Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

BrOdByc

He shot out of bed and stared down at his mate. Brode was shocked at the amount of pain she was in. He could feel it—beating through his soul.

Casey struggled to sit up. Brode helped, and she clutched her chest. Panting. "It hurts," she moaned. She wasn't screaming anymore. But tears streamed down her cheeks and through the mating bonds, he felt her pain. It was horrendous.

All of a sudden, she jumped off the bed and ran for the bathroom. Slamming the door—making it clear she wanted to be alone. The sounds coming from the small room terrified him. She was throwing up for a long moment. Screaming through more pain. Brode didn't know what to do.

When she came out of the bathroom, he'd take her to med bay. Was this normal? Was this a result of the mating bands becoming part of her body? If it was, he planned to complain to the Father.

Father. If anyone knew what the Siluthien Hell was going on, it would be Father.

He sent out a mental cry to the brothers on the ship and pulled on his pants. He walked over to the bathroom and carefully opened the door when she didn't respond to his call. Brode found Casey unconscious and lying on the floor. Gathering his love, he once again wrapped a sheet around her body and headed for the door.

Brode was glad to learn that his lilac-colored brother, LanBeOB, was on the bridge. Lan's ability as Master of Technology meant he could talk to machines and boost their power.

Lan already had a call out to the Father. His brother's ability to boost their communication signal meant they always had access to the Father. They'd never been unable to connect with him when they needed help.

As Brode ran through the halls to the bridge, he realized that he was betting his mate's life on that help. As he came through the door, the Father was on the screen. He'd set aside his other duties and found a quiet room for the video transmission. Brode was glad they were close enough for the video to work. Even with Lan's amplification abilities, sometimes they only managed audio.

Brode took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. He stood there with his mate in his arms, wondering where to start.

Lan came to his rescue. "I told the Father everything you shared with us over the last few days. From hearing your Earth woman scream, which made your mating bands move… to rescuing her from the Siloth and the compliance pool. I explained how the mating bonds split and part of them entered her body. That she was okay for several hours, but now is in extreme pain."

Thank heaven for Lan. "Put the cart up, please Lan." The long, narrow cart slid out of the back wall. It was long enough and strong enough to hold Casey. Carefully, he laid his mate on the cart and arranged the sheet over her naked body. He moved to the side so the Father could see her. Casey was writhing in pain, her hands now over her stomach. She moaned and panted, breaking his heart.

"She's an Earthling," the Father noted. "And beautiful, BrOdByc. I am so happy for you. I suggest a small amount of pain medication. Lan explained she reacts in unique ways to drugs and that often their effects don't last as long as they should. But we can try this natural painkiller."

BrOdByc took the mental connection with his brothers for granted. They could have private thoughts—the intimate moments with his mate would always be private. But sharing most thoughts meant twenty minds worked together to solve any problem.

Lan handed him the injector. Once he administered the medication, Brode held his breath, knowing that Lan and the brothers in the hall did the same. A quick glance at the Father showed he also focused on Brode's woman. They all relaxed, as Casey did. Slowly, the moaning and body twitches subsided.

"Lan said you scanned your mate before removing the kack from the compliance pool. He sent me that medical report. Lan, please do another medical scan from here so I can compare the two," the Father ordered.

Everything was silent while Lan pressed the buttons that would start the second scan. Once it was running, Brode knew it would take five minutes. It would feel like hours. He started pacing.

The Father's voice cut through the craziness in his mind. "You all know that when I created you, my genetic material formed the foundation for the brothers. You also know that I combined bits and pieces of other species. Some of those additions, like the mating bands, I gave to everyone. Other add-ons were sprinkled through only a few, often mixed with other attributes." Father sighed and motioned at the chair beside Lan. "Sit. Let the scan run while you listen to me. This is important, Brode."

Brode sat and turned all his attention to the screen.

Father sighed, "You also know that my life has been filled with women. They come and go. Right now, they are all gone." He laughed. "And I was happy to see the back of them. Even before I created you… I realized that a revolving door of feminine company wasn't ideal. This spurred me to search throughout the universe for something better for my boys."

Brode looked back at his mate. Casey was no longer writhing in agony. Her body was motionless, with her hands still pressed over her stomach. Her face was pinched a little, so he knew she was still in pain. But her eyes were open, and she stared at the screen, enthralled with the Father's story. Pressing his lips together to keep from smiling, Brode turned back. He always loved the stories his Father told.

Lan frowned. "What do you mean, you searched for something better?"

"I didn't want to leave your choice of female to fate. So, the first thing I did was mix my DNA with genetic material from the dragon king on Megoth. That is where you get your mating bands." Father met his gaze. "The mating bands will only react to the perfect woman for you. It also ensures that you are the perfect man for her. If you meet the perfect woman—even briefly—the bands will know. You won't miss an opportunity because there wasn't time to speak to her, or get to know the woman. The bands will move or start to itch. They'll ache if you leave her. Yes, fate must bring you together, but once that is done… the bands create a physical and mental link between the two of you… then there is no divorce. No unhappiness and slammed doors in the middle of the night. She is the only woman who can make you happy, and that happiness will last your entire life. You won't grow tired of each other or regret the relationship."

Lan leaned forward, drawing the Father's attention. "So, because your relationships have been unhappy, you figured out how to give us a fated mate?"

Brode spoke before the Father could answer, "I don't have any issues with Casey being my fated mate." He turned and looked into his woman's ice-blue eyes. "I truly believe the bands got it right. She is meant to be mine. But why is she in so much pain?" The medical scan beeped. It had finished. Brode didn't move. "What does the pain mean? For Casey? For us? Am I going to lose her?" Confusion passed over his mate's face.

He looked back and saw the Father frown at a small device in his hand. Brode realized he was scanning the medical reports. Comparing what had been done before—to the new ones. It didn't take him long to come to a conclusion.

Father slowly sat the device down and walked over to a chair. Once he sat, he ran his fingers through his hair. "Once your mate's life was joined to yours, the marks started running through her body. Healing… everything ." He stressed the last word.

He heard Casey gasp. But didn't turn. Keeping his eyes on the Father. Something was going on.

Father continued, "The marks aren't designed to cause pain and agony. They are meant to revive and refresh. To make her the healthiest she's ever been. To tie her life span to yours. If I'd given it any thought, I would have said that the natural process would be to push impurities through her skin. At the most, she would vomit or have diarrhea."

"She did both," Brode confirmed.

Father nodded. "It was short-sighted of me, but I didn't consider what it would mean if the women chosen by the bands were truly sick."

"I don't understand." Brode looked back at his mate.

Casey answered him. "I have cancer in my lungs. The Siloth doctor found the shadow. Lung cancer is usually a death sentence."

Cancer. His translator simply inserted wasting disease . But his mate said it was a death sentence. He moved to Casey's side, picking her up. He sat with her in his lap. Brode tightened his hold.

Before he could panic, the Father cut in, "You did have lung cancer, my dear. But no longer. BrOdByc's mating bands have healed that sickness."

She grunted, teared up again, and clenched her stomach.

Father sighed. "Casey is riddled with pain in her stomach area because the marks didn't stop at healing her cancer. They are working overtime to heal her entire body. Since Casey had her uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes removed in a long-ago surgery, the mating bands are struggling to recreate those organs. Lan, the pain meds are wearing off. Please give her another injection so she can hear the rest of this."

Before his mate could protest, Brode leaned down and whispered in her ear, "These shots are not addictive. They are a common herbal medication. They won't last long, but they will help for a short time and so far… they aren't causing side effects. There is no limit to how many you can have. Let them help."

Casey sighed and nodded.

The Father waited until Casey gave him a thumbs up. "The intense pain comes from the bands attempting to rebuild her entire reproductive system." He turned his attention to his brother. "Lan, you need to make a note of what I'm about to tell you. There may come a day when BrOdByc and Casey need the information."

Lan nodded. "I am recording all of this. The captain will want to know details he wouldn't get from our sharing the story. So will Reb, as he is our doctor."

Father nodded and switched his attention back to Brode. "Your mate and her sister are from Earth. There is a large colony of Earth women on Megoth. My last information is that a human doctor just mated a Guardian. They are one of two Human/Guardian pairs that live on the planet. More importantly, another of the human females is mated to the dragon prince. Which means the combination of mating bands and a human female has already occurred. If you need help with anything, you might find it on this desert planet."

Through the bands, he felt Casey's thirst. He could also feel that the shot had once again taken the edge off her pain. One of the brothers waiting outside the bridge handed her a hydration tube. It was the first time Brode realized that all the brothers were there. They had propped open the sliding door so they could see and hear the Father.

Sipping water, his mate focused on the large screen. Her eyes never left the Father. Brode didn't need to ask why. The Father was the original. The brothers were all clones of him. Father's skin was just a bit darker in color than Casey's. He wasn't a colorful shade that signified a clone. The Father was also decades older than the first of them. His dark hair had just a touch of gray. He was also clean-shaven. No mustache, no facial hair—and the brothers all had at least scruff and a mustache. Some had grown beards that hung down to mid-chest, or mustaches that curled and stretched from ear to ear.

Only the Father had a bare face.

Casey lifted her hand and grinned sheepishly. "I have a question, please." The Father smiled and nodded at his mate. "Once the bands have finished repairing my insides—will I be able to have children?" She hesitated and frowned. "Can BrOdByc and his brother clones have children?"

Brode blinked. He'd never thought to ask that question. Neither had any of the others. None of them had created a life… that they knew of. They never stayed in one place long enough to know. There was absolute silence as they all waited for the Father's answer.

The Father leaned forward in his chair. Looking at each of the brothers in turn before saying, "The mating bands act as birth control. Until you meet your fated mate and are connected to her, you can't have children. Casey, you are now mated to BrOdByc. In theory, the healing pain you are going through means that yes… you will be able to have children. But I prefer to deal with facts. In a week or so, once you've been pain-free for a few days, let's do another scan, and I can answer that question."

His mate's blue eyes were wide as she studied the Father. As if wondering if she could trust him. Finally, she huffed out a breath and grinned. "I can wait a week."