32. EPILOGUE

An undetermined amount of time later….

Time passed and to my utter astonishment, I didn't lose my new fame; instead, it seemed to grow, partially because of Fuzzels, of course, and partially because Tzar-Than openly adored me, but the Vandruks also seemed to appreciate my unfiltered mouth. Who would have thought?

The other women were getting on just as well; none wanted to return to Earth. Two were already mated, and the others had many offers. Three had even entered a polyamorous kind of relationship.

To Tzar-Than's chagrin, many of the Vandruk women liked the pants we Earthlings, as they called us, wore. It quickly became a new fashion. Even though there were only a few women in Farruk, the clothing stores were busy keeping up with demand.

"You've changed him," Matt said to me one morning when we met for breakfast, as we had started doing. Matt's knowledge of Vandruk was vast and wide. His take on what I needed to know was a lot different than Tzar-Than's, and I appreciated his efforts in educating me and the other women better.

He was a very interesting man, full of knowledge and wisdom.

"For the better, I hope." My stomach twisted a bit. My intentions had not been to change Tzar-Than.

"Did you know that he called off the trials?"

I did. Tzar-Than had told me his decision last night after I had made my doubts about it known. I fully understood that it was important for only the toughest, strongest warriors to procreate , but I had argued sometimes, someone with other skills was just as important. I asked him what would happen if there were no more weaponsmiths who knew how to treat the bones they used for their swords to craft more of them. Or if they lost the knowledge of the herbalists, which he related to, because that had been one of the main jobs of the Vandruk women. He confessed that many men had died uselessly just because nobody knew how to brew certain poultices.

I was curious about Matt's thoughts on my influence over Tzar-Than. "Is that good or bad?" I asked. His opinion was important to Tzar-Than and to me. It didn't necessarily mean I would bend to his, but I wanted to know what he had to say .

"I think it's a good thing, but we need to be careful. Tzar-Than is a very progressive man, which can be dangerous in a society such as Vandruk," Matt answered cautiously, feeling me out as much as I was him.

I had read about ancient civilizations during one of my eclectic college course selections and understood his warning. Change was usually a good thing, but it had to be brought on gradually. Tzar-Than was already changing so much that every new thing could be the one that tipped the scales out of his favor.

"Noted," I agreed with Matt.

"I'm glad he found you. You have a good head on your shoulders, and the Vandruks already adore you," Matt complimented.

"As long as I can live up to the hype," I mused.

"A baby would go a long way with that," Matt remarked.

His words stuck with me for the rest of the day. A baby.

I was twenty-five years old, a perpetual college student who could never make up her mind on what she wanted to be when she grew up. Husband and children had been something I hadn't even thought of… had been far in the future. But now….

I had a husband, and I hadn't had a period in over six weeks…

The idea of having a baby, Tzar-Than's baby, excited me to no end. Not only because I wanted to make him happy, but also because I had discovered an unknown maternal instinct in myself I hadn't even known existed. It had started with Fuzzles… I had never had a pet. I hadn't even had a plant. Now seemed to be the perfect time to grow up in more ways than one .

My hand cupped my flat stomach. "Is there someone inside?" I wondered.

Only one way to find out.

To our surprise, the first aid kits had come with many pregnancy tests. Not your usual first aid kit, we had mused. Then again, I had never seen one before holding antibiotics, steroids, and such, either.

Whoever had stacked these had been very forward-thinking.

I pulled one out, feeling guilty of wasting one on a hunch and a wish that had suddenly come up, and took it to Tzar-Than's and my bathroom. Before I could succumb to calling myself a waster, I pulled it out of its wrapping, sat down on the toilet, and finished the deed.

Now, all I had to do was wait.

"What are you doing?" Tzar-Than's voice startled me.

My heart did a little flip-flop like it always did at the sight of him. Gods, he was handsome. He leaned into the doorway, staring at me as if I was something to eat—one of my favorite looks in the whole wide world.

"Waiting," I replied.

"Waiting for what? What is that?" he wanted to know, stepping closer to look at the curious plastic test.

"If it's positive or negative," I teased, feeling a bit smug and ignoring the second question, because he had no clue what this was. But then guilt settled in my stomach. What if it was negative? I knew how much he wanted to have a child, how much depended on it. He would be so disappointed if I hyped this up too much, and it didn't turn out right.

"It'll tell me if I am with child or not," I said, watching every nuance in his expression.

"Are you?" Gods, there was so much hope in his eyes. I hated myself for not having hidden this better.

"I don't know yet. See this pink line?" I pointed at the first window with a pink line.

"Sa, does that mean you're pregnant?"

I shook my head. "Not this one, but if another line pops up here"—I pointed at the second window—"that means I am."

"How long?"

"Should be any minute now," I said, having lost count of how long ago I had peed on the stupid stick.

Tzar-Than stared at the test as if his life depended on it, and I took his hand. "It'll be okay if nothing happens," I tried to assure him.

His head turned to me. "Of course it will be okay. I have you. Asking the gods for anything more would be like asking for the stars when I already have you."

Fu-uck. This was exactly why I loved this damn barbarian so freaking much. Shit. It didn't matter what he said, I knew he would be disappointed, devasted… and it would be all my fault. I should have waited for a better opportunity to do the test, a moment where he wouldn't have walked in on me and…

"Is that a line? "

"What? Where?" I ripped the test from the sink. Sure enough. A second pink line had appeared. I screeched loudly and jumped up and down.

"Yes!"

"Does that mean…?"

"That I'm giving you son or daughter, soon, yes!" I screamed, beyond elated. I kept jumping, clapping my hands, beaming at Tzar-Than.

His hands encircled my waist and grounded me to the floor. "Easy, you're going to make my son dizzy."

I laughed. "Or daughter."

"Gods willing." He nodded.

I tilted my head. "You don't look so happy."

He wasn't. He really didn't. I couldn't have misjudged this whole wanting a baby thing; could I?

"Gwyn," he said in a nearly tortured voice.

"What?" Alarm grew inside me.

"It's just… it's so much. You already make me so happy, happier than I had ever thought I could possibly be, and this… this is all I ever wanted, a mate and a child. But now it's like…"

I got it. "Asking too much?" I asked in a more subdued voice.

He nodded. "I am so happy, but what if the gods think it's too much? What if—"

I put my finger on his lips. This man, this strong warrior, had been through so much loss, and it had hit him when he had been at what should have been the high point of his life. No wonder he was worried, afraid .

"Tzar-Than, women have children every day. They live in a happy relationship and have many, many children. It's not too much to ask of the gods. It truly isn't."

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. "My Gwyn, I couldn't bear ever losing you."

"You won't," I said in a tight voice. Taking his head into my hands, I looked deep into his eyes. "Listen to me. Vorag told you to go through the red fog, right?"

He nodded.

"Then he led you to me?"

Another nod.

"You slayed the xythrax."

"We both slew the xythrax," he corrected with a small smile.

"Vorag sent a velviph to keep me alive."

"He did."

"What makes you think Vorag will take me from you now?"

"Gwyn." He leaned his chin on top of my head, holding me tight. With my ear pressed against his chest, I listened to the thumping of his heart. Fast and hard.

Just then, Fuzzels chirped. He jumped up on my shoulder, and when Tzar-Than and I drew apart, he jumped on Tzar-Than's shoulder. Took his head into his paws and bumped his nose against his, something he had never done before. He wasn't afraid of Tzar-Than, allowed him to feed him here or there, even allowed a pat or two, but he had never sought any close contact like this.

"See." I laughed. "Vorag is sending you another sign."

Tzar-Than's eyes met mine. "I love you. "

"I love you too," I replied, watching as his facial features relaxed and he allowed the happiness of the moment in.

"Everything will be well."

"Everything will be just fine," I confirmed, hugging him tight.