Chapter Twelve
Rachel
The green medical uniform I wore was comfortable and loose, but that was small relief as I walked back to the suite I shared with my mates. My mind actually ached, exhausted from hours of poring over chemical analysis, tissue slides and blood count results.
But most of all, my entire body felt like I’d been beaten with a stick. Doctor Surnen was an uptight asshole. That was a fact. But he was brilliant. He’d given me exactly what I asked for and left me to my work. He’d watched me like a hawk every time I got near Captain Brooks’ body, every sample I took, every note I wrote down in the college-ruled spiral notebook I’d used the S-Gen to acquire.
Yes, I could work on a computer for hours, but there was something about writing things down, putting pen to paper that often helped me see patterns I’d missed. My system worked, and I held the notebook to my chest like the prized possession it was. The answers were there. I knew it. My gut was twisting and churning, waiting for me to figure it out. There was something there, something I’d missed, a connection. A pattern. An answer.
The whole situation made every internal warning system I had scream that something wasn’t right. I was missing some element, a vital piece of the puzzle. And the doctor’s bad attitude didn’t exactly help me relax and think. I needed space and time to absorb the data. I needed to get out of that makeshift morgue and away from the testosterone overload. Between the doctor’s scowling and Krael’s hovering, they’d about driven me out of my mind.
I couldn’t decide if the doctor’s asshole factor was because I was a woman, an outsider, because he saw me as a threat, or because he had something to hide.
Based on previous experience in the scientific community, and, for that matter, corporate America, the odds of him being a misogynistic asshat were high.
Very high.
Two huge warriors kept pace behind me as I was escorted back to the suite I shared with my mates. Maxim had Base business to take care of, and an emergency meeting with Prime Nial, the leader of their whole damn planet. So, I couldn’t exactly whine like a baby and insist one of them stand around and watch me work.
I would have ignored them anyway, my mind occupied with biochemical reactions and tissue sample testing. Still, I’d been left to deal with the brunt of Doctor Surnen’s asshole attitude alone. It only made me realize just how dependent I’d become on my mates. A week ago, I could have worked circles around that stupid doctor, ignored his jabs, and not been bothered in the least. I was used to being strong.
But now, I’d had not one, but two, big, tough, strong warriors at my back, warriors I knew would fight, die, even kill for me.
Shocking how quickly I’d grown to depend on them. To lean on them and trust in their abilities to take care of me.
Weak. I was weak now. And so worn out by fighting for personal space in the lab that I didn’t even argue when one of my guards stepped around me to place his hand on the scanner that would alert my mates that I was home.
The door slid open immediately. Ryston took one look at me and pulled me into his arms. The door slid closed, leaving the guards in the hallway. I melted into Ryston’s heat. Behind him, I heard a woman’s voice, and Maxim’s.
“I’m sorry. No,” he said.
“Maxim, I’m your mother. Come home. Bring your new mate and Ryston with you. I want to meet my new daughter.”
“Then you’ll have to come to the Colony,” he countered. “I can’t leave. The men need us here.”
The argument continued, and as much as I tried to focus on the steady beat of Ryston’s heart, I couldn’t help but be curious as I tossed my notebook onto the floor. Later. I’d look at it later. Right now, Maxim was talking to his mother. Wouldn’t that make her my mother-in-law? Was she here? Oh god, I looked awful. I couldn’t meet her like this!
I lifted my head and peeked around Ryston’s shoulder to view the screen mounted on the wall above the sofa. Filling the space, like a huge, wall-mounted TV back home, was a Prillon female, obviously much older than my mates.
I sighed in relief. She wasn’t here. I wanted to meet her, but not right now. Not when I wasn’t at my best. I needed makeup, or at least a shower, before I met my mother-in-law.
She was not as dark in coloring as Maxim, but not fair like Ryston either. Her hair was golden, like stained oak, and her eyes were like her son’s, a deep brown. Her hair, instead of being streaked with gray, like an older human’s, was streaked with strands so dark they were nearly black.
Her face, however, was much like her son’s. The resemblance was undeniable, and I found myself wondering what his father looked like.
“I’m not leaving the Colony, Mother. And there is no welcome on Prillon Prime waiting for Ryston. If you want to meet your new daughter, you will have to convince Father to pay for a transport.”
“There is nothing for you there. And Prime Nial lifted the ban on all citizens of the Colony. You are free now. Free to come home.”
Maxim ran a hand over the back of his neck, a clear indication that he was frustrated. That one small, outward indication of his upset was telling. From the short time I’d known him, he barely flinched during any confrontation. This was his mother and I knew family could be more troublesome and difficult to face than even the worst enemy.
“I am Governor of Base 3. It is my role, as leader, to be here for the warriors. It is not a frivolous task. Ryston is here and so is Rachel. My life is here.”
“I’m not suggesting you leave them behind,” she repeated. “I just want to see my grandchildren.”
“We have yet to claim our mate.”
She looked stunned. “What? Why?”