Two hours had passed. The aftershock of the last of the small deaths Tyr
had induced was diminishing. She felt his departure. He had remained inside
her throughout their passionate union, just as he had promised.
Tyr pulled a pillow down the bed. He shifted his weight from her body to his elbow. In a voice warm with emotion, he told her to "Lift your pelvis, Beka."
He filled the space that she created with the pillow. "Make yourself comfortable." As she settled her posterior on the pillow, he rolled off to lie on his side beside her. He took the covers with him. His eyes travelled from her head to her toes, taking in every inch of exposed skin. The palm of his hand he retraced the path his eyes had followed. His touch, gentle and possessive, culminated in a trail of kisses from her navel to her lower lips.
When at last he raised his head, he said, "You have done me a great honour, Beka. I swear I will be there for you and our child all the days of my life."
Tyr buried his head between her breasts. His hair spread out like a blanket, covering her to the waist. She felt a damp warmth puddle on her breastbone, where his tears collected.
"How can you be so certain that I am pregnant?" She giggled. "I do not question your prowess, Kodiak. After all I was there. And I don't need to be reminded that you broke the First Father's record."
He raised his head again. "I did didn't I? He grinned smugly. "There is a three percent chance that you are not pregnant, based on Nietzschean conception statistics."
Beka smiled, "I like those odds." She wove her fingers through his hair. "You have honoured me, Alpha Kodiak, fathering my - our - child."
"You did not question the pillow?" Tyr recalled. "Did Trance send you instructions too?"
"The removal of the inhibitor came with a lecture, complete with visual aids. She gave me instructions for conception and contraception. Wisely leaving the choice up to me. Or so I thought."
"The information she sent to me must be a duplicate of that which she gave you. However, she omitted the contraception section."
"Why am I not surprised?" She pulled his forehead down so that she could plant a kiss on hit. "You have a meeting with your advisors in less than two hours. What is Plan B?"
He removed himself from their bed, pulling the covers over her. "We have two situations now. Our pregnancy and my quest to identify the traitor and solidify my power base."
Tyr stoked the fire, drew back the bed curtains and ordered breakfast to be delivered to their room. "You are hungry?"
"Starving now that you have satisfied my other appetite." She pulled her arms out from under the covers to rest on the bedspread. "I expect to be hungry for you again, though."
"I am counting on it, Beka." He struck a pose, proud of his prowess and his physique. "Unfortunately, I must attend the meeting, before I can turn my attention to satisfying your appetite for me again."
"Let's deal with the pregnancy situation, first." She lifted her arms so that she could count off the points on her fingers. "I will remain still in bed until you return. I will neither bathe, nor shower. I will do nothing to deter your genetic material from invading my genetic material. Is that satisfactory?"
"Very. Your enthusiasm for our joint project is appreciated." He bent over the bed to kiss her cheek. "While we wait for the breakfast to arrive, I will shower."
Beka put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Please don't."
"Beka, my showering is not going to jeopardize the conception." He looked at her quizzically.
"If you shower, you will wash away the scent of mating." She took a deep breath. "The aroma in this room and on your body is pure sex. They are going to be curious; especially if they heard about Hodur's little escapade. One whiff of you, Stud, and the questions will die in their throats."
"I like it. And it will unsettle every one of them. Especially the ones without mates. There is nothing like the whiff of sex to arouse - " Beka grinned in appreciation at his choice of words. "- to arouse the competitive spirit of the Nietzschean male."
"That scent is going to arouse the females too, isn't it?" The realization came too late to Beka, who was surprised at the depth of the jealousy she felt.
"Perhaps. But I can use that to my advantage too!" He began to pull on his trousers.
"How so?" Beka did not like the gleam in his eye. "I will decree that for the good of the Pride, all females capable of conception should spend the next two days making babies. And the unchosen males, they must participate in contests to attract mates."
"Nine months from now this palace will be in turmoil." Beka sighed. "How is any of this going to help us find the traitor?"
"Mating is as much about alliances as it about making children." He was fully clothed.
"Ah, ha. In two days we will know exactly who is sleeping with whom."
"Metaphorically and literally." Tyr responded to a discreet knock at the door.
"Whoa, Dad." Tamerlane, carrying a tray of food, made a face, as he stepped through the door. "What is that smell? You should bottle it, we could make a fortune."
Tyr was torn between pleasure that his fifteen-year old son did not immediately recognize the aroma of sex and trepidation that once informed he might attempt to replicate the situation. Tyr was not ready to become a grandfather.
Beka came to his rescue, "Do you want a sister or a brother?"
"So you did it. There were bets around the palace that you couldn't get it up anymore, Dad." Tamerlane began to set the food on the table.
"Where did you place your money?" Tyr held his breath while he waited for the answer.
"On Beka, Dad. I knew if anyone could, she could get you back in the saddle." He placed the last of the items on the table, then carried the tray to the bed.
"Trance said that if I expect to have a sibling in nine months that you cannot get out of bed for the next two days." He rested the breakfast tray on Beka's lap. "Beka, I want a sibling, gender doesn't matter to me."
Beka raised her hand. Tamerlane bent down so that she could touch his cheek. "You are going to make a wonderful big brother."
"You bet I am." He headed for the door, stopping when his hand touched the knob. "Oh by the way, I have a request."
Tyr and Beka waited in silence.
"Father, with your permission, I would like to address Beka as Mother from now on."
Tyr pulled a pillow down the bed. He shifted his weight from her body to his elbow. In a voice warm with emotion, he told her to "Lift your pelvis, Beka."
He filled the space that she created with the pillow. "Make yourself comfortable." As she settled her posterior on the pillow, he rolled off to lie on his side beside her. He took the covers with him. His eyes travelled from her head to her toes, taking in every inch of exposed skin. The palm of his hand he retraced the path his eyes had followed. His touch, gentle and possessive, culminated in a trail of kisses from her navel to her lower lips.
When at last he raised his head, he said, "You have done me a great honour, Beka. I swear I will be there for you and our child all the days of my life."
Tyr buried his head between her breasts. His hair spread out like a blanket, covering her to the waist. She felt a damp warmth puddle on her breastbone, where his tears collected.
"How can you be so certain that I am pregnant?" She giggled. "I do not question your prowess, Kodiak. After all I was there. And I don't need to be reminded that you broke the First Father's record."
He raised his head again. "I did didn't I? He grinned smugly. "There is a three percent chance that you are not pregnant, based on Nietzschean conception statistics."
Beka smiled, "I like those odds." She wove her fingers through his hair. "You have honoured me, Alpha Kodiak, fathering my - our - child."
"You did not question the pillow?" Tyr recalled. "Did Trance send you instructions too?"
"The removal of the inhibitor came with a lecture, complete with visual aids. She gave me instructions for conception and contraception. Wisely leaving the choice up to me. Or so I thought."
"The information she sent to me must be a duplicate of that which she gave you. However, she omitted the contraception section."
"Why am I not surprised?" She pulled his forehead down so that she could plant a kiss on hit. "You have a meeting with your advisors in less than two hours. What is Plan B?"
He removed himself from their bed, pulling the covers over her. "We have two situations now. Our pregnancy and my quest to identify the traitor and solidify my power base."
Tyr stoked the fire, drew back the bed curtains and ordered breakfast to be delivered to their room. "You are hungry?"
"Starving now that you have satisfied my other appetite." She pulled her arms out from under the covers to rest on the bedspread. "I expect to be hungry for you again, though."
"I am counting on it, Beka." He struck a pose, proud of his prowess and his physique. "Unfortunately, I must attend the meeting, before I can turn my attention to satisfying your appetite for me again."
"Let's deal with the pregnancy situation, first." She lifted her arms so that she could count off the points on her fingers. "I will remain still in bed until you return. I will neither bathe, nor shower. I will do nothing to deter your genetic material from invading my genetic material. Is that satisfactory?"
"Very. Your enthusiasm for our joint project is appreciated." He bent over the bed to kiss her cheek. "While we wait for the breakfast to arrive, I will shower."
Beka put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Please don't."
"Beka, my showering is not going to jeopardize the conception." He looked at her quizzically.
"If you shower, you will wash away the scent of mating." She took a deep breath. "The aroma in this room and on your body is pure sex. They are going to be curious; especially if they heard about Hodur's little escapade. One whiff of you, Stud, and the questions will die in their throats."
"I like it. And it will unsettle every one of them. Especially the ones without mates. There is nothing like the whiff of sex to arouse - " Beka grinned in appreciation at his choice of words. "- to arouse the competitive spirit of the Nietzschean male."
"That scent is going to arouse the females too, isn't it?" The realization came too late to Beka, who was surprised at the depth of the jealousy she felt.
"Perhaps. But I can use that to my advantage too!" He began to pull on his trousers.
"How so?" Beka did not like the gleam in his eye. "I will decree that for the good of the Pride, all females capable of conception should spend the next two days making babies. And the unchosen males, they must participate in contests to attract mates."
"Nine months from now this palace will be in turmoil." Beka sighed. "How is any of this going to help us find the traitor?"
"Mating is as much about alliances as it about making children." He was fully clothed.
"Ah, ha. In two days we will know exactly who is sleeping with whom."
"Metaphorically and literally." Tyr responded to a discreet knock at the door.
"Whoa, Dad." Tamerlane, carrying a tray of food, made a face, as he stepped through the door. "What is that smell? You should bottle it, we could make a fortune."
Tyr was torn between pleasure that his fifteen-year old son did not immediately recognize the aroma of sex and trepidation that once informed he might attempt to replicate the situation. Tyr was not ready to become a grandfather.
Beka came to his rescue, "Do you want a sister or a brother?"
"So you did it. There were bets around the palace that you couldn't get it up anymore, Dad." Tamerlane began to set the food on the table.
"Where did you place your money?" Tyr held his breath while he waited for the answer.
"On Beka, Dad. I knew if anyone could, she could get you back in the saddle." He placed the last of the items on the table, then carried the tray to the bed.
"Trance said that if I expect to have a sibling in nine months that you cannot get out of bed for the next two days." He rested the breakfast tray on Beka's lap. "Beka, I want a sibling, gender doesn't matter to me."
Beka raised her hand. Tamerlane bent down so that she could touch his cheek. "You are going to make a wonderful big brother."
"You bet I am." He headed for the door, stopping when his hand touched the knob. "Oh by the way, I have a request."
Tyr and Beka waited in silence.
"Father, with your permission, I would like to address Beka as Mother from now on."