Tark held out his non-metal arm. He didn’t doubt the child was his, but he wasn’t going to argue with Healer. Giving a little blood was easier than getting angry over the assumption his mate could be pregnant by anyone else. Healer took a small sample of blood, then inserted it into the pod that held Suki. He pressed a few buttons and nodded as he read the screen. As Tark had never been anywhere near Tourmalane before, he didn’t have the proper downloads to read the language, even though his translator worked well when speaking to them.
“The baby is yours,” Healer said.
“Will she be all right?” Tark asked, pressing a palm to the med pod again.
“The pod has healed everything but the head trauma. That will take some time. I would advise that you not move her at this moment. Give her a few days.”
“What sort of trauma?” Tark asked.
“There was bleeding on her brain. It also caused her brain to swell. She hasn’t been here long enough to properly heal.”
Tark frowned, not understanding how the slaver had gotten such a big lead on them. They’d gone into the MECO shortly after the other vessel. What had happened while they were in there? Was there a time lapse of some sort?
“Your Suki has been here for nearly half a day,” Lucie said.
“That’s impossible,” Tark said. “We were right behind the slave vessel that took her. Followed him into a MECO that dropped us not far from your world.”
Lucie looked at Healer, who only shrugged.
“I’m a physician, not that type of scientist,” the male said. “It sounds like you were in the MECO longer than you thought. If it’s similar to a black hole, it can be disorienting, from what I’ve heard. Never experienced it myself.”
“We’ll of course provide rooms for you and your crew,” Lucie said. “You’re welcome to stay until your Suki is well enough to travel.”
“We have other females on board,” Tark said. “Are they in danger of your males trying to take them? My world only has three mated pairs. Possibly four if the newest pairing decide to officially become mates. We’re in desperate need of females and Earth seems to be the most compatible to our species.”
Lucie pursed her lips and tipped her head to the side. “I can’t make a promise that your women will want to return with you. Tourmalane is very beautiful and the males are extremely attentive. If they come to the palace, I can assure you that no harm will come to them, but if they wish to stay when it’s time for you to return home, I don’t believe my husband or his brothers will permit you to take them.”
Tark glanced at Suki again. He knew she would return with him. Could he force the others to go as well? Would it be fair if they could truly be happy here? He knew his people were desperate for mates, but he never wanted to cause emotional or physical harm to a female. He couldn’t say that his crew would agree, or that the Zelthranites wouldn’t put up a fight.
“I won’t force them to leave if they don’t wish to, but I can’t vouch for the others with me. I don’t control their actions.”
She nodded. “Fair enough.”
He had a feeling he hadn’t heard the last of it. No way she would agree so readily. If Lucie was half as compassionate as his Suki, then she’d never let those females leave if they preferred to remain here. There would be others, now that they knew how to find them, but it didn’t mean the crew of theMystic7or the Commander who had accompanied them would be so willing to let those females go.
“Commander Warver is in charge of my crew, and Ryx is in charge of the Zelthranites. You will need their promise,” Tark said, not wanting any confusion later.
“My Drexyl will handle it,” Lucie said with a broad smile.
“How many mated males do you have on Tourmalane?” he asked.
“You mean mated to humans?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Two, myself included, are in the royal family. We’ve managed to bring nearly one dozen human females here over the years. Most have paired with someone, but not all.” She paused. “You know. Tourmalanes only have one true mate and can’t have children with anyone else. Would you be willing to take the females who didn’t bond with anyone here? Maybe in exchange for an equal number of females on your ship? They would have to agree, of course.”
“It seems like a reasonable request,” Tark said.
Lucie gave him another moment with his mate before leading him to a rather large chamber.
“This is in the royal wing,” she said. “Your mate will need a quiet place to recover once she’s able to leave the med pod. This particular hall is for my unmated brother-in-law, Vandir. The other two hallways have children and might be too noisy for Suki.”
“Prince Vandir won’t mind the intrusion?” he asked.
“No. I’ll be sure to let him know you’re here and why. The others will be placed in guest quarters on a different level. Same for the females. I will likely put them in rooms near the ones who arrived earlier today.”
“Thank you for your generosity, Princess Lucie.”
She smiled. “I’m just glad that you seem to care for your Suki as much as the Tourmalanes love their mates. If the others of your crew and the other ship are the same, then we shouldn’t have any problems while you’re here.”
Tark couldn’t vouch for the others, especially the Zelthranites, but he would do whatever was asked of him if Healer would make Suki well again. If she died, along with their unborn child, then Tark would no longer have a reason to live. Suki had been part of his life for such a short time, and yet she meant everything to him. He would rather Healer save her than the baby, if it came to that.
Lucie left him and Tark moved to the window, looking out over the palace grounds. Tourmalane was a beautiful place. While he had no doubt that Suki would want to remain with him, he did wonder if she would prefer to live somewhere like this. Xpashta had its own charms, but it wasn’t quite as beautiful as this world. He scrubbed a hand down his face, his fingers rasping against the whiskers on his jaw. There was an ache in his chest in the vicinity of his heart. He rubbed at it, wondering if it was a mild version of the pain he would feel without her in his life. She had to live, her and the child.
Tark had never cared about a higher power, but right now he would beg every known god and goddess in all the universes for mercy if they would make Suki well again, and keep her by his side. She was his everything, and he was nothing without her.
