Before I could say anything else, Dr. Muznim approached. “Prince, you are awake.”
“Yes,” he said, pulling me closer, his tail coiling up my calf. It appeared I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to separate.
She checked his wounds and discussed treatment plans with him, but Mindy struggled to keep his eyes open during the conversation. As she was finishing, the door opened, and all of Mindy’s family—well, the ones aboard—poured in. All of them were calling his name and pulling him close.
It was touching to see how much his family loved him, and yet, it was a painful reminder of my own. A sudden longing for my mothers and my two sisters rushed through me. It had been so long, and I doubted they had any idea what had happened to me. I shoved the thought away, tightening my hold on Mindy. I wasn’t alone, and there was nothing that I could do about being taken from Earth.
Serlotminden tucked his hand under my shirt, brushing my bare skin as he chatted with his brothers, assuring them that he was well. I ignored everyone else and stared at the love of my life, tracing his face as it moved through his different expressions and reveling in the fact he was awake. Mindy was here, and we were together. That was the most important thing.
It had been two days since I’d awoken again. The gashes I’d received were finally starting to heal, now that the toxin hadbeen neutralized. Bartholomew hadn’t left my side, except rarely to walk or move around the medbay—neither had my brothers. All of them, even Dontilvynsan, had remained in the medbay with me and Bartholomew as much as possible.
I had scared them, badly.
Between them, my mate-brothers, the doctors, my parents and Hallonnixmin pinging frequently, and even Edith popping in to tell me she was researching my further care, Bartholomew and I never had a moment alone. I needed to spend time with just him, and more than that, I was desperate to kiss him, which I hadn’t done since right after I awoke. And that kiss, while lovely, had been far too short. I craved to thoroughly explore him and cover him in my scent.
But, as I looked at Kalvoxrencol and Zoltilvoxfyn who sat right beside the bed where I and Bartholomew were, I knew it was not going to happen.
Bartholomew was sitting beside me, and I had my head on his thigh. He ran his long fingers through my hair, making me groan in the back of my throat. It was good. So impossibly good.
I listened, not truly paying attention, to Pest and Bloom detailing how exactly they had found us. Instead, I focused on Bartholomew’s fingers on my scalp. He contributed to the conversation, his voice even and perfectly lovely. I nuzzled him, scent marking him. My scent had faded from lack of marking him, and my instincts demanded that I claim him lest someone else steal him from me.
The mere thought was enough to make me growl, and I started nuzzling him more frantically.
Bartholomew cupped the back of head. “I’m right here,” he whispered, then went back to finger-combing my hair.
“Speedy,” Kalvoxrencol started, “are you well?”
“Yes.” I was, mostly. I was simply jealous of a fictional person who might take my mate, which was foolish.
“I’m glad you found us,” Bartholomew said. “Though Mindy was taking excellent care of me, barring the bird alien who gutted him.”
I glared at him, and the smallest smile tugged on the left side of his mouth, which made me beam. My mate was teasing me. I kissed his thigh, wishing he wasn’t wearing trousers.
“Princes,” Klars said in his perpetually happy voice. “Teddy, it's time for your nutritional slurry.”
I winced at the gray liquid in the polymer tube. I had tried it and nearly puked. How Bartholomew drank it without even wincing was a mystery. “Surely we can make it taste better?” I asked Klars.
“I have. This is the best so far. He needs to drink it, Prince.”
When I opened my mouth to further protest, Bartholomew interrupted me by stroking my cheek. “It’s fine.”
Without hesitation, he drank the supplement; I shuddered. He was far stronger than I.
Head on his thigh, I glared at my brothers, who didn’t look away from me. I fought the urge to tell him to leave. I normally adored being the center of attention, but right now, I hoped they’d leave so Bartholomew and I had some time alone.
“Done,” he said.
“Excellent,” Klars declared. “Now I need to take some blood.”
I growled.
Bartholomew didn’t care about Klars taking regular samples; I did. I hated the thought of him being in any pain whatsoever. My mate smoothed a hand over my back as he told Klars, “Fine.”
Once the sample was taken, Klars said, “I will analyze it and return later. Though, from my estimations, you are recovering enough to be disconnected from the support machines.”
Klars disappeared and the door opened; Zoltilvoxfyn smiled, alerting me to who it was. Caleb moved into my eyeline, and I blinked. Pookie was on Caleb’s head like a hat. She snorted whenshe saw us, leaping off and sending him swaying, and landed on top of us.
Zoltilvoxfyn growled, but he caught a laughing Caleb before he could fall.
