entire galaxy and never find us."

He regarded me in terse silence, before saying quietly, "I am not intimidated by you, Lorelai."

"And I'm not intimidated by you, either," I shot back. Which wasn't completely true. "But I think we stand a better chance of getting what we both need and want if we work together instead of turning this pact into a war that we're both desperate to win. Surely, you've been through enough diplomatic situations to see the value in that."

In tense silence, we regarded one another. Him, irritated, still haughty, but hopefully pondering?

Me, determined. The more I considered this, the more determined I became.

I would not let him beat me. If I had to surrender my body to him, my womb to carrying his child, I wanted a second fresh start in return.

I would not back down. Not even if—

"Lorelai." His even tone shattered my train of thought. "You are far more astute than I gave you credit for."

I gave my eyes a little roll. "Gee, thanks."

"I accept your gratitude," he said, "for it was a compliment."

Damn Asterions and them taking everything literally. I had not been thanking him. Rather than correct him, however, I let him talk.

"I will accept the terms you propose," he said. "I will bed no other females while we are married. I will help you dissolve our union when you feel ready. I will assist you in finding a suitable career, one that can be sustained once you leave me. We will reach an agreement upon child visitation. And, I assume you will wish a reoccurring stipend from me to thank you for your troubles?"

Oops. Child support. Alimony. I hadn't even considered that. I should have. Both were age-old customs on Earth; although, given the current political climb, they'd largely died out.

"Absolutely," I agreed, nodding firmly, like it had been my idea all along.

"Very well. I shall concede to that too. It is not as if I do not have adequate financial means. Nor do I truly have an option for an heir, since Caide has rejected me and the Council insists upon this."

He wasn't asking for pity. I highly doubted he wanted pity. Yet something about the way he stated these things gave me pause, made me recall the family portrait hidden in his closet. One son gone. The other son rejecting him as his father—for good reason, likely, but it still had to sting. Now, stuck in a marriage with me that he didn't want any more than I did.

My pity quickly dissolved, however, when he added, "I would add a stipulation for you, however."

"Oh?" I felt my hackles raise. "What's that?" What kind of stipulation could he possibly want? After all, I was planning to give him an heir, for heaven's sake.

"It concerns you," he said, stepping closer to me. Goosebumps popped up on my arms. I couldn't tell if they were caused by attraction or fright. "If you are to be my wife, and I am to remain faithful to you, bedding no other females so long as we are wed, then I propose that we reach an agreement on that."

"On what?" I demanded. "What you are driving at?"

"On simply this." He lifted an arm to touch my face, cup my chin in his hand. "On how often I am allowed to bed you."