Page 9 of Balarr
Perhaps after he saw to her healing, he would see to matters of revenge.They’d just met, but she was his assigned mate, and just as he’d felt honor-bound to retrieve her from Earth, he also felt honor-bound to seek vengeance on her behalf.The workers from Zalora Biotech who’d hurt her would pay.He would make sure.
He carried Luna outside, and she immediately wiggled in his arms, closed her eyes, and lifted her face toward the sun.He stared down at her in confusion, but when she gave a soft sigh, he finally understood.
She’d spent the last two years as a captive, and her captors probably hadn’t allowed her to go outside.This was likely the first time in two years that she was feeling the warmth of the sun on her face.
He suddenly found himself looking forward to giving her a lengthy tour of Starzzia and the areas surrounding it, showing her all the beauty Planet New Vaxx had to offer.
The warmth and the anticipation… he hadn’t expected to feel so moved by his assigned mate.
He walked past the guards’ unmoving bodies that littered the ground, briefly noting that all were still breathing.He regretted using his stunner on them rather than his blaster.Surely they deserved to die for their part in the crimes against Luna, as well as the atrocities committed against the other prisoners in this facility.
But he wouldn’t kill them now.Not while he was holding Luna.He didn’t want her to see the dark, violent side of him—the side that could murder without impunity.At least not so early in their acquaintance.They were still strangers, and he wasn’t sure how she would feel if she witnessed him draw his blaster to execute the stunned guards.
Perhaps it was for the best that she’d closed her eyes the moment he’d brought her outside.He didn’t think she’d opened them long enough to glimpse the guards on the ground.If she had, surely she would have reacted to the sight.
Though he lamented taking her away from the warmth of the sun, he was eager to mend her injuries, so he issued a command for theCormma’sramp to descend, then carried her aboard his vessel.
“Close ramp,” he called out to the computer once he stepped onto the ship.“Initiate the launch sequence, and auto-navigate to a neutral, hidden location in the mountains.”
They couldn’t leave Earth immediately.He still had to contact the Vaxxlian ambassadors, and he still planned to unleash justice upon those from Zalora Biotech—in particular, the surgeons—who had caused Luna even the slightest amount of harm.He hoped that once he’d healed her, she would be forthcoming with at least a few names.
He hadn’t claimed her as his mate yet, but the urge to protect her was strong.So was the urge to maim and kill anyone who’d ever dared to harm her.
The slight hum that indicated theCormmawas ascending into the sky reached him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.He was eager to take his mate away from this dark place, and he trusted the ship’s computer would find a suitable location in the mountains.
As he carried Luna toward the medical bay, he couldn’t resist taking a deep inhale of her sweet, floral scent.While a definite antiseptic smell clung to her—a result of her imprisonment at Zalora Biotech, no doubt—an enticing feminine aroma rested beneath, and Star God how it tempted him.
He longed to bury his face in her dark tresses and take a deep inhale.But he couldn’t do such a thing when she was injured.And even once she was fully healed, she might need additional time for her spirit to heal.
Doubts abruptly surfaced in his mind.What if he couldn’t be the gentle, patient male she needed?What if he was too gruff or cold?What if his grief over losing Keissa and their offspring prevented him from being the loving mate she clearly needed?
Fluxx.Not for the first time in Luna’s presence, he found himself suppressing a growl.He didn’t want to scare her.In her room back at Zalora Biotech, he’d released a growl when he’d learned about her status as a medical prisoner, causing her to flinch and draw away from him.
Going forward, he didn’t want to do anything to put her on edge, and he hoped that he would be able to better control his emotions as well as his facial expressions.No more “Resting Bitch Face.”
He carried Luna into the medical bay and set her on one of the soft, padded patient tables.Before he realized what he was doing, he smoothed errant strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ears.A gasp caught in her throat, and she peered up at him with beautiful blue eyes the color of New Vaxx’s sky.
Star God, she really was beautiful.
Should he tell her how lovely she was?Should he tell her that his reservations for taking a human bride were already melting away?He considered for a moment, then dashed the idea aside.
She was injured, and he needed to focus on healing her.He didn’t want her to think he was attempting to claim her too soon.If he started gushing about her beauty and how he felt the stirrings of desire for her, she would assume he only cared about one thing—her body.
He studied her bloodied shirt, then gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look.“May I remove your shirt, Luna?”
She hesitated, but eventually, she nodded and whispered, “Yes,” in a shaky voice.
He carefully removed her shirt, cutting it off her body using a small knife.He tossed the remnants of fabric into a nearby bin, and when he turned back to Luna, he had to force himself not to stare.
The little human wasn’t wearing a bra, and it took great effort not to stare at her full, rounded breasts, or her perfect, pink nipples.He swallowed hard and reminded himself of her injuries.
As he looked at the bloodied bandage, the anger he’d felt toward her captors earlier returned in full force.
Near the bloodied bandage, four additional scars covered her abdomen—evidence of multiple surgeries.Multiple organs stolen and replaced with lesser, lab-grown ones.
He placed a hypospray to her neck and gave her another reassuring look.“This will take your pain away.”He quickly administered the hypospray, then he set it aside and reached for the nanobot injector, which appeared a bit more sinister than a hypospray, since it involved a long needle.
He held the nanobot injector up, allowing her to see it.“Every Vaxxlian warrior is given a dose of healing nanobots for their human mates.This is for you, Luna.The nanobots won’t heal old scars, but they will heal your most recent injuries, and it will help make your lab-grown organs even stronger and healthier than those you were born with.”
