Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Trunk
Istand in the corner of the med lab, covered in blood.
And I haven’t moved since the techs took her from my arms.
They’ve placed Ines behind a transparent barrier. I can see her, unconscious and almost colorless, smaller than ever on the treatment bed. The wound in her side is being repaired by technology I don’t understand and don’t care about, as long as it works.
This med lab is one of the best in the four sectors and constantly being updated.
The kind usually reserved for heads of state, planetary governors and military admirals.
The fantastically rich and powerful. But Illibrium miners are rare.
The crystals choose who can harvest them, and there aren’t many beings in the galaxy who qualify.
So miners and their families receive the absolute best care, free of charge.
Right now, I’m grateful for it.
I replay the terrible moment in my head when the blade stabbed into her side. The split second I was too slow. The sound she made when the Xylan cut her. I should have been faster and killed them all before any of them got close to her.
I can’t seem to move from this spot without knowing that she’s fully recovered. What if I’d lost her? That fucker could’ve caused her to bleed out and die before I could’ve reached the med lab.
Something sinks hard in my stomach at the thought.
Why am I taking this so hard? I’m behaving like a mate.
Not compatible, my brain reminds me. She’s not your Bride. Why does this feel like your hearts are being ripped out?
I don’t have an answer.
The door opens and Chief walks in. He takes in my appearance, the blood, the rigid posture, the way I haven’t taken my eyes off the human female.
“The others are handling cleanup at the processing station,” he reports. “Scar is documenting everything. Rook found identification on two of the attackers. They’re connected to Kryzon and used to be part of his security detail before he officially distanced himself from that kind of work.”
I grunt. I don’t care about Kryzon right now. I only care about the female behind the barrier.
“She’s going to be fine. The med techs said it’s not serious. Tissue damage, blood loss, but nothing that can’t be repaired.”
A growl rumbles in my chest. “She shouldn’t have been hurt at all.”
“No. But she made her choice. She knew the risk.”
My claws flex. “I should have been faster.”
“Trunk, you got there before anyone else. You killed one of them yourself. If you hadn’t been there—”
“But I was there. And she still got hurt.”
He doesn’t argue. Instead he says, “Clean yourself up. You’re scaring the med techs.”
I don’t move.
Chief sighs and leaves.
Time passes. I don’t know how much.
I do leave briefly to use a cleaning unit and change my clothes. Then I return to sit next to her med pod. I watch the monitors and her face through the translucent cover for any sign of consciousness.
Finally, her hazel eyes flutter open.
The relief that floods through me is staggering. I grip the edges of the unit to steady myself.
A med tech approaches and soon the cover recedes. My female is awake and alert. She turns her head and looks at me, a smile widening across her beautiful features. “Texon. You’re here.”
“Of course.” I take her hand and smile in return.
The med techs explain what happened, checking her vitals. I can hear fragments: “...blade missed vital organs... tissue regeneration complete... you’ll be a bit tender for the rest of the day, but one good night’s sleep and you’ll be fully healed...”
“That’s it?” Ines asks, groggy but surprised. “On New Earth I’d be in a hospital for a week. There are med labs, but not that many and not everyone can use them for all conditions. And um, do I need to be placed on a payment plan to cover the expenses?”
The med tech makes a dismissive sound. “New Earth medicine is primitive. This facility serves Illibrium miners. We have equipment most planets only dream of. Your care here is free of charge. Stay hydrated, eat well, rest tonight. That’s all you need.”
“Free?” she says with wonder.
“Yes, free,” I chuckle.
The med tech continues the post-treatment briefing. Routine stuff, explaining in detail her need for hydration, nutrition and sleep.
Then another Xylan says casually, “Oh, and while we were repairing the tissue damage, we also corrected some scarring on your reproductive system. Looked like old damage that would have prevented pregnancy. It’s fully repaired now.”
Ines goes very still. “What?”
The med tech doesn’t notice her reaction, just keeps talking. “Your fallopian tubes had significant scarring. Common issue, easy fix with our equipment. Full fertility restored. No charge it was also part of the trauma treatment.”
I watch Ines’s face as the words sink in. Shock. Disbelief. “On New Earth, that procedure is...” She trails off. Swallows hard. “I was told it couldn’t be fixed. That I’d never...”
“Standard repair for us.” The tech shrugs. “We have the best equipment in the four sectors.”
The tech moves away to file reports.
Ines stares at nothing, still in shock. Processing something enormous, possibly a door that was closed her whole adult life suddenly swinging open.
And this is the exact moment that I realize her scent has changed. It’s different now. Fuller. Richer. And underneath it, something new that makes my blood surge and my hearts pound against my ribs.
I inhale sharply.
Compatible.
She’s compatible. Ines is my bride. The realization crashes through me like a cave-in. I scented her before and the answer was no because her fertility was damaged. Her scent markers were wrong. But now, with her body repaired...
She was always my Bride. Her body just couldn’t tell me.
My mind races back through every moment since she arrived. The way my body reacted to her even when my nose said no. The possessiveness I couldn’t explain. The need to protect her that went far beyond duty. The hollow ache when I thought about her leaving.
It all makes sense now. She was always mine.
A low growl rumbles in my chest before I can stop it. The med tech glances over, startled. I clamp down on the sound, force my body to stay still. The gloves on my hands suddenly feel like chains. I want to tear them off, take her bare hand in mine and start the claiming right here, right now.
But I don’t move.
Ines just learned she can have children, something she thought was impossible. She’s still processing a life-changing revelation. And she’s still technically leaving Timbur. There’s still danger. Kryzon is still out there. The case isn’t solved.
If I tell her now, if I claim her now, is that fair? Or am I trapping her? She came here to write a story and help my family. She didn’t come here to be claimed by a Xylan miner she’s known for only a few diurnals.
But she’s my Bride. My Bride. The female I’ve been waiting for my entire adult life.
And she doesn’t know.
I force myself to breathe slowly. In. Out. Her scent fills my lungs with every breath, making it hard to think about anything else. But I can control this. I haven’t touched her bare skin. The claiming hasn’t started.
I have to wait.
The door opens and Scar enters, breaking the moment. He nods at Ines who is still resting on the med pod. My brother takes a nearby chair. “How do you feel?”
“Like I got stabbed. But apparently one good night’s sleep and I’ll be fine.”
“Perks of Timbur’s med lab.” Scar almost smiles. Almost. “I have news. We’ve confirmed the attackers are connected to Kryzon. Two of them were on his personal security team until six months ago. Officially they were let go. Unofficially, they’ve been doing his dirty work ever since.”
“Can you prove the connection?” Ines asks. Journalist instincts kicking in despite everything.
“Working on it. Rook’s tracking tech recorded everything, including the part where they said you should have left when you had the chance. That’s not nothing.”
“There’s more,” Ines says. She pushes herself up slightly on the med pod. “I heard a voice. Someone giving orders from behind the equipment.”
Scar goes very still. “Did you recognize it?”
“Yes.” Her jaw tightens. “Kryzon. He introduced himself to me a few days ago, offered to help with my investigation. Said the parents died in a cargo accident.” She pauses. “He knew that was a lie. And today he was there, giving orders to have me killed.”
Scar and I exchange a look. “Kryzon,” he says. “Our own cousin. We in the family have suspected him for years but could never prove anything. You’re certain?”
“I couldn’t see him clearly. He stayed back, half-hidden. But I heard him.”
Scar exhales slowly. “It won’t be enough for the peacekeepers. Your word against his. Kryzon has connections, resources. He’ll claim you were traumatized, confused. That the attackers went rogue and he had nothing to do with it.”
“I know.” Ines meets his gaze steadily. “But I know what I heard and I’m certain it was his voice.”
“It’s enough for us,” I say quietly.
Scar nods slowly. “We’re getting closer. And now we know for certain who we’re hunting.”
And then I’m distracted again, too focused on her scent filling the room, making it hard to think about anything else.
Scar glances at me and frowns slightly. He can probably tell something is different, but he doesn’t say anything, just turns back to Ines. “Rest tonight. We’ll talk more tomorrow about next steps. You’re not getting on that transporter yet.”
Ines blinks. “I’m... not leaving?”
“You just got stabbed by Kryzon’s people. You think we’re letting you walk onto a transporter disk alone?” Scar shakes his head. “What if you arrive on New Earth and they’ve hired an assassin to take you out there? You’re staying until this is resolved. Chief’s orders.”
A grin widens across my features.
“You’re happy about this?” Ines questions. “You agree I’ll be safer here than on New Earth?”
“Yes, I never wanted you to leave.”
Scar grunts in response and then he leaves to continue his investigation. The med tech returns and declares my female is cleared to leave.
Ines sits up slowly, wincing slightly. “I guess I should go back to my room at the compound. Follow doctor’s orders.”
“I’m taking you.”
She looks at me. Really looks. “Texon... are you okay?”
No. I’m not okay. I just discovered the human I’ve been following is actually my fated Bride, and I can’t tell her, can’t touch her, can’t claim her because she deserves a choice and this isn’t the right moment.
“I’m fine,” I lie.
She doesn’t look convinced, but she lets it go.
I help her stand. She’s a bit unsteady, still tender from the procedure, and I steady her with a gloved hand on her elbow. Layers of fabric between us. It takes everything I have not to tear the gloves off.
We walk out of the med lab together.