Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! Trust me, I don't wanna!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"So don't, don't let me go
Just let me know
That growing up goes slow."
~ Christina Perri
Slithering voices fill the space, the crescendo rising until a clatter rings out. The Chief, a gargantuan beast with his race's flat nose and bald head, sits with his long limbs crossed at the head of the table. His skin is scaly and glints pale in the muted light of his cavern.
"Our resssourcesss tell usss the girl hasss the gem, Sssire," a servent tells his leader, bowing so low that his head touches the ground.
The Chief nods simply and looks at me.
"And you have control over thisss girl?"
I force my face into a mask I am familiar with. I wasn't sure I had ever had control over her.
But that wouldn't stop me from forging on with my plan.
The plan that I had been developing since I first laid eyes on the gem that hung from her wrist.
The plan that would make me the most powerful man in the universe.
"Of course," I lie, folding my hands under my chin and leaning towards the Chief. "What else do your resources say?"
The Chief's slim mouth slides into a sly grin. "Their plant sssoulssss sssstart ssssoon. We think the Prince will take hissss bride to ssseee."
I press my lips together, frustrated by his taunting information. This was my plan – he is my contact. He should not be drawing out his information.
But he also has one of the most advanced militaries in the known planets, even if he had not been admitted into the Seven.
Instead of lashing out, I breathe through my nose and nod. "Why would he do that?"
As far as I knew, the Leumian Prince was very reluctant to take a bride not of his own choosing, though he had bowed to the pressure of his father, the King. I had hoped his disposition would remain stiff, hoped he would not warm to his arranged marriage.
I had counted on it, even, thinking that perhaps he would be more willing to negotiate with me in exchange for a subtle removal of his bride. Something I could make to look like an accident.
Something that had been festering inside since her face had developed into an exact replica of her mother's.
The Chief's forked tongue pokes out from between his thin lips. "Sssshe issss with child," he hisses gleefully. "The sssssource tellsssss usss that it issss Leumian tradition. Traditional foolssss!"
Child.
She is pregnant.
I had known her mother was pregnant, sooner than I had expected. I had gotten angry, thinking she had been with another before our simple wedding, not understanding her pure-bred Leumian heritage until she had confessed, weeping and kneeling at my feet. Her tiny body had been in the first few weeks of the pregnancy, but I could have sworn it was several months into the gestation. She had brokenly told me of her family, explaining her quick departure and the significance of the silver gem she wore on her wrist.
Something pangs in my stomach, almost like guilt. But I squash it down.
I had not felt guilt since I took the lormaline off her mother, wanting more than anything to satisfy my curiosity about the stone. I hadn't felt guilt since I realized that a prolonged absence of the stone caused a sickness on her already fragile body that could not be reversed.
I had not felt guilt since seeing my daughter's pale face crying over her mother's grave on Earth.
And again, I force the guilt away – there is no use for it, not any more. I had concocted this plan years ago and I would not be backing down from it.
The death of my wife had hardened me, had made me resent the face of my daughter, made me resent the life of my daughter and most importantly, the secrecy of the Leumin planet.
Had they allowed any one of the Seven to know a single detail about their people, maybe my wife's life could have been saved.
But it was all hidden.
Everything except for lormaline hidden from every person in the universe. Everyone except me.
And now, the Chief.
And his people.
No, it was too late now.
It did not matter if the girl was pregnant with a Leumian bastard.
There was no turning back now.
Edward leads me through the rounded walls of the palace, his arm firm around my waist, pulling me tight against his side. He does this because as of late, my balance had been off. It might have had something to do with the growing bump on my stomach or my inability to see my feet clearly without having to bend over.
He also does this to ward off any advances of other males, though I can't imagine that happening – who would be dull enough to approach the pregnant mate of the Prince?
We are rushing to what Edward calls the Gathering. From what I could understand, this Gathering worked like a house of Parliament.
On the far side of the mountain palace, Edward directs us into a spacious room full of various large pillows and void of any other people. Confused, I look up at Edward, my brows furrowed and my hand resting on my stomach.
Edward's fangs are poking through his lecherous grin and with a wave of instant arousal washes through my body.
"I've always wanted to do this," he confesses, drawing us further into the room after securing the locks on the automated door.
"So, there's not a meeting?"
"There is. Later."
His mouth is hungry and soft on mine, applying a light suction to my bottom lip so the blood rushes up to greet him through my skin. My entire body sings for him; his hands wandering to my exposed shoulders, to my bare back until he discovered the dainty button holding my dress together on my left hip. The garment drops to the floor with a whisper and then Edward's lips follow his hands – down my neck, lavishing my collarbones with licks, adoring my breasts with nips.
My hands twist into his wild hair as he lays us down on one of the larger pillows, a warm fur of blue, softer than velvet. He pauses at my stomach, murmuring to our child, confessing his love again while looking directly into my eyes.
And then, I am on my knees since my stomach has grown so quickly, not even two weeks into my first month. Edward's legs are tight against my own, his groin pressed against my backside and his hands steady on my hips.
Without more warning than a quick swipe between my dripping lips, he plunges in to his hilt, forcing himself into a too tight place.
We moan in unison.
I feel myself clenching around him and he growls, pressing his hips forward more as if he isn't completely inside of me. His pelvis rotates in a slow grind against my backside, his manhood twitching inside me.
I pant.
Edward slowly pulls out, hissing, only to press in quickly again. Over and over. Slow then fast. Slow again.
Soon, his hand migrate to my thighs and he forces me to close them – and this makes it much more difficult for him to press inside me. It also makes the sensations so much more intense and, before I can understand what is happening, I am climaxing twice in a row, every motion he makes rubbing against secret, fabulous places inside me.
Edward growls with his own climax and pants, his breath hitting the back of my neck as he moves us to lay on our sides.
Eventually, we move to clean up and I realize with a touch of embarrassment that I can smell us in the air.
Edward merely grins at my pink cheeks.
He is too proud for his own good.
The members of the Gathering do not blink an eye at the scent of our mating, though some shoot Edward knowing looks.
Every member is a different shade, some females though the Gathering is predominately male. They each bow to me and Edward, low to the ground until their heads almost touch the floor.
The King enters last and he seats himself on a pillow on a slightly raised area of the room. He holds in his hand a small gavel-like object adorned with a small lormaline jewel.
He calls the meeting to order.
I begin to piece together the inner-workings of Leumian government.
When the Skye Clan ruled, the Leumian's were obviously under the rule of a dictator. But when Edward's family took over, more importantly his grandfather, there seems to have been a shift in the basis of the government.
Leumian's had always had a primary ruler and that had not changed. What had changed was the role of the ruler – and it was obvious that the head monarch was now limited in his power. Instead, he seemed to be the head of the Gathering, like a Prime Minister of ancient England. The King had only the power to direct majority rule and enforce those decisions.
He was merely the face of the operation.
I think that, perhaps, King Carlisle didn't like that.
My father certainly doesn't like his limited power.
Why would a Leumian King be any different?
My mind wanders to the future, to a time when Edward is the head of the Gathering. I had the very distinct feeling that he would be grateful not to carry all the power.
I glance at Edward's profile, his angular nose and sharp jaw, as he follows the complicated conversation around him, members of the Gathering letting their speech fall into native Leumian tongue. When Edward offers his opinion, he also speaks in his first language.
I think of all the secrets that had been hidden from the Seven planets, the secrets the Leumian hold dear and close to their chests. The secrets they protect. Now, those secrets were mine – the lormaline, the scrolls, the language, the weather of the planet, the people, the tiny fish in the clear sea.
A smile touches my lips as my hands rest on my stomach.
My child would share these secrets too.
The Gathering ends on a solid note, several key decisions evidently settled. The King pays us very little mind, nothing more than a passing glance, as he is followed out of the room by several members of the Gathering.
I find that I am perfectly happy with being ignored by him.
"There is something I wish to show you tonight," Edward murmurs, leaning his body over mine as we exit the room.
His arms return to their reserved positions around my waist, his pace slowing to match mine. It seemed the larger I grew, the slower I needed to walk. My body before the pregnancy was slight, but I – and Edward – had noticed several changes. Namely my breasts, which had begun to swell slightly. My skin had also taken on a pinkish hue, something the Queen had assured me was normal for Leumian women; the color is more prominent on me simply because my skin is so pale.
I furrow my brows, my head tilting up to look into his vibrant eyes. "What is it?"
Edward grins, shaking his head.
So this would be a secret.
Rubbing my hand over my stomach, I find that I am perfectly fine with the secret.
So far, none of Edward's surprises had been disappointing.
Instead of pressing for the subject of his surprise, I redirect my curiosity. "The sun is setting now. Should we leave?"
Nodding eagerly, Edward directs us towards our chambers. "I want you to be warm," he tells me, digging through a small chest that is pressed against the rounded walls of our room. He pulls out a cloak similar to the one he had worn several weeks ago, except that this cloak was made much smaller and in a soft, short grey fur.
He delicately places the cloak on my shoulders, fastening the front with a smooth tie that closed the cloak from my waist to my neck. The hood he pulls over my head is deep and light, but I can feel the protective warmth around my head and ears where the material had been doubled. The cloak flares out from my waist in soft ripples, leaving plenty of room for my legs to move and for my growing stomach, the hem just barely grazing the ground.
Kneeling before me, Edward slides my feet into tall boots that are slightly larger than my normal size, my feet beginning to swell from the accelerated pregnancy.
He kisses my hands before he stands and dawns his own cloak before leading me out of our rooms with an easy earnest smile on his face.
My mind wanders to his cold expressions and words he displayed my first days here. I would never have thought that this kind being was hiding beneath that rough personality.
The nature outside of the palace is tranquil, darkening gently until everything is bathed in a deep purple hue.
"We call it Lom'tsu," Edward begins, guiding me through the dense forest towards the clear waters.
I glance around, searching for what he is talking about and failing to see anything different in my surroundings.
Stopping, Edward moves to stand behind me, pressing his chest against my back; the tops of my shoulders press against the pectoral muscles of his lean build. Carefully, he lines our hands up, his fingers pressing through the spaces of my hand.
We stand in front of a wide, billowing tree, the leaves large and rounded and the trunk low to the ground.
Edward reaches our hands forward until my finger just barely grazes the smooth leaf.
And the most magnificent thing happens.
The leaf, which had been dark and plain before, bursts into light, like millions of pixels suddenly coming to life in neon blue and green and silver.
I gasp and draw our hands back, stunned at the display. The baby flutters at my accelerated heart rate and Edward lets out a low, rumbling laugh.
"Lom'tsu only happens a few times a year, when the binary moons are on the same cycle. At night, for that entire cycle, the souls of the plants are visible."
"It's amazing," I murmur. "Is it all plants?"
His arms move and wrap around my waist, resting lightly over the cloak on my stomach. "Blooming neit'tsads are the most interesting."
I close my eyes, still dazzled by the Lom'tsu, and lean against his chest. "Will you show me?"
Edward presses a kiss against my temple, humming against my skin. "Of course."
And so, he does.
Neit'tsads are fairly large flowers, much like the rare orchids of Earth, with silver petals and leaves. When my fingers traced the edges of the petals, the Lom'tsu shines in pinks and purples.
It really looked like the soul of the flower.
"I thought you might have liked to see that," Edward tells me later, smiling into the skin above my stomach. He had just finished bathing me in some mineral Lom'tsu produced from the tiny dots of light that rolled off the plants. Evidently, the mineral was beneficial to the fetus.
As I didn't feel too different yet, I would take his word. For all I knew, only the baby would be able to feel the effects.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," he starts, his voice far more hesitant than I had ever heard it. My hand moves into his hair, ruffling the thick strands and scratching at his scalp.
Edward's eyes close and he nuzzles into my skin. "Eey wann tuu puut uh gorde un yew," he mumbles, pressing his mouth into my stomach so that the words are muffled.
"What?" I laugh, tugging lightly on his hair.
He moves his face so that his cheek is pressed against the warm cocoon of our child. "I want to put a guard on you," he says again, staring me directly in the eyes with so much conviction in his statement that I wondered why he would even hesitate to tell me in the first place.
And then a streak of independence flashes across my mindscape and I purse my lips at him. "Why?"
Edward's fingers trace random patterns on my shoulder. "I don't trust my father," he says simply, shrugging with a forced nonchalance.
I sympathized with his plight – he wanted, more than anything, to believe his father wouldn't harm his wife and child, but also knew that, based on the King's behavior, that wasn't a likely possibility.
The King didn't trust me.
Edward didn't trust the King.
It was as simple as that, Edward's loyalty to his father falling second to his loyalty to his mate.
That was the Leumian way.
I sigh, deeply troubled by the contentions my presence has brought to this planet. "Who would it be?"
"Jasper."
I considered his choice for a moment. As far as I knew, Alice was very busy during the day and Jasper was currently in a sort of vacation status. He had to have been bored and, by guarding me, I would be helping one I considered a friend.
I nod and Edward leans up, capturing me in a tight embrace. "Did you hear that, baby?" He asks the growing bump of my stomach, glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes with a tiny grin on his face. "Your Mol'a says I can give her and you a guard."
I gather that Mol'a must equate to mother in Leumian tongues – and I like the fluidity of the word, the slight roll of the l's.
"You're ridiculous," I tell him, a smile breaking out over my face.
"I adore you," he answers, kissing my face several times before pulling the heavy furs on the bed over my body and molding himself around my body, practically purring in contentment.
I yawn, sudden exhaust taking over but I manage to breathe out a low, "I adore you, too."
The following morning, Edward greets my sleepy eyes with a kiss and a sad revelation. "I have business outside of the palace with my father."
Immediately, I frown – missing him already even though he was laying beside me, cuddling my body close to his much larger frame. "So then this is Jasper's first day?"
Edward nods, pressing kisses onto my hairline where my bangs had flipped away from my forehead during the night. I sigh, accepting the hopefully brief separation – it shouldn't have come as such a surprise, anyway. I was almost certain I had heard something about a trip outside of the palace yesterday when the Gathering had spoken in a dialect I understood.
We dress, Edward in much sleeker, brighter clothes than I am used to, with a fur sash around his left shoulder and I in a subdued plum colored dress that draped around my larger stomach neatly. By the time we enter the throne room, I am ravenous, my baby squirming and fluttering and hungry.
I can hardly wait for the King to enter, my fingers tangling together as time passes. We cannot eat before the King and they will not serve the food until he has arrived. Edward attempts to sooth me, running his large hand down my spine.
The King enters swiftly with the Queen, pointedly not looking anyone in the eye. As she sits across from me, the Queen shoots me an apologetic smile, smoothing her dress over her thighs.
As soon as my food is placed before me, I dig in, sighing in relief as the burning in my stomach calms and my baby gratefully settles in my womb.
A chuckle echoes in the room, deep and surprised.
My eyes shoot up to the source – the King.
He is pressing his lips together, his eyes wide in shock and amusement. The rest of the table is staring at him in wonder as another laugh escapes him.
I furrow my brows, absently chewing food as I wonder about his change of heart – what had happened in the last day that had allowed him to drop his cold façade?
Yesterday, he had ignored both Edward and I unless absolutely necessary and, just now as he entered the room, that behavior had remained unchanged.
Until I had begun eating, that is.
The King realizes the gaze of his family on him and lets out a gust of air, bowing his head to hide his face.
"I'm sorry for the way I've acted," he blurts, raising his face and looking directly at me for the first time since he'd met me. "You didn't deserve it."
I swallow and clear my throat, sitting up straighter. "No, I didn't."
The Queen gazes at her mate with curiosity as he runs his hands through his hear in an all-too familiar fashion, the same gesture the Edward often used. "I had thought, with your background, you were here to take my throne, my son's throne. But, yesterday, the interest you showed in the Gathering was anything but malicious. It was clear to me that you simply wanted to understand the Leumian ways and I apologize for not seeing that sooner. And," he pauses, a natural smile falling across his angular features. "I should apologize for being late this morning. I should know better than to keep a pregnant female waiting for her food. In fact," he raises his voice, talking to the servants who stood, stunned, against the far walls of the room. "The Princess is to be served food immediately upon sitting. She is with child and should not have to wait for me to eat."
I consider his change, though it rather abrupt and realize that it would do no good for me to hold a grudge against him.
There was something very trustworthy about the King, even when he was at his worst.
And he had publicly declared me a Princess, which was no small thing.
I smile at him, a note of understanding passing between us, and turn back to my food. Eventually, the rest of the table resumes eating and we finish our meal in comfortable, peaceful silence.
That is, until Edward is done and begins to address Jasper, who had been one of the first to finish eating. Without beating around the bush, Edward bluntly tells Jasper of his idea. "I want you to informally guard Bella."
Jasper twists his mouth in an expression of surprise before settling into a solemn line of acceptance. "Is there a particular reason?"
Edward tries to shrug nonchalantly, but there is a certain tension in his shoulders that prevents him from doing so.
Jasper presses on. "There must be a reason and it certainly isn't because of any threats. I would know about it."
The rest of the table looks on in silence as Edward sighs. "Can I not have my pregnant mate guarded during the times of day when I am not with her? She is with my child. I will not take any risk with those lives."
I touch my hand to his thigh, in a gesture meant to be calming and he sighs again.
"I think it's a good idea," the King states.
Beside him, the Queen nods, looking from her husband to her son. "I was guarded during your pregnancy, too, Edward."
And, with that, Jasper accepts his new role with gusto. As Edward and the King depart, he begins to shadow me – a calming presence that seems to simply observe the people around me. This is a side of Jasper that I had not yet seen, a cool exterior – calculating and stern.
He was especially stern when I removed the lormaline from around my neck and began to center my energy on it, determined to master the gem because it was a challenge and I always pushed past challenges.
"You shouldn't do that," he tells me, crossing his arms across his broad chest.
"Yes I can," I insist, turning my eyes to the silver rainbow stone.
"You might get hurt and then Edward will never forgive me."
"I need to master this!"
"You need to rest!"
"Tell me how you control the lormaline. Do you focus on it? Is it an innate skill?"
Jasper sighs, pulling his hand down his face. "I can't explain it. We can…tap into the essence of the stone and control it like that."
And so I try to find the lormaline's essence – a very different concept than what I had taught myself how to do. It wasn't the essence of the metal that I grasped, it was the molecules of the metal.
Lormaline seemed to lack molecules.
I sigh heavily, frustrated, a rub my eyes.
Jasper's shoes make a scuffling sound and I look up from where I am seated on the floor of the library.
The King is smiling kindly. "My son probably wouldn't like you doing that."
"You're right," I agree tiredly.
The King moves to sit across from me, much to the dismay of Jasper. But I didn't mind it – the King reminded me of what a father should be. Fiercely protective, but soft and helpful as well.
I certainly hadn't know those traits from my own father.
But I would gladly accept them from the King.
"Close your eyes," he instructs and I do so. "You need to learn how to do this, for your own protection. Now, can you find the lormaline?"
I nod, locating the heavy metal content easily but unable to feel the magnetized ions through the dense material.
"Can you feel the magnetized energy around the stone?"
I frown, forcing myself from the molecular search in favor of an unfamiliar concept. Of course, I had accidentally lifted heavy magnetized metals when I was much younger but it was another thing entirely to do so on purpose.
"When you find that small magnetic field – the essence – simply think of what you want lormaline to do. It's as easy as that."
I bite my lips and search for that essence, finding it quickly – far more quickly than I hoped. I wondered how I had missed it as the essence was so obvious.
Before I lose my fragile hold on the stone, I open my eyes and direct lormaline to hover at eyesight.
And, as easy as breathing, the gem lefts from the ground.
I smile.
A new skill.
A new beginning.
"Wonderful.
A/N: a few days late is better than waiting forever, right? All right, onto reviews (gosh, I feel like I'm at an awards ceremony or something!)
aixa00 – because she is seventeen and the Leumian genetic code has taken over for the most part, she will only have a heat every few months after the baby is born
JessJess76 – you're right! Charlie is proving to be much more dangerous that little ole' Carlisle!
Nissa-Cullen – another fabulous reader and Carlisle-Charlie hater! Hopefully, now just a a Charlie hater?
james3142 – your reviews always make me so, so happy! How's the 180 attitude change now?
YesMyRealNameIsBella – don't be late to school! D: an again, you get so close to the plot!
PanteraFenix Negra – you're so enthusiastic!
Cici G – are you another plot psychic?
stupidlamb2010 – miss the story no longer!
Fire and Ice and Clouds – perhaps I answered the "why now?" question?
DurtyNelly – if only I could speak in old-timey Renaissance like you! So, as for the alien government, they just got done with a dictator so their next leader is very very limited, more like a Prime Minister than anything else.
Telaviv – call me an intrigue contractor!
Sprite007 – stay excited! I think a certain someone is baaack!
And a healthy round of applause for the first review of the last chapter, Twilight Rocker 12 – I actually knew wanweird lol and psssh, you are funny! Next letter is….O!
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot