“Speak for yourself,” Azan muttered, two pairs of her arms wrapped around Garswal, comforting the young male who had finally broken down and curled against her with soft sobs. “I, for one, am grateful. Not only for my life, but for his as well.” The pirate glanced over at Veral, her expression contemplative. “I do not have much use for males, not even before I was captured by Egbor, and certainly not after revolutions of torture at his hands. But you have made me reconsider that there could be a few males who could be worthy allies and not just crew to follow my orders. I owe you a life debt. If we get out of here and you are ever in need, call on me and I will repay my debt.”
The debt of a pirate was one that could be useful if a dire circumstance rose. He eyed her extended hand, the one that had her comm out and activated, the gesture inviting an exchange of comm information. Slowly, he nodded and activated his own comm before reaching out to grip her forearm. It took less than a second for them to exchange details, and even less time for that information to imprint on his systems so he would have it regardless of whether he had his personal comm or not.
He released her hand and stepped away, his attention returning to the bio-tech experiment. He watched it submerge once more until eventually even its fin disappeared from sight.
Turning back to his mate, he regarded her with a new respect. “You have saved my life—again. This repeated theme is disturbing. It seems that your symbiont armor has weapon abilities that I did not consider.”
Terri grimaced. “It was luck that it worked at all. Good thing I have good aim. That thing was tiny. Hurt like a bitch, though.”
He nodded as his eyes trailed down to the symbiont still glowing on her arm. Terri had pushed the sleeve up to free it. They would have to modify her armor once they were in the ship again. As his was modified for his horns, it would not be difficult. She was already bonding with it and learning how to use it, but they would have to undertake many training sessions and simulations once they were safe to build her control. This symbiont was going to give her safety that he had not imagined she would ever have. He could feel a sense of relief ease someplace that he had not even realized had been wound tight.
His mate would survive, and be in a position to protect their young.
“From what I understand, the symbiont builds from metals in blood and replicates them when it works to protect you, then returns the metals back to your blood when it deactivates. In this case, it released them… I suspect you may feel the side effects from it.”
She squinted at him for a moment but nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, I didn’t want to mention anything, but I am feeling a bit weak and dizzy. I’m holding onto you not only because I’m happy to see you, but I admit it’s also so I don’t fall over.” She chuckled softly at the pronouncement. “Fucking lot of good I’m going to be helping us to get out of here.”
Veral tilted his head. They would have to replicate synthetic boosters for her blood for such situations in the future when she might need them.For now, though…He swept his mate into his arms.
“Veral, put me down, you idiot. You’re hurt!”
“I am vulnerable and adapting to the blind spot, yes, but I am still operational. We must leave immediately, and if you are too weak to operate near full capacity, it is logical that I carry you. You will not be able to use the symbiont armor again until you have recovered the loss of metals in your blood.”
She grimaced but nodded before settling more comfortably in his arms. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
He paused. “What show?”
“I don’t know. Something my dad used to say. Just means let’s get moving.”
Veral absorbed that new human phrase. The human species was strange, but he was enjoying his mate’s idiosyncrasies. Her turn of phrase was just one of the more amusing things that made every day a delight. He could imagine their half-human offspring carrying on such charming traits. His arms tightened protectively around her.
They would be free soon.
He attempted to make contact again with Kaylar, but received nothing but silence. He frowned at that but continued to make his way through the corridor with his mate secure in his arms. Kaylar was hard to kill, even more difficult than Veral. He would arrive.
26
Being carried made Terri feel like a burden, but knowing there was a reason for it was a relief, even if she didn’t understand the explanation he had offered. She might not have the strength right now, but she peered over his right shoulder, her cheek nestled against his neck. She would be an extra set of eyes for her mate, to compensate as much as she could for the loss of his vibrissae. The shorn ends twitched against her uselessly, a reminder of the terrible pain and disorientation he was experiencing.
Veral had swung her on to his back and taken off down the hall. His balance was definitely off, and he seemed to turn his head frequently to the right to compensate for his blind spot.
“I’m watching on your right,” she whispered in his ear. “Trust me. We’ll work together to get through here.”
He did not reply, but she didn’t expect him to. Instead, he squeezed one of her thighs he had boosted up around his hips affectionately in acknowledgement.
“I swear, if I get out of this, I’m never going on a planet again. Filthy, dangerous places creeping with things that want to eat you. My ship, and even the most broken-down space station, would be preferable to this,” Azan wheezed, squinting into the distance while maintaining her ground-eating pace. “No more fleeing from creatures trying to eat me. The only running I plan on doing from here on out is short bursts to evade law enforcement. Space is far more civilized.”
Terri chuckled tiredly at the observation. She could just imagine the pirate holed up on one ship or another for the rest of her life, charting a new course the moment someone so much as whispered about having to land planetside.
Azan shot her a sidelong look. “What about you, little human? Are you sure the life of a salvager is right for you? There would be a place for you on my ship. Nice, cozy… minimal chance of being eaten.”
Veral stiffened against Terri, and she rubbed her hand soothingly on the thick muscle of her male’s arm. “I’m quite sure. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d like to be other than my mate’s side.”
“Your species must possess a limited imagination,” Azan retorted, laughing.
Terri shrugged and nestled closer to her mate, breathing in his warm scent. She wouldn’t live in a cage, no matter how lovely. Anything less than being at her mate’s side was unacceptable. Veral’s threatening growl at the suggestion warmed her heart as she recognized the demonstration of her male’s claim in response to the pirate’s words. The territorial sound was as close to violence as Veral could get at that moment.
If Azan had been another male offering what could be perceived as a better, more comfortable, life, she wondered if he would have managed to control his reaction, injury be damned. Any worry she had that he would consider casting her aside when their relationship became too much trouble evaporated at that sound. Even after everything that had happened over the last several days, he was demonstrating—in as grand of a gesture as it got with him—that she was completely his.