Chapter 30
“Hello. You must be Amber?” The man says moving closer.
I say nothing.
“I am your… Let’s say nephew, it’s easier than going into all the greats. I am Dallas.” I stand speechless staring at him in awe. My eyes fill up with tears. “Don’t cry. I know everything that happened… It must be a lot to take in…”
“You look like my dad when I was a child,” I say cutting himb off.
My heart feels like it is going to break. Why do I have to be alive? Why are my parents and brother dead?
As tears begin to fall, I turn around and fall into Phe’s arms. I feel Lenime move behind me and hold me too.
“Guards leave,” Dallas’s voice echoes through the room. Footsteps follow, then the closing of a door and silence.
“She misses her old family a lot,” Kiy says sadly and Dax translate to a confused Dallas.
“I am sorry, Amber. I am here for you. I have always wanted a sister.”
I feel like such an idiot. Here I am crying in front of everyone, I must look stupid.
Oh God, my moods are up and down. Maybe I’m going insane.
“Dallas, sir,” Dax says taking the attention from me. I will have to thank him later.
“Let’s give her a minute. You can maybe get the injection I mentioned earlier?” Dallas seems hesitant to leave me, but agrees to take the injection after Dax explain what it does. Although they left us alone, they never actually left the room.
My mates and I are standing on one side of the room hidden behind our men again, whilst Ty went to the other side of the room with Dax and Dallas to administrate the injection. Apparently he has been trained to do so by Ren. Lenime can do it, but he is too busy with me.
My mate say nothing, they simply hold me and kisses my head. After a few minutes, I have calmed myself down enough to stop crying.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I whisper an apology to Phe and Lenime.
“You don’t embarrass us. Not at all,” They both promise me.
After helping me dry my face and getting a licked cheek from both for love, wall of men move to reveal me to my nephew again.
He has a smile just like Aaron.
“Feeling better now?” He asks kindly as he walks over to me.
“Yes, thank you. Sorry about cry…” I trail off.
He surprises me by coming up close and hugging me.
Phe and Lenime remove their hands from my back as he does.
“There is no need to be sorry. Anyone in your place would be the same or worst. But now you are back with us, as grandpa Aaron wanted. I watched the recordings back. He never forgot you. His lasts words were even ‘Tell Amber, I love her.’”
“Really?” I ask him pulling back.
He smiles and nods. “He named his first daughter after you.”
I couldn’t help but let a few stray tears escape. To me, up until a week ago I was living with him and I always have since birth. I quickly wipe the tears away.
“I am glad he had a good life. He deserved happiness.”
“He did. I promise we will talk later,” He says the last part quietly and turns his attention to my new family.
“Hello. I would like to welcome you again and thank you for your help. Would you like to take a seat?” He indicates to the large table and chairs.
“Hello. Thank you,” Kiy replies and everyone heads to the table. I look back to my mates and they gives me a small smile.
We sit together with me in between the pair. They hold my hands under the table.
“You have bunnies and chocolate?” Lenime asks` Dallas. He’s such a sweetheart.
Dax laughs and Dallas looks unsure of the question. “Yes, Lenime. We will arrange it, ” Dax answers from the Emperor.
I squeeze Lenime’s hand under the table to let him know I’m thankful.
“Let’s start with introductions. I am Emperor Dallas Vanderveer of this planet, the Marshall Providence.”
“I am Kiy, Captain of ’The Poyun Elite Explorer.’” Wow, I didn’t know the name of the ship before. “We are Poyun. This is Ty, my daughter’s mate. Bern, Reck and Lein, my right-hand men. These are my sons Lenime and Phe. Lenime is our top scientist and Phe is to become ruler of our people when we return from our long search.”
I smile, proud of my mates.
“Lastly and most importantly, Amber, your Aunt and the Poyun people’s future Queen.” That stuns Dallas.
“Phe and Lenime are my mates.”
If the first part stuns him the second makes him fall off his chair… Literally.
I can’t help but laugh. “That is totally the type of reaction Aaron would have had.” I grin at him. “Except he would probably ask to borrow them too.”
“I can reassure you a million percent, I will not be asking that,” He replies getting back up with Lein’s help. Another funny moment, because Lein is about six foot five and Dallas more like five foot six, but he is handsome none the less. “Ha, good to see the short ass gene was passed on.”
Dax is looking at me with amusement. “Dallas does that too.”
Does what?
He must have read my mind because the next thing I know he is telling me, “Speaks what he is thinking.”
“Yes. It gets me into trouble, sometimes. But being short makes it easier to get away,” Dallas jokes. I let out a short laugh, “Aaron would often got into arguments that way too, but he had a silver tongue. He could talk anyone out of anything.”
I am starting to feel more relaxed and less like I want to puke.
“So, Queen?” He whistles, “Never thought I’d have royalty in the family.”
“Says the man who is as good as king of the planet.”
Dallas chuckles, “I have never thought of myself in that way before,” He sounds honest.
“I am just the person giving orders,” Then it clickss, “Ha, I guess you’re right.”
“Do you have a mate, wife or children?”
“I do. We have five daughters and a son. All between the ages of thirteen and three. I’ll introduce you later. I didn’t bring them here because I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“How old are you? You don’t look old enough to have a child that old,” I ask surprised.
“Thirty, I knew my mate – Steph – since we were young. She was one of the girls I was schooled with. We basically knew since the beginning we were mates. But our parents or another adult would chaperone us at all times. They didn’t want us mating at ten or that young,” He laughs at the memory. “But the first time we were left alone at seventeen… It happened quick that is the first time she got pregnant,” The way he talks about them, you know he loves his family.
“Have you any siblings?”
He frowns slightly, “No, sadly my parents were older than most when they found each other. But having me was hard and sadly they were unable to conceive anymore. But I have many cousins… Which I guess some are related to you. I won’t overwhelm you by introducing all of them at once…”
I chuckle remembering meeting Phe and his family. “Phe has a dozen siblings, you know? Not including their mates and children.”
His eyes widens, “They all live on the ship?” I nod. Dallas must have understood by his expression.
“Wow…”
“I know. I can’t wait for a big family too,” I think out loud.
“Amber, eat this…” Lenime began pushing things in my face. I swear all I do is eat and watch old television shows now.
“Amber has a large collection of old Earth movies, music, books, medical notes on the change and dozens of other things on drives. Aaron left them for her, in case she woke up without him…” Dax tells Dallas, trying to distract him from my crazy mate.
A single tear falls from each of my eyes, I miss him so much. But I know he had a good life, so I am happy in a way.
My mates both lick away the tears, but not before the others notice. Lenime stops feeding me and both he and Phe place their hands on my bare back to comfort me.
“Sorry, I’m just emotional. I miss him a lot. He was the biggest pain in the ass and I often felt like strangling him. But I love him,” I say and clear my throat. “But I know that he would be happy I found his children and my new family.” I love Phe, Lenime, even Kiy and the others, only in a different way. They are the best.
Dallas smiles, “As I said before, you are not my aunt, but my sister. I am happy to have you here too.” Aaron made some sweet children or passed his DNA on the his great grandchildren, anyway.
“And I will be happy to give you a copy of all the data he left for me.”
Dallas looks surprised at my offer, “That would be fantastic. I know that the Reese Providence and I would both be grateful. What do you require as payment?”
“Nothing,” I answer and a moment later Phe, yes sensible Phe corrects me. “She wants chocolate and fluffy bunnies.”
Dallas chuckles but says, “Surely there must be more?”
“No… Maybe we could trade soon plants…” I go on to tell them about the seeds which Phe found on the planet. Most of which are now growing on board. We offer to give him cuttings to grow and develop.
Dallas agrees, saying that they did lose many Earth plants in the long journey here many years ago.
“I also made a medicine that helps both pregnant Poyun and Human women with the pains and sickness of pregnancy,” Lenime tells him feeding me again.
“I would be more than happy to give one of your scientists the information on how to make it?”
“Yes,” Dallas says quickly.
“And before you ask we require nothing but friendship for our gifts,” Kiy told him.
“As long as Amber is happy, we are,” My sweet mates tell him.
“Yes, they really are that nice,” I say reading Dallas’s mind.
“They really are,” Dax agrees. “They are peaceful. Nothing like the others we met. They have no hidden agenda. They let me have free-run around their ship and always answered questions honestly. The Poyun would make great allies.”
“Well, I welcome you all…” Dallas says smiling, but then pauses and looks at me. I stand up and pat my small belly.
“Can you believe I already showing and I’m barely a week.” He stares at my stomach wide-eyed.
“When are you due? I can have our personal doctor check you out… I mean if you want to…?” He is so sweet. That is just how Aaron would react.
“We have checked her and read the texts from humans We are given. But it would be good to have a doctor of her own species check on her,” Lenime answers him.
“I’ll have it arranged as soon as possible. Do you have any idea when it will be born?”
“Ren said less than four months. That’s all we know so far,” I tell him.
“That is fast, even for a changed. But I guess it has to do with being a hybrid,” Dallas thinks out-loud.
“Yes, that is what we think too. I would also like to request any newer medical texts you could give us?” Lenime asks again and again Dallas agrees. This is going better than I could ever imagine.
“I know the text may differ from Amber slightly, but it will still come in handy.”
Dallas looks confused by what Lenime said.
“You know Amber was the first infected right?” Dallas nods and gives me a small smile, almost as though it was a good thing, like he is proud of me.
“From what we have read in the notes, Mr Marshall leaked a diluted form?”
“Sounds about right,” Dallas says agreeing, but still looks unsure.
“Well, Amber was in the lab handling it at the time.”
“She got a full dose?” I nod.
Why was he staring at me in awe?
