Rezz raised a brow and I knew he was right. It couldn’t wait. If it turned out to be Hive, we put the entire planet at risk if we delayed. Yet I’d just found my marked mate and did not wish to leave her. I looked to Lindsey.
“What is it?” she asked.
“We have a traitor among us, the one who killed Captain Brooks. And others.”
“And you have a lead?”
I nodded once. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rezz nod as well.
“Then you should go,” she said. “I understand.”
I had never been torn in two like this before. My instinctive need to Hunt was strong. Powerful. It had driven me my entire life with my complete focus. But now, my need to be with Lindsey was even greater. “I can’t leave you like this.”
“You can,” she said. “You must. For Captain Brooks and the others. You must see justice done.”
She understood, but that didn’t make it any easier.
“Really,” she added, placing her small hand on my arm. Her pale eyes held mine and I didn’t see any wavering. “I’ll be fine.”
“I will take you to medical,” I said, finding a compromise. “See that you are in good hands and then I will go.”
“All right.” I glanced to my team, who agreed. Except for Kristin, who responded very enthusiastically.
“Finally!” She bowed to Lindsey, and me. An apology for her outburst. “Sorry, it’s just that I’m about to go stir-crazy. Tyran and Hunt seem to think I should spend less time at work and more time in bed.”
Yes, I could understand her Prillons’ interest in keeping their mate in bed and beneath them. That was all I wished to do with Lindsey.
Rezz laughed, the sound a deep booming chuckle that made my mate smile.
“Come, mate. I will see you well.”
“Then you will go catch the bad guy.”
I looked down at her, considered the Earth term. Bad guy.
“Yes, we will catch the bad guy and I will come back to you.” I leaned in close, whispered in her ear. “And then I will make you scream my name.”
***
Lindsey
“What is that?” I asked, my eyes following the blue wand Rachel waved in front of my face. The headache I had from hearing all of the men’s stories, the horrors they’d faced at the hands of the Hive, had my head throbbing.
I sat upon an examination table in the medical wing of Base 3. Kiel had left me, grudgingly, but Rachel herself had assured him she’d take care of me and see me safely back to his quarters. Only then did he kiss me and leave.
Within seconds of the blue light moving back and forth, the pressure behind my left eye eased and the dull ache began to go away.
The Earth woman tended to me with a skepticism I recognized. In her green medical uniform and her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, she was all business. I’d messed with her planet, with the safety of her mates and the others. While she didn’t have children, she was very protective of everyone. Mated to the Governor, she saw one of her roles as guardian. I’d come and brought the possibility of harm to her people in a way she hadn’t imagined. From a place she saw as hers as well. Earth was going to screw with The Colony and it was my fault. Or, at least, I was a tangible reminder of what could happen if the lies continued.
Yet, she was a biochemist. A very smart one, it seemed. She had more schooling than I would ever have. Years and years more. She was pragmatic, but she was also reasonable. I had no doubt I wasn’t her favorite person, but she wasn’t kicking me out either. It was because I was Kiel’s mate, not because I was from Earth. Her alliance was to The Colony now.
She stopped moving it about, held it out to me. “It’s a ReGen wand. There’s a fancy, scientific explanation for what it does, but pretty much, it recognizes damaged cells and heals them.”
I was afraid to reach out and take it, to hold it and study the tool that might be able to heal Wyatt.
“It can heal anything?”
“If you cut your arm off, no, it’s not powerful enough.” Her dark eyes held mine. “In Earth terms? Any major organ damage, probably not. Cuts, burns, broken bones. Pretty much anything an Urgent Care could tackle the wand can heal. Worse than that and you have to go in a ReGen Pod.” She turned and pointed to a row of long, metal boxes. They were like the exam table I sat on, but each had what looked like a metal coffin on top. The lid was clear so whomever was inside could be easily seen.