Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

BrOdByc

The last few minutes of the flight back to the ship—were the longest in Brode's life. Constantly shifting his eyes from Casey's still form—to the air traffic in front of him—his divided attention put them both in danger.

His mate hadn't moved. Hadn't made a sound. Borrowing her Earther medical term—she sprawled in a boneless coma on the floor of the hover. He slowed to a stop and took just a few moments to check her, ensuring her head was in line with her body so he didn't worry about her being on the floor. He couldn't waste the time to prop her in the chair. He needed to get her to the ship and get the gel cleaned off her flesh as fast as possible.

Every muscle in his body clenched tight... his heart pounded in fear for his woman. He pushed the small ship faster. And was rewarded when he reached the DoMicile. Nothing looked better to him than the carbon black, alternating matte and shiny lines of his home.

It was evident that his brothers monitored his progress when the ship's hull opened with no action on his part. Gliding into place—two brothers met him. He uncloaked the ship, and immediately they opened the hover door, and one swooped in and gently picked up his mate. Holding her until BrOdByc could go through the steps to shut down the ship and disconnect from his seat.

As soon as he stepped out of the hover, Casey's body was transferred into his arms and he ran straight toward the med bay. As always, it was clean and ready for use. Carefully, Brode placed her on the examination bed and pressed the sequence of commands to do a complete health scan. It would only take five minutes.

"What are you doing, Brode? Bao said you would need to cleanse the kack from her skin as soon as possible." LanBeOB looked confused. His lilac skinned brother paced in front of the door.

Brode slowly shook his head. "Something is wrong. Her major symptoms seem to be extreme pain and seizures. She shows no carnal interest. The aphrodisiac isn't working... yet it is causing my mate to respond in more severe ways. I need to run the scan and check her heart and search for other critical issues. If there is something that needs immediate attention in order to save her life, washing her first might kill Casey."

His cherry red skinned brother, BeOBard, nodded. "Good plan. I'll go fill the small bath, so everything is ready when the scan is complete. If she doesn't wake in the next bit, you can keep your clothes on and take her into the little pool, keeping her head above water. The pool will dispose of all the impurities while continuously replacing the water. It will signal when the gelatinous kack is out of her hair, off her body, and out of your clothing. You won't have to guess when everything is clean."

He thanked his brother and sat down to wait. Brode couldn't hold his mate's hand, or touch her in any way, without taking the chance of messing up the scan.

When it finished, Brode glanced at the results. There was nothing critical. Nothing that would kill her before he could get her clean and figure out how to treat the effects of the gel. There were several items noted for concern. He would take time to research those illnesses and figure out what she needed to heal... later.

Casey didn't stir. Brode would need to take her into the water. He patted his front pocket and removed the vials Bao gave him. "Captain wants these tested. It's gel from the compliance pool."

BeOBard reached out. "I'll take them to the lab. The pool is ready for you. Take care of your female, Brode. Let us know if you need anything."

He nodded. Quickly stripping out of his shirt and shoes, Brode carefully picked up Casey and carried her to the DoMicile's small bathing pool.

Casey

She woke slowly. Casey was warm. Wet. And in someone's arms.

Whoever held her smelled amazing. She took a deep breath—and realized her body no longer hurt. There wasn't any pain. Or any feeling of fear.

Was she safe?

Frowning, Casey tried to figure out why she wouldn't be safe... and the memories crept in. Filling in a few blanks and terrifying her for a second time. She gasped and wiggled. Fighting the arms that held her.

"It's okay. You're safe. I'll let go if you stop fighting. The water is deep. Plus, you are wearing a sheet. You need to hold on to it now." The voice was low, gravelly. Soothing. Just a little familiar.

Casey stopped struggling and opened her eyes. She was wearing a sheet. Looking down, she realized the arms around her middle were almost an exact match to the mint green fabric. "I'm calm. You can let go now." It surprised her that she sounded serene. As if she weren't about to freak out.

It was a damn lie.

The mint-colored man unlocked his arms and moved his hands to her waist. Slowly, he lifted her off his lap—and moved her to the side of the... tub? Pool? The room was too big for a bathroom. Where she stood was too deep to be a tub and too small to qualify as a pool. The silver walls gleamed. They looked metal. Where the hell was she?

Water flowed over several steps, swirling around her. Her toes barely scraped the bottom with the scented water up to her chin. Definitely deeper than a tub. "Where am I?" Casey asked. She glanced at the male, noting he was shirtless but still wore pants.

His long, dark hair was tied back. The man had brown eyes, minty green skin, and a beautiful scrollwork tattoo that covered most of his right bicep. There was also a little stubble on his chin, as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. Not really a beard, just a shadow of what could be. God, he was gorgeous. The icy stab of fear melted away. Replaced with a beginning blush of interest. Holy Hannah, this male was hot. Her toes curled in an effort to control the flash of desire.

Pressing her lips together to keep the grin off her face, Casey mentally rolled her eyes. She hadn't reacted to a man like this in years. This was totally the wrong time and place.

"You are on the ship, DoMicile. This room is our small bathing chamber. It was imperative to get the drying gelatinous goo off your body, out of your hair, and out of our clothing. I got some of the gel on my clothes when I skimmed it off your body and wrapped you in the sheet. I couldn't manage both you and your covering in the shower. In here, I could hold your head above the waterline while preserving your modesty. The moving water washed most of the kack way."

She relaxed a tiny bit. That made sense. "How long was I unconscious? More importantly, how did I get here?" Discovering a shelf at the edge of the pool, Casey sat. The water remained at chin level.

"What is the last thing you remember?" the male asked.

Casey thought about it. One thing stuck out. "You told me your name. Broddiebic, or something like that. I'm sorry if I said it wrong."

His smile took her breath away. "BrOdByc."

He spelled it in his language, and her translator made the switch.

"It is pronounced Brr_Oad_Bic. But it is much easier to call me Brode—as my brothers do. And you are Casey." His small smile made her blush.

Oh, man. She was in so much trouble. Casey needed to focus on the important stuff, and not the gleam in this man's eyes. Alien's eyes. She reminded herself. She absolutely could not have a fling.

The smile died on her lips and a frown blossomed as she struggled to connect the dots. "You rescued me. I had to be quiet."

He hesitated for just a second. "Yes. The compliance pool caused you a great deal of pain. I am worried that you don't remember more."

"I remember that. Give me a sec, maybe the rest will come back. I don't think the compliance shit was supposed to hurt, but because I'm such a damn medical unicorn... it hit me wrong." She stopped. Held up her hand to keep him from asking questions. There was something... else. Something important. "I didn't want to go with you. Not because I was afraid of you, but..." Her eyes widened and she jumped up—sloshing water and almost dropping the sheet. "My sister! They've got my sister!" Clutching the material, she spun in a circle. Searching for stairs, or a ladder. Any method to climb out of the deep bathing pool.

He reached out, helping her gather the material. His voice soothed, "It's okay, Casey. Your sister is at a Viant health facility. Viant is the name of this planet. The health facility is what you would call a hospital. My brothers are watching over your sister. You cannot go to her. You haven't finished cleansing or healing from the effects of the compliance pool. Not to mention that the Siloth, the furry red aliens who brought you to this planet, and the Viant guards are searching for you."

Casey turned and locked eyes with Brode. She tried to explain. "I can't stay here. I've got to go back. They told me that the man who bought me would use my sister against me. He will make her pay if I don't return."

He nodded. "I overheard that warning. But I guarantee your sister is safe. When they took the two of you off the Siloth spaceship, my brother Reb followed her. I stayed with you. Since then, several brothers joined Reb. Three of my brothers guard her. Reb is medically gifted. He says she needs the life-saving treatment she is receiving from the health facility. It can't be provided on our ship. The Siloth aren't guarding her. They left and my brothers will watch over her and ensure she remains safe. The doctors will not release your sister to anyone until she is healed. As soon as they can, my brothers will bring her to the ship. You must trust me."

This time, Cassey didn't hide her eye roll. "I don't even know you. How can I trust you?"