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Rose clears her throat. “Um. . . it means Haley was busy looking for butterflies.”
Crystal snorts. “By the looks of it, she must’ve found a lot of butterflies.”
While we’ve been talking, Draggar has signaled to the other warriors to set up camp and they have quickly gotten to work. I can hear one of the men building a fire behind us, while some of the others work on carving up the massive anuroi carcasses.
I might as well go ahead and get this over with. I know they’re going to have a lot of questions about the mate bond, and I’m unsure of how they’ll react. I take a deep breath. “Guys, this is Draggar. . . my spirit mate.” There are a few quiet gasps as everyone looks at me with shocked expressions.
It doesn’t take long before they recover, and then the questions start.
What the hell is a spirit mate?
How did you meet him?
Do they have any spaceships that can take us home?
Did he kidnap you?
Do you have Stockholm Syndrome? Blink twice if you need help.
What’s the sex like? That last one was, of course, from Crystal.
I try my best to answer all of their questions – except the sex one, that’s personal, thank you very much – and I try to explain the mate bond, but I can tell most of the girls don’t really understand it.
A couple of my friends are looking at me like they think I’ve lost my mind for declaring that an alien is my mate, but I don’t care. I’d rather be crazy with my mate, than without him.
During our conversation, Warrix has been standing off to the side with the satchel that contains his supplies slung over one shoulder, watching and waiting for permission to approach us so he can get started with his duties as a medic. I can see him eyeing my friends, analyzing each one for any visible injuries.
I clear my throat and try to get back on topic. “So, is everyone agreed? We’ll travel to the Anuriix village?”
Nearly everyone swiftly answers in the affirmative, but I notice Mara seems a little slower to respond. It would probably be a good idea to check in with her later just to make sure she is okay with all of this. I don’t like the thought of anyone being forced into doing something against their will even if the Anuriix tribe is our best option to survive on this planet.
Although, I may be a little biased, I think as I glance back at Draggar who has moved away to quietly confer with Vrenner.
“That’s great!” I nod, then gesture to the tall medic standing to the side. “Guys, this is Warrix. He’s a. . .” Just as I turn to wave Warrix over, Emily’s eyes roll back in her head and she slumps forward.
Luckily, Aria’s quick reflexes keep Emily from hitting the ground. She wraps an arm around Emily’s limp, pale body and yells for help. The medic leaps into action and sweeps Emily into his arms, asking Aria to show him to the medic bay and they disappear into the dark interior of the ship.
Fuck, I hope we aren’t too late, and Emily will be okay.
I can feel Draggar’s reassuring presence beside me and I look up to him.
“Go with them, amoris. Your friends need you, now. The males and I will finish setting up camp.” His arm is around me and he gives me a squeeze and a quick kiss before moving away to assist the other warriors.
The other girls have disappeared back inside with Emily and Warrix, so I quickly squeeze through the opening and enter the shadowy recesses of the ship. The spicy, green scent I’ve become used to on this planet fades away and the sharp odor of unwashed bodies and fear washes over me, nearly taking away my breath. Loud, angry voices spill out from the entrance of the medic bay as I draw near.
It sounds like there’s some sort of stand-off going on.
When I enter the room, I notice Emily is laid out on the bed of the large scanner, and Warrix is standing over her with the small hand-held scanning device he used on me clutched tightly in his hand. His lips are flattened with annoyance, and I immediately see why.
Crystal stands in front of him brandishing a spear and she orders him not to move. Mara and Maddie stand behind her tightly gripping their own spears as if they’re just waiting for a sign to skewer him like a kabob.
“Don’t touch her!” Crystal yells. “One wrong move and we’ll gut you, asshole!”
I quickly cross the room and push myself in between them with my arms outstretched. “It’s okay, guys. Warrix is a doctor and that thing in his hand is a portable medical scanner. He’s just going to use it to check on Emily.”
Crystal’s blue eyes narrow and she rakes her gaze up and down Warrix. “Him? Are you sure? He doesn’t look like a doctor.”
“Yes, I’m sure. He checked me over with that same scanner thing when I got to the village.” I huff out a breath of frustration, then try to soften my voice. “He’s just trying to help Emily. Please, let him.”
