Having the Barbarian's Baby: Ice Planet Barbarians: A Slice of Life Short Story Read online

  Having the Barbarian’s Baby

  Ice Planet Barbarians: A Slice of Life

  Ruby Dixon

  Ruby Dixon

  Contents

  Having the Barbarian’s Baby

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Author’s Note

  The People of Ice Planet Barbarians

  The Ice Planet Barbarians Series

  Want more?

  Boring Copyright Stuff

  Having the Barbarian’s Baby

  Megan’s ready to give birth, but she’s not ready to let her mate leave her side. When Cashol must go hunting to feed the tribe, they’re separated for the first time since resonance. Not a problem, except the baby’s ready to be born and there’s a storm brewing…

  This is a short story set in the ICE PLANET BARBARIANS world. It does not stand alone, and is intended to be read after BARBARIAN’S MATE. It’s a little bit of sweetness for those that can’t get enough of the big blue aliens! Happy reading!

  1

  MEGAN

  The tea over the communal fire is ready, so I lean over with my favorite bone cup in hand to dip it in.

  Josie immediately bounces to her feet. “You want me to get that for you, Meggers?”

  “I’m good,” I say, and brace my feet a little wider apart to steady myself so I don’t tumble, belly-first, into the fire pit. I’m a billion months pregnant - slight exaggeration - and ungainly, but I can still get my own tea.

  “You can get mine, Josie,” Nora says as I dip my cup and then waddle back to my seat. “I’m a bit busy at the moment.”

  Josie giggles at that understatement and takes Nora’s cup from the flat rock nearby where it’s waiting. Nora’s busy all right; Anna and Elsa are demanding babies and she’s currently nursing one, the other cradled on her knees. Poor Nora. She’s up with me and Josie - the tribe early-birds - before the wee hours of dawn because of the babies. Not that she looks unhappy. There’s a pleased but sleepy smile on her face as Elsa nurses and Anna waves her arms around. I don’t blame Nora for being happy - her twins are cute as buttons.

  My stomach growls and I decide to doctor my tea a bit. Josie sets Nora’s tea-cup down and fills her own, then sits across from me and cradles it in her hands, blowing on the surface to cool it. Me? I pick up my bag and take out a pouch of hraku, the sweet, toffee-flavored baked seeds that are such a tasty treat. And I crush them in my hand and add the sprinkles to my hot tea, because the tea here on the ice planet is pretty bitter.

  And then, because I’m pregnant as hell, I add some kah, the ultra-spicy, peppery meat-and-fat-and-seed trail rations to the mix and give my cup a swig.

  Nora makes a gagging sound. “You are not going to drink that, are you?”

  “It’s a bit like jalapeño oatmeal with caramel once the tea gets absorbed,” I tell her, watching my cup. “Ate three cupfuls of it yesterday.”

  “That sounds horrid.”

  Josie just looks at me, fascinated. “How long do you think before I get pregnancy cravings?”

  “I didn’t get any,” Nora says, gently pulling Elsa from her left breast and then switching her to the other side. “You might not, either.”

  “Oh man, I hope I do,” Josie breathes, then takes a sip of her tea. “I want to experience everything pregnancy has to offer.”

  I set my cup down, since my breakfast-sludge is still concocting, and stretch my legs out. My favorite stool - a super-overstuffed leather pillow - doesn’t provide much back support and I need it lately. I put my hands to my lower back and rub at the ache there. “Give it time, Jo,” I tell her. “You’ll be pregnant for fourteen or fifteen months, so you’ll have lots of time to experience it all.” I’m trying not to be a crank-pot about things. Josie’s excited. She’s wanted babies for forever and a day and she’s finally resonated to her own mate. She’s about a month along and is eager for everything - morning sickness, the bloating, the swollen ankles, you name it.

  Me? I’ve been pregnant for oh, fourteen months already and I’m way, way ready to be done.

  I glance over at the front of the cave, near Vektal and Georgie’s place. My mate, Cashol, disappeared in there to chat with his chief about something, despite the ultra-early hour. And he’s been in there for about twenty minutes, long enough for Josie to build a fire, for tea to be put on, and for me to notice that he’s still freaking talking to the chief.

  I’m nervous. I don’t know why, but I am. Vektal’s a great guy and Georgie’s a sweetheart, but I’m about a month away from giving birth and the last thing I want is for someone to be assigning my mate some ‘special’ project that takes him out of the caves. I have a sneaking suspicion that that’s what it is; Haeden - bless his surly, surly heart - commented the other day about how all the hunters go on long, extended hunts except for my mate. And he’s not wrong.

  I mean, I have my flaws. And my biggest one? I’m clingy as fuck. I acknowledge it. Doesn’t mean I’m changing, but I’m aware of it. But I still wonder if Haeden’s comment made its way back to the chief and that’s why my mate’s been gone for so long. As if agreeing, the baby in my stomach kicks hard, and my stomach growls in the next second. All right, all right. I know when someone needs a snack.

  With one last glance back at the chief’s cave, I pick up my ‘tea’, blow on it, and then tip the oily sludge into my mouth. The different flavors hit me all at once - the wasabi-like taste of the kah, followed by the sweet caramel of the hraku, and then the tart bitterness of the tea. Heaven. There’s even notes of meat and fat in there. Yum.

  Nora makes another gagging sound. Josie just giggles.

  “You wait until you have a craving for peanut butter and pickles,” I tell Josie as I take another sip/slurp. “And then you remember that the ice planet doesn’t have either. Kah-hraku-soup is gonna look pretty good then.”

  “Just not yet,” Nora says drily. She pulls Elsa from her breast and begins to pat the baby’s back, as Anna stirs in her lap.

  Josie immediately puts out her hands. “Can I hold one?”

  “Sure.” Nora hesitates, trying to decide which baby to hand over, her arms full. After a moment, she hands over Elsa.

  Josie pulls the baby against her, a look of bliss on her face. She’s so excited to be pregnant, and I’m happy for her. I know she’s been lonely for a long time. I rub a hand on my aching back again. For a while, I’d almost felt guilty that I’d resonated to my sweet Cashol…almost. Except I wouldn’t give him up for anything. Josie’s like a kid sister to me and I hated to leave her behind, but when it comes to my mate? All bets are off.

  He’s mine and mine alone, and I wouldn’t give him up for anything.

  Josie starts to talk again and I take another sip of my tea-soup and look over at the chief’s cave. My mate’s still in there? I’m tempted to get up and go push into the conversation, but…getting up is an effort lately. I rub a hand on my belly absently and drink more tea as Josie chatters Nora’s ear off.

  I’m tipping back my cup to finish the dregs when a familiar pair of shoulders and long dark hair catches my eye. God, my mate is gorgeous. I’m so stinking lucky. When we got to the ice planet, I didn’t see how I could possibly fall in love with an alien, but the moment I resonated with Cashol? Everything clicked into place. It was like a switch went on with my brain, and instead of freaking out over horns and tails, I realized how graceful his big blue body was. I learned that there was nothing finer than the crooked smile o
n my mate’s mouth when he makes me laugh. I learned that his hair’s always slightly messy because he’s too focused on other things - like me - to care about the fact that the braids that keep the hair out of his face aren’t even. I learned that he might not be the most physically attractive of the aliens on paper, but to me? He’s perfection. His big nose, long face and goofy smile? I love all of it, because it’s him.

  I set my cup down and struggle to get to my feet to greet him, but he’s at my side before I can even manage to get halfway out of my seat. He takes my hands in his and helps me haul my body upright. “You were gone a while.”

  He ignores my cranky tone and presses a kiss to my cheek. “My chief had much to say to me.”

  I glance back at the cave to see if Georgie or Vektal are heading this way. When they don’t appear, I turn back to Cashol. “What were they nagging you about?”

  He tsks at my choice of words and brushes a lock of hair from my cheek. “We will discuss it later. Do you want to bathe? The water will be good for your back.”

  I narrow my eyes at him because I recognize a subject change. He’s trying to distract me, or he doesn’t want to discuss it in front of the others. I rub my lower back again. “I guess so.”

  “Come,” he says, gently steering me toward the pool in the center of the cavern. “I have fresh soap-berries and your favorite comb.”

  And because having my mate wash my hair is one of my favorite things in the world, I don’t put up a fuss even though I can’t quite shake the feeling that something bad’s about to happen. Cashol is attentive as ever as he helps me pull my layers of clothing off, and his arms are strong as he helps me into the water. He strips down and climbs in next to me and then pulls me against him. He sits on one of the little ledges under the surface of the water and I rest my arms on his thighs as his fingers undo my coronet of braids.

  I relax against him, my eyes sliding closed. The warmth of the hot spring does feel amazing on my lower back, and the heavy pull of the baby’s weight on my front is non-existent in the water. I’m so ready to give birth, but I’ve still got a few more weeks at the very least. My baby hasn’t dropped, and Maylak - the tribe’s healer - seems to think I’ll carry right up until the last moment. Which sucks. Nine months is a long time to be pregnant, and that’s a normal human pregnancy. Because I’ve been knocked up by an alien? I have a full fifteen months of pregnancy (give or take some wiggle room) which feels like forever. Though I suppose it could be worse - Maylak’s been pregnant since we landed here almost two years ago and she’s still got about a year to go.

  Cashol finishes undoing my braids and gives my arm a little tap. That’s my signal to dunk my head, and I do so, holding onto his leg. When I resurface, I settle back in against him and the sweet scent of the soapberries fills my nose as he crushes them into a paste and then begins to work it into my hair. I’m relaxed and feeling wonderful as I lean against him.

  The sound of a crying baby makes me open my eyes and I glance over. Josie’s awkwardly handing Elsa back to Nora, and as I watch, Josie’s mate Haeden approaches and gives Josie an affectionate nuzzle. It’s strange to see, considering that Haeden’s a rather standoffish, surly sort, but Josie melts against him and I’m happy for her.

  Seeing Haeden reminds me of his comments, though, and I touch Cashol’s knee. “So what did Vektal talk to you about?”

  His long fingers massage my scalp. “We can talk about it later, my lovely mate. It is not important.”

  Uh huh. If it wasn’t important, he’d have already told me about it. I turn in the water and narrow my eyes at him. “You might as well tell me now, while the cavern isn’t full of people, so I can pitch my fit in front of as few as possible.”

  He gives me one of those heartbreakingly gorgeous crooked smiles and then glances around the cavern. It’s just Nora and her babies, and Josie and her mate, and anytime you get Josie and Haeden together lately, they tend to forget about everyone else. I see them heading off, possibly to go back to their own cave and uh, ‘reconnect’. People do that a lot in the first flush of resonance. I know from experience.

  Cashol brushes his fingertips over my forehead, wiping away sudsy juice. His smile fades a little. “Vektal is just worried.”

  A knot forms in the pit of my stomach. “About?”

  “The brutal season.” His fingers trace over my skin, less about cleaning up and more about just touching me. “Our storage caches are nearly empty. We must all work hard to replenish them so no one goes hungry over the cold months when it is difficult to leave the caves.” He skims my cheek. “There are many more mouths to feed this time.”

  “Vektal wants you to go out on the hunt, doesn’t he?” My voice is flat. Just the idea of Cashol leaving my side for days on end - even weeks - fills me with terror. The other hunters leave for days at a time regularly, and it’s just a thing. It’s a necessary evil, and when they return, their mates are always thrilled to greet them again. They reunite for a few days, hunt near the caves to be with their families for a bit, and then inevitably go back out on the trails, because everyone depends on them for food. It’s a fact of life on the ice planet.

  Except…for my mate.

  Ever since we resonated to each other, Cashol hasn’t gone out. There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s not injured, not sick, not weak. He hunts small game near the caves and keeps me company. I’ve even gone out hunting with him, back before my belly grew to a monstrous size.

  I accept that I’m clingy and just slightly a bit too needy to be normal. I don’t care, either. With my mate at my side? I’m happy. Let Haeden say what he wants.

  But Cashol’s small nod sends an icy dagger right through my gut.

  I wrap my arms around his calf, clinging to him. “I don’t want you to go.”

  Again, he smiles. “I am not leaving just yet. There is time still. But I will have to go out, soon. As I have said, there are many that depend on us and there are more mouths to feed.”

  Those are Vektal’s words, and I don’t care how practical they are. I bite my lip. “I don’t want you to go,” I say again, panic surging through me. “I’m so close to having the baby.”

  Cashol’s eyes widen and he pulls me up into his lap in the water, his hand roaming my enormous belly. “Is my son arriving? Has he dropped?” It’s a word he’s picked up from pregnancy-speak among all the pregnant humans.

  The excitement on his face just makes me more depressed. “No, he’s still in the same spot he ever was.” I rest my hand over Cashol’s big, three-fingered one. “Still a few weeks to go I’m afraid.”

  He rubs my belly and then presses a kiss to my nose. “Then I must go out and do my share.”

  “I don’t want you to leave!”

  “I will be back in time for Megol to smile his way into the world,” he says with a mischievous grin on his face.

  I groan. I love this man, but he is terrible with names. “We are not naming the baby Megol. I told you. It makes me think of Gollum.”

  “It is a fine name,” he chides me, but there’s amusement in his voice. “Very strong and brave.”

  I just snort-giggle. “Not gonna happen.”

  “Then, Holmeg it is. We have decided. It is most pleasing for a son’s name.”

  Even though I’ve heard this joke a hundred times over the last twelve or fourteen months or so, it’s never not funny. I’m giggling and shaking my head. “Absolutely not. Our baby is going to have a nice name. And it might be a girl.”

  “It is a boy,” he insists. “Strong with a mighty spear like his father.” And he wiggles his hard, ridged brow at me in another human gesture he’s picked up, and I know he’s not talking about spear-weapons. Which only makes me laugh harder.

  By the time I dunk my head to rinse it, I’m not even upset anymore. That’s why Cashol’s so good for me - he makes me forget all the terrible things in life for a while.

  2

  CASHOL

  My Meh-gan is not happy. It tears at me,
even as I do my best to make her smile. There is worry behind her eyes, and I want nothing more than to take it from her.

  Instead, I distract her. I tease her about names for our kit. I hold the bone rings that she uses for weaving her leather strips and talk endlessly while she works. I bribe some of the sweet root cakes from Pashov’s Stay-cee and bring them to my Meh-gan to see her smile. She does for me, but it quickly fades.

  She worries. I know she does. She has told me about her past before - that she had a pleasure-mate - a boy-friend as she calls it - who abandoned her. Then she was pregnant with a kit when taken by the strange creatures that brought her here. They took it from her.

  She worries that if she loves too deeply, it will be taken from her again.

  I understand this; I lost my father in the khui-sickness many years ago. I know the burden of grief, and so even though hearing of the pleasure-mate and kit that she lost fills me with an unhappy jealousy, I understand how they affect her.

  Mostly, I just want her to smile again.

  Meh-gan works busily all day on her leather-strap rugs she makes. The other females like them as well, and so she is working on several at once. We eat stew that Leezh has made, because Meh-gan is tired easily and I did not leave the cave to hunt for dinner. Not today. I will be leaving soon enough. Today will be a day to dote on my mate and discuss her fears.

  When she picks up another one of the half-finished leather rugs and begins to work on it, I pry it out of her hands. “You are tired. Come lie down in the furs.”

  Meh-gan rubs her face. “I promised Claire I’d make her a rug, too, and—“

  “Tomorrow,” I tell her, and pull it out of her grasp when she reaches for it again. “There is always another day to work.”

  She nods slowly and then sniffs. Her hand swipes at her pale cheek, and her lip trembles.