“Sincemy youngest sibling is not a conversationalist, allow me to introduce him.Females, this isMurgul.Heis the weapons specialist on board and in charge of the armaments.”
Murgul’sonly reply is a soft hiss full of irritation with eyes full of menace as he glares atEinar.Hisdark body tenses, becoming freakishly still asEinarreachesGwento begin her exam.Electricblue eyes bore intoEinarwith an intensity that is rather intimidating untilEinarmoves away from her.
“Iam glad to say that all of you are healing well.Thetranslators have grafted well, andIcannot detect any malfunctions or errors in how they merged with your cochlear nerve.Thisis excellent news.Now,Gwen, was it?Iscanned your throat while checking your translator.Ihave good tidings and bad.Whichdo you desire to hear first?”
“Badfirst.Endwith good.”
“Badis thatIcannot fully repair the damage to your vocal cords.Thetrauma happened too long ago.However,Ican ease the worst of the symptoms.Youmay never sound like you once did, butIcan at least make it where every utterance does not cause you pain.Theinflammation and ragged edges in your voice box is what is causing you the most issues.Ifyou will permit me,Ican apply a series of therapeutic injections to the area that will provide long-term relief.”
“Thankyou!”
Tearsfill her green eyes as she jumps up and wraps her arms aroundEinarin a hug, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs.Twothings happen with her abrupt motion.
Einarfreezes, with his hands relaxed down at his sides.
Murgulsnarls, takes two steps from the wall, andIsee claws almost twice the length ofEinar’sslide out of his fingertips.Histail is held aloft, andIwas right.Thetip is a blade because it looks razor-sharp from whereIstand across the room.
“Uh,Gwen.Ithink it would be a good idea for you to take a step back fromEinarright about now.”
Assoon asGwenreleases him,Einarmoves over to me and stands in front of me, keeping his eyes on his brother asMurgulseems to be waging some sort of internal war with himself.Einar’snext words snap his attention to us.
“Acceptwhat you have been given brother.Donot fight fate.Youwill only hurt her in the end.”
Snarling, he bares his teeth atEinarbefore resolve hardens his eyes.Stalkingacross the room, he heads towardGwen, stopping in front of her as she looks up at him with an indiscernible expression.Hescoops her up into his arms, bridal style with infinite tenderness, before prowling out the door.
“Wouldyou like to explain yourself,MurderBoy?”
Alarmedat what the heckGwenjust said,Ilook over atEinar, expecting him to do something, but he has a smirk on his face and looks rather unconcerned.
“Einar, he can’t just take her like that!Dosomething!”
Heshoots me a slightly admonishing look before calling out toMurgul.
“Bringher to the med bay when she is ready to begin her treatments!”
Murgul’sslight pause is the only acknowledgment he givesEinar’swords before they disappear down the hall.Heather,Bambi, andIlook at each other beforeBambihuffs out a breath, her brows creased in concern.
“Wherethe hell is he taking her?”
Heatherreaches over and grabs her hand, clinging to her in worry.
“Einar, is she safe with him?Hedoesn’t exactly look sane.”Shewinces at how harsh her words sound but doesn’t back down from her question.Sighingheavily,Einarlooks in the direction his brother left.
“Thatis because he is not sane, but he would sooner slit his own throat before hurting his female.Ihad my suspicions, but his reaction to her touching me answered them.Nomale, especially one experiencing an open bond, would permit his female to touch another male.Itwould be perceived as a threat to his status as her mate.”
Packingup his bag, he contemplates us before speaking.
“Rowan,Imust go tellSlavicaboutMurgul’smating so he is kept informed.Wouldyou like to stay here to visit?”
Eyeinga concernedHeatherandBambi,Iglance up at him with a tentative smile and nod.
“Yes,IthinkIwould enjoy that very much.”
ChapterThirty-Seven
ROWAN
Ican feelHeatherandBambi’seyes on me asIwatchEinarleave the room.