Read Online Universe Hunters: Taken by C.L. Scholey - Free Book Online

was suddenly hit with a sledgehammer. “Is that baby mine?” her voice was little more than a squeak.
    “Yours and Blazar’s. I never thought, I mean it just happened. I was surprised…”
    Cali thumped onto her bottom. Her thoughts were tumbling like an out-of-control dryer. “Does this mean I’m going to be a mother—or a father?”
    “You will be a parent,” Blazar said.
    “But what will it call me?”
    “It will call you Cali,” Deimos said appearing somewhat confused.
    “How will I touch it? Will it burn me? What do we wish for, a boy or a girl, or a God damned glow worm?” Cali was so confused. If this baby was part light, she may never get to touch it. How could she not hold her own child? It would kill her.
    Deimos crouched before her; he took her hands into his. “When the child is first born it will be light. I’m sorry, but only Blazar and I will be able to hold it.”
    Cali knew her face must have looked like the world was coming to an end. Deimos smiled at her and gripped her chin.
    “I was worried you would be angry,” he said. “Don’t look so sad. Before too long, the baby can choose what form to take.”
    “A baby that picks its own sex?” Cali was dumbfounded.
    “The baby will have no real sex,” Blazar said.
    “How am I supposed to deal with this?” Cali demanded. “If the baby is part mine it might be born a boy or girl.”
    “I suppose it’s possible,” Deimos said, but his lopsided grin made her feel doubtful.
    “When Altair was here, he said he couldn’t regenerate. What will you both do? I mean will the baby be okay if you don’t regenerate?” Cali asked.
    “Altair depleted because of the ship’s hyper drive,” Blazar explained. “In order for him to go faster, he needed to use his own strength. Once you landed, the ship was destroyed and he had no way to change back. He didn’t have the power.”
    “But Altair has your ship.”
    “We will be fine until he gets back,” Deimos said. “Until then, we will take care of you.”
    “Um, shouldn’t you be resting, Deimos?” Cali was concerned. He had recently been in a vicious fight and he was after all pregnant, as weird as it sounded.
    “I feel fine. In fact, with another light source within me I’m twice as strong. The Gar will never return. You are safe now.”
    As though to prove his point, Deimos pulled her into his arms. Cali could feel his warmth; she sensed another presence and smiled. Blazar joined them.
    “We missed you,” Blazar said.
    She had missed them, too, even though it had only been four days. Still, there was a sense of hurt. A feeling of being abandoned. “You let Altair take me away.”
    “Altair said we could visit you. A great gift believe it or not,” Blazar said. “Hunters don’t go into a scientist’s lab, it’s unheard of. We were stunned with his generosity. We honestly felt he could take better care of you. We realized we were wrong the second you were gone. Altair wasn’t being generous; he was manipulating us. We needed to finish our job and thought you safe enough until we could return and approach the council. The council would be more apt to listen if we completed our job. Gar were killing innocents in the form of a giant human shape on a planet filled with little people, humanoid but much smaller. We needed to fight in human form. After the battle, we were given suitable clothes made by the little females. The little people were eternally grateful, stories were being told as we left.”
    “David and Goliath, no doubt,” Cali said and smiled picturing the battle. The admittance helped ease her bruised ego. They were planning on retrieving her; it was enough.
    “Our baby won’t survive on our planet,” Deimos said. He held Cali by the shoulders. “It will take all three of us to raise this child.”
    Cali knew no matter what she said they would never be far. The idea of being alone wasn’t a happy thought. She was surprised when Deimos gathered her wrists and