"Ok so the soul sucking thing is out," Jenna confirmed.
"I gotta say I'm kind of relieved about that one," Bret admitted.
"If I can find some supplies I will take a look at your blood again," Bishop said. "It's worth a shot, especially if they release a new gas. I'd rather die from your blood than turn into one of The Frozen anyway."
"I have to agree," Lloyd said.
"Fine, that's all well and good," I told them. I turned toward Rosemary. "I need to know what you have for supplies that will help us when we get on that ship."
She frowned as she tapped her foot. "Not much. Most of our supplies were used to take over the encampment. We have some ammo left, a couple of bullet proof vests, and four flash grenades but that's about all."
I wasn't entirely sure I believed her but then I wouldn't divulge all of my secrets and supplies to her either. "Bishop, with the supplies we have on hand, can you make me something that if I get into this room, would be able to render whatever is inside of it unusable?" I inquired. "I don't care if it's a gas or a pill, or whatever, I just need something that could ruin a water supply and anything else that may be in that room."
Bishop frowned as he shook his head and opened and closed his mouth. "I've got something that will blow it to smithereens," Lloyd informed me.
I glanced at him. "I'll need that too, but I'd like something a little less 'here I am' also."
Bishop's frown cleared as his mouth parted and a sparkle lit his gray eyes. "I do, or I should be able to find supplies to make something like that. It may take me a couple of days, maybe even a week but I can do it."
Relief filled me as I nodded at the young doctor. "Good."
I turned as the door opened again and Jessica stepped through it with Leo and four other Tintagelians. In her arms was the little girl Jenna had waved to earlier. Her chubby fist was shoved into her mouth and her chocolate hair had been pulled into two pigtails that curled at the ends. I frowned at the child, unable to place what she was as her scent completely threw me off. It wasn't human or perhaps it was as she tilted her head and examined me from deep brown eyes.
"She wouldn't stay away any longer," Jessica said.
Rosemary was smiling from ear to ear as she moved around the table and held her arms out for the girl. I heard the increased beat of Bethany's heart as she grabbed hold of my arm with both hands. "Cade." My name was a bare whisper on her lips as Rosemary took the child from Jessica's arms and hugged her close.
I frowned as I watched the two of them. The child wrapped her arms around Rosemary's neck as she turned to face us again. "She's yours," I stated.
"She's ours," Rosemary said with a nod toward Greg.
"She's fine?" Bethany asked in a choked voice.
"She's fine," Rosemary confirmed with a smile.
"But then why didn't they want you to have children if you had married Greg with their knowledge?"
Rosemary's upper lip curled. "We couldn't be allowed to weaken our DNA by mingling it with the humans. They would have destroyed any child that we created."
"Amazing," Bethany whispered.
I felt my own heartbeat pick up as my gaze slid to Bethany. There were tears in her eyes as they met mine with a hope and joy I'd never seen in her gaze before. I wanted to pull her against me and kiss her with everything I had, but that hope in her eyes terrified me. Offspring would have been expected from Jessica and me, but I'd never even considered the thought of allowing Bethany to have my child.
Now she was looking at me like I'd just handed her the moon and Rosemary was holding living proof that a child hadn't destroyed her, or at least it hadn't destroyed an alien carrier. "You are not human though," I said.
I felt like the worst form of life when Bethany's shoulders slumped and her grip on my arm slackened. Rosemary's smile only widened as she adjusted the young child in her arms. "There are two human women here who have survived the birthing process."
Her breath was warm against my neck as Bethany stepped even closer to me. Through the fabric of our clothes I could feel the heat of her skin. The missing piece, that's what she was to me, the piece of myself I'd never even known was missing until she walked into my life. She was the only thing that could make me feel as scared and excited as I felt right now.
She could have my child. If I survived what we proposed to do, she could become the mother of my children. Our child, excitement trickled through me at the astonishing prospect of such a thing.
Our child.
Bret stepped closer, his gaze slid toward me but I didn't acknowledge the condemnation I saw in his eyes. He'd moved on from her, I knew that, but he still cared for her and didn't want to see anything bad to happen to her, but this was none of his business.
I kissed Bethany's temple as I nuzzled her hair. There was so much hope out there for our future. I just had to make sure we survived to see it.
Chapter 16
Bethany,
I remained silent as the last of our group filtered out of the massive gates to rejoin the others. "I wish you would rethink your decision," Rosemary said.
"We have to speak with the others, it needs to be their decision too, and we can't leave them out here. We'll talk again in the morning," Cade assured her.
"We'll leave the gates partly open. If anything comes you must get inside them quickly or our cover could be blown."
"We will."
"Cade." He held me up as he turned back to face Rosemary. Lloyd stopped beside me and though he was still looking at me as if he was tempted to shoot me he had loosened up a little. "We are your allies in this. We only want the same thing as you."
"And what is that?"
"To ensure the continuance of the human race and put an end to the tyranny of ours."
Cade's hand tightened on my waist. "I can agree with that," he said quietly.
Rosemary bowed her head before slipping back inside the gates. Darnell was eyeing us both like bugs he wouldn't mind stomping as he approached with caution. "What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Lloyd muttered as he ran a hand through his hair and stared at the gates.
"Are we leaving here?"
"No," Bishop answered. "No we're not."
"Is it safe?"
"Is anything?" I elbowed Cade in his ribs for that response. The scowl slid from his face as he rubbed at his ribs and took a deep breath. "It's safer than anywhere else we've been in awhile. It won't hurt us to stick around for a bit and for you to hear what they have to say. We can go inside tonight if you would like but I thought you'd prefer to talk first."