Page 121 of Dragon Me Through Space

“The wound itches,” I admitted. “That’s a bad sign, right? An infection?”

He jumped to his feet, darted out of the room, and bellowed for a medic. Two seconds later, Caelen walked in to examine me.

“Good morning, Xoe.”

“Morning, Caelen.” My throat was dry, but at least I could speak.

“I’m going to remove the bandages so I can check on the wound,” he advised as he cut the bandage and slowly peeled it back. His eyes widened. “Whoa, I’ve never seen this before.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Zeke demanded and hovered behind Caelen.

“Her wound has healed significantly overnight. Way more than it should have.” His eyes narrowed and he looked over at Zeke. “She’s tied to you, right? With the magic that was in that locket?”

Zeke nodded. “The four of us. By the locket and as fated mates.”

Caelen hummed. “I wonder if she’s somehow using your healing, all four of you, to speed up her healing. I’ve not heard of that happening before, but that could be the only explanation.” He paused, then his eyes widened. “Fated mates?!”

“Her using our powers to heal, that’s a good thing, right?” Zeke asked.

Caelen laughed and applied a new bandage. “Yes, it’s a good thing.”

“Where’s Preston?” I asked. He hadn’t come to the room before I’d been knocked out.

“He’s been dealing with the Exostalons,” Zeke answered.

“What? I thought they were all killed?” Had they sent more forces? Or had some snuck in that we hadn’t known about?

“He’s pushing them for violating international space law and trying to get sanctions placed on them or take the planet since the royal family is all dead now,” he explained as he sat back down on the chair by my bed. “They don’t have much ground to stand on since they had given you a pardon, but still came after you.”

“Can …” I hesitated. Was he not coming to see me because he was upset that the bond was activated? They’d all said they wanted the bond before, but maybe that wasn’t the case anymore. Maybe he’d changed his mind.

“Why are you sad?” Zeke asked and grabbed my hand in his large, warm one.

“It’s nothing,” I lied and looked up at Caelen. “Can I leave soon?”

He nodded. “You’re free to leave, but Zeke will have to carry you.”

“What? Why?”

“Wayne has your right leg. He’s repairing the damage that happened to it,” Zeke explained as he lifted a bag from the floor by the bed and pulled out a change of clothes. He looked at Caelen, narrowed his eyes, and growled. “Out.”

Caelen rolled his eyes, but left so I could get dressed.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as he helped me put my clothes on without stretching my wound too much.

“Starving,” I replied and realized it was definitely true. My stomach even growled to agree.

“We’ll go to your room and I’ll have food delivered for us. Is there anything specific that you would like to eat?” He picked me up in a bridal carry.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my cheek against his shoulder. “No, just something tasty.”

Wayne and Gage were already waiting when we made it to my room.

Wayne held my leg in his hand and said, “Don’t worry, the damage was minimal and it’s all repaired.”

“Thank you.” I tried to smile, but it felt forced.

“What’s wrong?” Gage asked. “Are you in pain? No, it’s not pain. Sad? Why are you sad?”