Page 62 of Her Alien Cyborgs
She used the last of her energy to take the weapon out of Heath’s limp hand and toss it to one side.
Still kneeling on her rival’s unconscious body, she twisted around to check on Fyr’enth, Kalan, and everyone else.
“Are you alright?” she demanded, fearing that they’d been hurt somehow.
“We are.” Kalan rushed to her side, worry etched on his face. “Are you?”
“Me?” She had to think about that for a moment. That’s when the pain finally registered. “I think I busted my hand.”
Kalan cursed and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her to her feet while being careful not to jar her injured hand. “I take it back. You are not allowed to protect yourself anymore. We’re taking over the job.”
“Yes, we are,” Fyr’enth agreed. “You told us trouble always seemed to find you. I think it’s the other way around.”
Her head swam, but she laughed and leaned against Kalan, trusting him to hold her up. “Maybe that’s true. After all, I did find the two of you.”
“Yes, you did,zana.” Fyr’enth stroked her cheek softly.
“And now, we’ll be with you until the end of the universe,” Kalan said.
She liked the sound of that.
EPILOGUE
Nanotech could do many things,but it couldn’t block pain. Fortunately, she didn’t have to suffer for long.
Once Barrios and Heath were in custody, Tyran personally escorted Hezza and her mates to the platform’s medical center. Once there, a kind and very gentle healer gave her a dose of pain blocker that lasted just long enough for him to reset and mend the bones she’d fractured when she knocked Heath unconscious.
Despite the damage to her hand, she’d come out of the fight better off than the lieutenant commander. The mentally unstable and soon-to-be-court-martialed female was back on theBright Arrowfor treatment of a concussion and broken nose.
Barrios had survived his injuries, too. Though Hezza doubted his pride would ever fully recover.
The prince had agreed to both he and Heath being placed into IAF custody because the colony didn’t have the facilities to hold a prisoner. At least, not yet. The way things were going, they’d need to address that issue soon.
Fyr’enth and Kalan had stayed with her during her treatment, which hadn’t taken very long at all. Vardarian healingwas definitely a step above anything humanity had to offer. Or maybe she just couldn’t afford what a corporation would charge for that kind of treatment.
In the aftermath of the meeting, answers were in short supply. So instead of waiting around for information that might take days, she let her mates take her back to theGambitto rest.
That had been two days ago.
Now they were back in that same meeting room, having a very different discussion than the one they’d had the last time.
For one thing, the leadership council of Haven wasn’t here this time. Nor were any representatives from the IAF. It was just Hezza and her mates talking with Tyran, Braxon, Phaedra, and Neha.
“They want to go back to Vardaria with you?” Fyr’enth asked the empress.
“They do.” Neha actually smiled as she spoke. “They will be treated with respect and kindness. I promise.”
While she had been resting, the other cyborgs from Orio Station had been roused from their cryo-pods. Most of them had chosen to stay on Haven, at least for now, but two of them wanted to go with Neha to see the homeworld they’d never known.
“They’re members of the imperial family. No one will dare to say anything,” Neha assured them.
“Even if they’re thinking it,” Tyran said. He wasn’t as comfortable with the idea as his sister, but he wouldn’t stop the pair of cyborgs from making the trip if that was what they wanted.
“It will be alright, brother. I’ve talked to mother, and we think this is the best way forward. Until the other day, I didn’t realize….” She sighed and scrubbed a hand across her face. “I erred. I didn’t want to see how deep the rot had set in. When that female started saying those terrible things, I realized they werevariations of the same thing some of my advisors have said. It made me see things differently.”
“I’m glad you see it now,” Phaedra said, her voice soft and comforting for once. “We can change things. Make them better. I want my daughter to grow up in a galaxy where she is valued for what she can do, not the purity of her bloodline.”
Neha nodded. “I want that too. And I need to apologize to you, Phaedra. I haven’t been fair to you. Or to you, Braxon.” The empress smiled at her brother’sanrik.
