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“It wasn’t much of a risk once we had your entire Dothvek crew to help us.” Myrria’s voice was thick as she gazed at him. “Besides, we couldn’t let the Zevrians take you after keeping you hidden for so long. It was a point of pride.”
Rixx chuckled then winced and pressed his hand harder into his side. “So it was just about pride?”
Myrria’s heart pounded as his eyes held hers. Now that she was near him, his emotions swirled around hers again. Instead of being overwhelming, she found it familiar and comforting, as if their feelings were always supposed to dwell together. “Of course not. I—“
“Rixx!”
A Dothvek and a human woman hurried up to him, the woman instantly focusing on his wound while the Dothvek’s chest heaved as he stared at Rixx as if he’d seen a ghost.
She pushed a lock of brown hair from her eyes and frowned. “I need to get you back on the ship and stitched up.”
Rixx cocked his head at the Dothvek with black rings marked into his forearms. “It is good to see that I was right about someone waiting for you. I am glad I did not have to push you from the window, Zaandr.”
Zaandr threw one arm around his friend, taking care not to touch his injured side. “I searched for you for days. I thought you were…”
“Myrra and Zala saved me.” Rixx gestured to the pair. “They have kept me alive.”
Zaandr pulled away from Rixx and hugged first Myrria and then Zala. “We owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Myrria shook her head. “There is no debt.”
The woman with Zaandr shifted from one foot to the other. “I hate to break this up, but I really need to get Rixx treated.”
Tori joined them. “Now that we’ve killed even more Zevrians, we should probably not waste time leaving the Den of Thieves.”
A chill washed over Myrria as the storm of emotions inside her seemed to be doused by the harshness of reality. She had to say goodbye to Rixx again. This time for good.
Chapter
Forty-Four
The pain in his side made Rixx’s head swim. He was overwhelmed by seeing his Dothvek brothers again, even if he was startled to see the midwife Tegan paired up with Zaandr. He’d picked up on their attraction when they’d rescued him, but now they were clearly mates. How much more had he missed since he’d been recuperating and hiding on Kurril?
“I’m not happy about how much blood he’s losing,” Tegan said to Zaandr, her voice low as she eyed the gash in his side.
“Is he going to die?” Zala asked, her voice high and wobbly.
“Not on my watch.” Zaandr looped an arm around his waist and nodded to the girl. “But we do need to get him to our med bay.”
Zala’s eyes shone with tears but she straightened her spine as if readying for a blow. “I ran after you because I didn’t want to say goodbye. I don’t want you to leave.”
Myrria put a hand on Zala and lowered her head to speak softly in her ear. “Rixx has to return to his ship. You know that. It isn’t safe here for him. When we took him in, we knew we werehealing him so he could leave and hiding him until his ship returned.”
Zala gave a shake of her head. “But that was before.”
The Dothveks who’d battled the Zevrians were gathering around as the girl’s voice rose. Myrria’s cheeks flushed as everyone focused on Zala. “Before what?”
Zala huffed out a sigh. “Before you two fell in love.”
Myrria’s face flamed and Rixx felt all eyes moving between her and him. Instead of looking away politely or giving her privacy with her daughter, his Dothvek brothers stood completely still and watched. He was used to not having privacy among his fellow Dothveks, but he could sense her embarrassment.
Myrria evaded Rixx’s gaze as she pulled Zala back. “That doesn’t matter. Rixx still has to leave no matter how much…” she hesitated, “we care for him.”
“Why does it not matter?”
Myrria’s head jerked up at Rixx’s question. “What?”
“Why does love not matter?” He shrugged his friend’s arm off and took a step closer to her. He knew she loved him. He had felt it even before their night together, but he had been even more sure when he had heard her tell him as he was dragged away by the Zevrians. “There is no doubt in my mind that I love you and that you are my true mate.”
