Odd Coupling (14 page)

The sudden movement instantly made her
aware of how much she ached from head to toe. The pain almost
distracted her from exploring the inside of the strange ship.
Bethany could barely make out any features of the interior. She
looked around, but for some reason, only certain things about the
surroundings stuck in her mind. The whole scene turned into a
series of pictures, still frames here and there, jumbled together
to make absolutely no sense at all. Gradually, the images coalesced
into a circular field of darkness. Then there was
nothing.

Chapter Eight

Vren jerked awake. He was furious and
ready to attack… His arms and legs struggled to follow his mind’s
command to jump up and protect his female. Sturdy metal clamps
circled his wrists and ankles. He struggled to a half-seated
position before the realization hit him. He was on his ship,
shackled to a medical bed in a treatment room of the infirmary. His
infuriated full-throated roar shattered the silence.

Salla was at his bedside in the next
instant. “Be calm, Vren. There’s no danger,” she
assured.

Her steady hands pushed and shoved
against his shoulders until he stopped fighting and sank onto the
bed. Two areas on his back hurt, but the worst pain radiated across
his chest. It reminded him all too well of the impact from the last
projectile.

As he settled into the cushioned
surface, he snarled at the memory. The male who’d threatened
Bethany would never do so again. He’d buried his claws deep into
the vile human’s throat seconds after the man pulled the trigger
and shot off the third and final bullet. He wondered if any blood
remained on his hands. He hoped so. He wanted to smell it, to see
if he could detect the male’s fear before he’d died. Bethany was
his—his mate, and he’d give his life again to protect
her.

“
You just woke from
hibernation. The healing is progressing rapidly, but you must
relax,” Salla explained as she adjusted his pillow. “You wake in
the same mental state you were in at the time. Try to remain calm
and think.”

He hissed as he glared at her.
“Release me!”

“
Not until you’ve overcome
your anger.”

“
I must find her! Now!” He
jerked on the wrist cuffs and growled. “Let me go!”

The
Explorer
’s chief medical officer
simply stepped back a few paces from the bed and stubbornly crossed
her arms across her chest. She shook her head.

“
Now, Salla. That’s an
order!” He hated it when his sister pulled rank on him.

“
No. Not until you’re
thinking has cleared.” She didn’t speak again until the echo left
over from his second roar had faded. “Your mate is safe here in the
medical unit. I treated her injuries and she’s healed.”

“
I need to see
her!”

“
In time. Right now, she’s
in a stasis pod, sleeping until you’ve regained your senses and
recovered enough to be at her side when we wake her. She might be
disoriented at first, and I believe your presence will keep her
calm.”

Salla’s words finally penetrated his
rage. “She’s here?”

She nodded, and he breathed easier
knowing Bethany was on his ship.

“
You’ve hibernated for
three days. Much has happened while you’ve been healing. Earth
elected to join the Alliance, and you’re partly to blame. You’re a
hero to the humans. Today, while you rest, you can review all the
details.”

“
What?” It was too much
information to take in all at once.
His
body had shut down?
Hibernation? Earth is
an Alliance member?
“I’m no hero!” He
snarled in defiance.

Salla grabbed an object off a nearby
shelf and approached the bed. She dropped a thin vid-screen onto
his stomach.

He grunted in surprise and then took
long, slow breaths. She was right. He had to calm down. Salla had
the power to keep him in medical and deny him his freedom until she
deemed him fit for duty. He reacted instinctively, not thinking,
and he had to catch up on all the latest developments. Apparently,
he’d missed a great deal.

“
If you’ll give me your
word that you’ll remain calm and rest, I’ll release the
restraints.”

Their gazes clashed. He refused to
look away. For him, it was a challenge, a fight over who was in
control. Tense seconds ticked by before Salla blinked in an overly
casual manner, an indication that she knew he was in no position to
issue orders. She made no comment as she waited for his
answer.

Vren stared hard at the medical
officer who was also his littermate. As he studied her, he noted
how her posture remained relaxed—not a shred of concern. His
peripheral vision caught a glimpse of her bushy white tail slowly
swaying back and forth. His sister was good at her job. She wasn’t
panicky or excitable, both of which were terrible traits for a
medical doctor, especially for one on board a space vessel. Salla
was an excellent officer, and she was correct to challenge him. He
had to recover and focus on his duty, but more than anything he
wanted to see Bethany again.

He accepted defeat and yawned. It was
a D’Lyrian sign that meant, “I give up and I’ve lost interest,” at
least for now.

“
You have my word,” he
grumbled.

He stared at the ceiling as she worked
to release him. As soon as the cuffs were removed, he jerked to a
seated position despite the pain. He remembered to check his hands
for blood and took a quick look. There was no trace of the human’s
blood. His claws were clean also. He took a shallow breath. Sure
enough, the medics must have placed him in a cleansing bed at some
point while he’d been unconscious. His entire body was
unsoiled.

However, he immediately
picked up a new fragrance. It intertwined with his normal
scent.
Bethany. Mate. Mine.
No matter how much he wanted to make a mad dash
toward the door, he couldn’t. He’d given his word. Disgruntled, he
shifted his weight to free his tail, and a twinge of pain shot
through his chest, making him groan.

“
Deep tissue healing takes
a few days. The pain will ease by tomorrow. You’re fortunate to be
alive. The metal projectile barely missed your heart. A nicked
artery caused a sudden drop in blood pressure. You went into
hibernation before losing too much blood.”

“
I’ve never experienced a
hibernation cycle before.”

Salla huffed softly. “Most
warriors never do. They die from their wounds before it can begin.
It’s a reflexive response to certain forms of life-threatening
trauma. All your bodily functions slowed, which gave my medical
team the time necessary to repair the vital organs damaged by the
projectile. You can also thank the Taurans for bringing you
to
Explorer
so
swiftly. As I told you, brother, you’re very fortunate to be
alive.”

“
Thank you, Salla.” He
heaved a deep, heavy sigh. “I apologize for being so
vocal.”

She patted his shoulder. “I’ve endured
your noisy complaints for many years, but I don’t believe I’ve ever
heard you roar quite so loud.”

He held his breath and looked at her.
Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement as the corners of her lips
drew up in a knowing smile. She gave his shoulder a strong nudge,
and he gulped air.

“
She’s in unit A. Use the
bedside monitor if you’d like to see her for yourself.”

At that moment, the door to medical
snapped open and Theral, his first officer, strolled in sporting a
broad smile.

“
Good to see you awake,
captain. Since you’re stuck here, I brought all the reports you’ve
missed.”

Vren narrowed his eyes as he focused
on Theral. The D’Lyrian male’s demeanor changed in an instant. His
smile waned and his ears swept back slightly, displaying a more
formal attitude. He handed a small bundle of square info-chips to
Vren, but he didn’t retreat.

Vren tossed them onto the mattress at
the foot of his bed and snarled. “Is there anything else?” The
smaller male winced.

“
Um, well, yes, there is.
The crew is curious, sir.”

“
Curious? About
what?”

“
About your mate,” Theral
answered. He dipped his head slightly. “Would you like me to update
your personal records?”

Vren didn’t know how to respond so he
clamped his mouth shut and clenched his jaw to make sure it stayed
that way. If his bridge crew knew he’d taken a mate, then the
entire ship’s complement was probably buzzing with the news. Even
worse, if his crew knew about her, then it was a sure bet
Commandant Tram had been informed.

Salla jumped in before he could
answer. “I’m sure the captain will take care of the formalities
once he’s cleared for duty, Theral. He needs to rest. No
visitors.”

The first officer glanced sideways at
her. A sly smile tugged at his lips. “Just trying to be helpful.”
He turned his attention to Vren. “We’re all relieved to have you
back safe, captain.”

“
Thank you, Theral. I’ll
contact you if I have any questions about the reports.” Once the
male left, Vren asked, “How many know about her?”

“
All who need to,” Salla
responded. When he growled in frustration, she sighed and went on
to explain. “Most of your crew and Commandant Tram. He may have
notified a few select ambassadors. As far as I know, they haven’t
shared the information with Earth’s government. However, NASA has
told the NWG that the female came to our ship for her own safety.
They don’t know she’s your mate. Tram suggested that when she’s
able it’d simplify matters if she requested to stay here. Since
both of you are quite famous now, the Alliance and NWG won’t deny
her.”

“
Good,” he muttered. “Why
are we famous?”

“
She did a very brave thing
by helping you and giving you shelter after you crashed. The others
would have killed you. She saved your life. As for you, NASA has
video of what happened on the surface from the time they arrived
and took off. They haven’t released all the recordings yet, but
they did broadcast the part where your female was threatened by one
of the human males and you stepped in front of the weapon to
protect her.”

“
Did they show what I did
afterward?”

“
Yes.” Her lips curled in a
proud grin. “You were magnificent. Courageous and brave is how the
general population views you. They have several medals and keys to
award you.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure what significance the keys
have, but you’re a hero. Public opinion helped sway the NWG’s vote
to join the Alliance. The ambassadors and commandant are meeting
with Earth’s leaders at this very moment to finalize the agreement.
Afterward, I’m sure there will be many parties and formal
gatherings for you and your mate to attend.”

He bowed his head and groaned at the
very idea. He despised all diplomatic functions, and only went if
he was forced to go. No doubt, Tram would insist.

“
Don’t fret. I can keep you
on medical restriction for a while longer if you like,” Salla
offered as she stepped closer.

“
I feel fine,” he said with
a soft laugh, then lifted his gaze. “When will you wake
her?”

Salla looked at him with a strange
expression, as if she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Suddenly, she
moved closer and dipped her face to his neck. She inhaled deeply.
The hair on the back of his neck bristled and he barely stifled a
hiss.

Unlike Vren, Salla hissed and jumped
back. “I examined the female and know you haven’t sealed the
mate-bond. How could your scents have already blended?”

At first, he simply stared at her in
astonishment. It was true. Bethany’s scent was part of him now,
permanently mixed with his own, and had obviously grown stronger.
Salla had the most sensitive nose on the ship. It was a
pre-requisite for her job, but her reaction infuriated
him.

He snarled and bared his teeth. “She’s
mine! You will show respect.” Ears flattened down tight to his head
and claws extended, he slid off the bed and stalked toward
her.

She immediately cowered. “Of course,
brother. Forgive me. I was surprised.”

He swallowed the growl that threatened
to rumble from his chest. Confused and embarrassed by his reaction,
he stomped back to the bed. He climbed in and settled down onto his
side to face the wall. He closed his eyes. The lower part of his
tail beat against the mattress top. The bumping sound reminded him
that he was powerless to stop it.

A gentle hand touched his upper arm.
Salla’s scent, laced with fear, came to him. Now he felt even
worse. What was wrong with him?

“
I regret my actions,
Salla. I frightened you, and I’m truly sorry. I don’t understand
what came over me.”

She huffed softly. “I also reacted
unwisely. Your two scents are bound so perfectly it took me a few
seconds to isolate them. Human scent is…unique. While you
hibernated, your metabolism was slowed so I wasn’t able to get a
strong impression. I’d just assumed the mating was at first stage.
Theral noticed the change, and he thought the same
thing.”