Cosmic Castaway (Cosmic Romances #3)

38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Stay with me.

Mindy still hadn’t awoken, and it was starting to worry me as well as his brothers. It wasn’t just his unconscious state, though. The blood inducer was no longer working. Dr. Muznim had said she was doing everything possible, but I wanted to yell at her, though I refrained. It wasn’t her fault. It was mine. Mindy wouldn’t blame me if he was awake—I knew that. He’d laugh it off and say it was his responsibility to take care of me. However, the guilt remained.

His brothers had started donating, because apparently, real blood versus synthetic was better. Dontilvynsan and Zoltilvoxfyn were matches, though what those matches were I didn’t know or care. As long as it worked.

No matter what the doctors said, I’d refused to move from his side. I’d learned fairly quickly that the drakcol catered to us humans. Seth had merely to say something, and people literally jumped to follow, tripping over themselves to help him first. It was similar for me, though drakcol didn’t cater to me as they did Seth.

Caleb wasn’t treated the same, which made me feel bad for him. He was human and not.

But knowing how much the drakcol catered to us, I was positive they wouldn’t force me from Mindy’s side. Besides, Seth had ordered all the doctors to leave me be, and that was that apparently.

Caleb had been right about the drakcol loving Seth.

With Seth watching Pookie, I didn’t have to leave, though he didn’t like taking care of her. Yesterday, he’d almost been in tears when he came into the medbay. Pookie had ambushed him in Mindy’s room. She’d been playing, but it freaked him out.

Thankfully, Caleb had found it hilarious and agreed to feed her today.

We’d left Planet 62’s orbit and were traveling to Xome. The Cohort had agreed to pay for the humans’ return. Don was entering into negotiation for them before we even reached the planet. Soon Vince would be here, and I wanted him to meet Mindy. He’d tease me, incessantly, about how quickly I’d fallen for Serlotminden, and I was looking forward to them becoming friends.

If Mindy would wake up.

Kal, who was beside us, probably felt the same.

I smoothed a hand over Mindy’s cheek, relishing his warmth. “Time to wake up, Honey. You have to meet Vince soon, and I want to see your gorgeous eyes.”

He didn’t react.

I was unsurprised.

Muznim came toward Mindy with a needle, and I tensed, tugging him closer. “What is that?”

“Seth negotiated with the Maykians for help. They, along with Edith, helped me create a serum we believe will neutralize the venom,” she said.

I didn’t know who the hell Edith was, but I was thankful for her and the Maykian’s assistance. “But?” I asked. There was always a but, a risk, something.

“It might not.”

I glanced at Kal, and his tail was flicking, but he didn’t offer an opinion. I kissed Mindy’s temple and said, “Fine.”

She carefully unwound his bandages, and the wounds seeped blood. Carefully, she injected the edge of the worst wound on his side—right where the piece of shrapnel had stabbed him.

I swallowed my nerves and watched as she continued injecting around the talon punctures. I helped her move him to reach all of the injuries. When she was doing one on the back of his thigh, Mindy jolted.

“Honey?”

His muscles contracted and he began to flail.

Muznim pulled him away from me, and I tried to grab him, but Kal held out an arm to waylay me. “Let her help him.”

I shoved him away, but Kal caught me around the waist as I fought to follow Serlotminden who was being moved across the medbay. Muznim and technicians swarmed him, taking him away from me.

“Mindy,” I called.

“Bartholomew,” Kal said. “Let her help him. Muznim is one of the best. We would never entrust our brother to anyone incompetent.”

“Let go of me.”

“My apologies, but I cannot. You need to let them take care of him.” Kal held me close, keeping me back. “I know you want to be with him, and so do I, but let her do her job.”

Mindy needed me. I had a hard time seeing him through the crowd, but what I did see of him was shaking as if he might be having a seizure. I fought Kal’s iron grip on me, calling for Mindy.

Klars appeared in my line of vision and said in a soothing voice, “Muznim is one of the best, and if you do not calm yourself, I will sedate you.” He lifted a full injector with a wide smile.

I frowned but ceased writhing, and Kal released me. He stood right beside me, chest heaving and tail thrashing. We both waited, eyes never leaving Serlotminden, for someone to come talk to us again.

It took an agonizingly long time before Muzmin returned. “He had an adverse reaction.”

“No shit.” I took a deep breath. “Is he alright?”

“We stabilized him, and the treatment does appear to be working.”

Kal sagged. “Thank the Crystal. How long until he wakes?”

“I do not know.”

“I need to tell my parents and my brothers. Are you well, Bartholomew?”

“As soon as they give him back to me, I will be, yeah.”

He raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment and left the medbay.

Muznim continued to monitor Serlotminden on the other side of the room, and a wall of technicians blocked me from seeing much of him. Eventually, she waved me over. Apparently, Mindy was staying on his new bed. More machines were attached to him, and his scales were shiny with sweat.

Placing a hand on him, I breathed. Fuck. That had been too close. I clambered onto the bed to lie next to him, snuggling against his side, and his tail coiled around my ankle, making me smile. I tilted his chin up and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. We might not have discussed if he was comfortable with public affection or me kissing him in his sleep, but I knew Mindy wouldn’t deny me something I needed. And I desperately needed to kiss him, to assure myself that he was right beside me.

Whispering against his lips, I said, “You fucking scared me. Please don’t do it again.”

Dr. Muznim returned, and I watched her with narrowed eyes. There was no fucking way she was doing anything else to him right now. She offered me her throat but didn’t appear bothered by my glare.

“We need to stretch his wings.”

“I will do it.” Something about someone else touching Mindy right now was grating on my fractured nerves, even though it was logical for the professionals to take care of him.

Once again, she offered me her throat before assisting me in turning Mindy over—he was heavy. Once he was on his stomach, I gently grabbed his wing, and Muznim said, “By the talon and be very slow. If one opens, so will the other. It's a reflex.”

Nodding, I hooked my fingers around his talon, careful of the point because it was exceedingly sharp, and pulled. His wing unfolded and the other followed. I kissed the closest one before hauling him practically on top of me. I tucked Serlotminden’s head against my shoulder, breathing in his scent.

He would wake up soon; I knew it. I kept my arms around him, hand running over his back. My fingers felt every knob on his spine and the delicate scales between his wings. He was lovely. The sheet kept him from exposing himself to everyone, because, apparently, drakcol didn’t believe in hospital gowns. Nope. Patients who needed full-time care remained all natural.

Time passed with me and Serlotminden alone, and it was kind of nice. I wished he was awake, but for the first time since we’d left the planet’s surface, the two of us were alone. Mindy’s brothers were always around—them or Seth and Caleb. I wasn’t used to spending so much time with other people. For the last two years, the sole person I had spent any meaningful time with was Vince and then Mindy.

“You know,” I told him, “since we are alone, if you were awake, we could make out.”

“If you’d like.”

My heart skipped a beat, then skyrocketed.

Bright green eyes met my gaze.

“Serlotminden.”

“Greetings, Flower.”

I planted my lips on his, giving him a chaste kiss. “Are you alright? Are you in any pain?”

“I missed you.”

A wet chuckle escaped me. “You were asleep, Honey. How could you miss me?”

“I just did.” Mindy closed his eyes, shifting closer to nuzzle me.

I tried to force away the tears that burned my eyes. He was alive. Everything was fine. “Mindy.”

“Yes, my Mate?”

“Don’t ever scare me again.”

He laughed. “I will try my utmost not to.”

“I love you.”

“I love you as well.”

I asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Tired, and my stomach hurts.”

“That makes sense. You were caught by a giant bird and had your gut stabbed by talons.”

“I am glad it was me instead of you.”

I grunted. That wasn’t a sentiment that I shared.

“Are you well?”

“Yeah.”

“Truly?”

“Yes,” I repeated, giving him a soft kiss. “Your brothers have been taking very good care of me.”

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 had been 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 when she 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.

Pookie snorted, snout wiggling as she crawled all over us, sniffing. I planted a kiss on her, and she squealed. “Have Uncle Caleb and Seth been taking good care of my daughter?”

“Daughter?” Kalvoxrencol asked.

“Humans sometimes refer to pets as their children.” For once, I got to educate Kalvoxrencol about humans.

He glanced at Caleb, who nodded enthusiastically. “We do.”

“Even cats?” Zoltilvoxfyn asked. “I thought you worshiped them.”

“Even cats,” Caleb said.

Bartholomew ran his long fingers over Pookie, who pressed against him, her spiral tail wiggling. “She hasn’t been any trouble, has she?”

Caleb sat on Zoltilvoxfyn’s lap and replied, “Not for me. She’s been stalking and play-attacking me when I visit her, which is cute. Oh, also, I turned the environmentals in your quarters way down, so it’s cold in there. She seemed fine with it being warmer, but I was worried. Anyway, she freaked Seth out. She was on the wall above the door when he came in and launched at him.”

I winced.

Kalvoxrencol crossed his arms, tail thrashing. “She terrified him. He doesn’t like spiders, and your pet attacked him.”

I put a protective hand on Pookie’s back. “She didn’t mean to.”

“And we’re not calling her a spider,” Caleb said. “It’s illegal to own spiders, so she is a rabbit-pig hybrid. Maybe throw in crab or something. You guys have those spider-crabs on your beach. We need to lean into the fur and mammal-ness of her so the Vveekian Authority doesn’t take her.”

Bartholomew looked at me, eyes wide. “She won’t be taken from us, right?”

“Of course not, Mate.”

He snuggled Pookie close, and I nuzzled his leg to soothe him. No one would take her from us. We were a family.

My brothers and Caleb continued to talk to Bartholomew, who cuddled a happy Pookie. I didn’t pay any attention to their words, instead focusing on the solidity of my mate. He was here. Pookie was here. My family was here. Everything was fine.