Chapter 17

Hushed voices in the distance pierced through the fog shrouding my mind. I couldn't make out their words. I felt heavy, as if gravity was hellbent on sucking me into the Earth's core.

Earth? No… not Earth.

I left Earth a long time ago. I fled it to escape Liam.

My eyes jerked open as memories flooded back in. The brightness of the room blinded me. In my panic, I refused to close them and blinked frantically instead in the hope of quickly adjusting. I wanted to sit up and investigate my surroundings but feared revealing to whoever was talking that I had awakened.

My heart leapt at the sound of a familiar yip. With a will of its own, my head jerked to the left. Although it didn't hurt, the movement caused an odd discomfort at the base of my spine. I wanted to focus on it, but all such thoughts evaporated at the sight of my beautiful Joree lying on a cushion on a table a meter away from me.

"Joree!" I whispered, my voice rough from disuse.

Tears of joy pricked my eyes when the Nulia spread her wings and flapped them twice to cross the short distance between us. She landed next to my shoulder and booped my cheek.

"Joree! What did I say about flying?" Krogal's stern voice said on my left.

She tucked her head between her shoulders with the cutest guilty expression and pressed her wings against her body. Normally, I would have melted at this adorable tableau, but I only had eyes for my man.

"Krogal!" I said, my vision blurring with tears of happiness.

"Welcome back, my mate," he said with a world of affection in his obsidian eyes as he settled at the edge of my bed.

He leaned down and gave me a long and tender kiss that had my throat tightening with emotion. He broke it and straightened, then took my hands in his secondary ones.

"How I missed seeing your beautiful eyes," he said, his primary right hand caressing my cheek. "Don't ever scare me like that again, woman. I thought I was going to lose you."

The guilty smile that wanted to settle on my lips stiffened as a horrible thought crossed my mind.

"Talin?!"

"Mother is fine," he said in a reassuring tone. "She's waiting outside to come see you. Everyone is okay, and Liam will never threaten you again."

I exhaled a shuddering breath, too many conflicting emotions rushing through me, from relief to shock and disbelief. But above all, an impossible sense of being free at last washed over me.

"What happened? Where is he? I just recall being shot and your mother carrying me to safety," I said, my voice still shaky.

He gave me a quick breakdown of Joree's valiant effort at contacting him and putting my welfare before hers. My heart filled with love for my little companion. She felt it and rubbed her face against mine. I whispered words of gratitude while scratching the side of her ear.

Krogal petted her as well as he continued recounting the events until he got me out of that room. Although it shouldn't have surprised me, it boggled my mind that Liam came with five of his goons to abduct me. While relieved to learn Krogal didn't murder him in the end, it baffled me that he allowed him to live.

"Believe me, I wanted nothing more than to shatter every single bone in that wretch's body," Krogal said, a sliver of anger seeping into his voice. "But getting you medical aid was my priority. By Zamorian law, I could have demanded a duel to the death to make him pay for harming my mate. Mother made a very good point that for once I actually sided with."

"Oh?" I said with curiosity.

"Death would be too lenient a sentence for him," Krogal said. "Even if I took my sweet time making the torture last, he would still be free of his misery in minutes or hours. He made your life a nightmare for years and took your mother from you. He deserves a lifetime of the same. We made sure he would get a one-way ticket to the prison planet Molvi. No one ever escapes it. And the Hell Lords who run it will be sure to make it particularly painful. As I understand it, he's being sent to Warden Dakon's playground—the worst possible sector for any inmate to serve their sentence."

The glimmer of cruelty that I'd never seen before in his eyes should have frightened me. But the same malicious glee at the thought of the fate that awaited my former abuser swelled through me. I heard of Molvi. People preferred to take their lives than to serve there. Liam kept me in a cage. It was poetic justice that he should end up in one of his own.

I shifted only to be reminded of the discomfort in my lower back. The memory of my legs going numb after getting shot resurfaced. Frightened at the possible meaning of this, I tried to wiggle my toes. A choked sigh of relief escaped me when they responded. It was still awkward, but at least I wasn't paralyzed.

"How bad was it for me?" I asked warily. "And what is my current status? If Liam has already been sentenced and is on his way to Molvi, I must have been out a long time."

Krogal nodded and smiled reassuringly while gently caressing my arm. "It was pretty bad. You suffered a serious spinal injury. Both the shot and your fall shattered a couple vertebrae. The damage to your spinal cord was greatly increased when Mother picked you up to take you to safety in the dance room, and when I carried you out of there to look for help. Bone fragments wreaked havoc in there. You also lost a lot of blood from both blaster wounds."

"But I will make a full recovery, right?" I asked, the tension in my voice audible.

"Yes, my love. You will." The confidence in the tender smile he gave me wiped out my lingering worries. "They had to put you in an induced coma for twelve days to treat you. Spinal repairs are extremely finicky. They needed to remove all the bone fragments, mend your vertebrae, and repair your spinal cord. You had more nanobots in your system than some of the most advanced cyborgs out there."

I chuckled. "Does that mean I now have super strength and can lift you with one hand?"

He snorted and shook his head. "No such luck, my mate. Over the past couple of days, they flushed the nanites out of your system. You're just going to have some physiotherapy for the next few weeks to be completely back to your old self. And so will she," he added, giving a pointed look to Joree.

The Nulia responded with a yip that struck me as a pout, making me smile.

"How is she faring?" I asked.

"That shot seriously damaged her wing. It's a miracle she managed to fly out as far as she did," Krogal replied with admiration. "We had quite a bit of reconstructive surgery to do, including some artificial bone replacement. But her feathers are growing back nicely, and she should make a full recovery, or close enough that it will be hard to tell the difference. She just needs to let her wing heal instead of constantly flying around. Someone will get harnessed if she keeps misbehaving."

I laughed as Joree yipped again and bumped her snout on Krogal's hand in what I interpreted as a playful tap.

"So when can I go home?" I asked.

"Either later today or tomorrow, after the doctor has evaluated you," he said.

A knock on the door interrupted him. When we bid the visitor come in, Talin poked her head in. The expression on her face wrecked me. She was always so fierce, strong, and borderline intimidating, that this subdued almost shameful demeanor fucked with my head.

"Talin! Come in," I said warmly. "I'm so happy to see you are well."

She gave me a hesitant smile then clumsily approached, her gait devoid of its usual confident fluidity and elegance.

"I will give you a moment to talk. In the meantime, I'll let the doctor know you're awake," Krogal said in a gentle tone.

He leaned forward and gave me a tender kiss that had my still tingling toes curling. Although I smiled as he walked away, it struck me as odd that he should think his mother and I needed some privacy. Her own demeanor baffled me.

She brought a chair next to my bed, and sat down, a hint of wariness on her noble features as she studied my face.

"How are you feeling, Farah?" she asked in a hesitant voice.

I slightly frowned, more baffled than ever. You'd think she was here to give me some bad news. As Krogal stated that I would make a full recovery, and that Liam would never be a threat to me again, what could possibly trigger such a behavior?

"I'm feeling surprisingly well, considering the ordeal we just went through. But in the end, it sounds like it all worked out for the best," I replied in a friendly tone.

Talin clasped her hands in her lap, swallowed hard, and nodded in response to my words. The air of shame that fleeted over her face threw me for a loop.

"It was indeed quite an ordeal. I'm sorry you got injured. I'm sorry for so utterly failing you," she said, her eyes cast down.

I gasped in shock. "For failing me?" I repeated, flabbergasted.

"I was your protector. No harm should have come to you. Or at least you shouldn't have sustained the most grievous injuries. My failures almost cost you your life. I should have—"

"Oh, hell no!" I interrupted, disbelief and outrage filling my voice. "I will not let you blame yourself for whatever harm I faced because of Liam's actions. What injuries I sustained, he inflicted upon me. Not you. You saved my life, Talin. If anyone should apologize, it should be me for having brought this threat to your home."

"Saved you? You were bleeding out in my arms!" she argued.

The trembling in her voice struck me hard. This strong and stalwart woman was showing her real vulnerability for the first time. But more importantly, she was revealing the depth of the affection she now bore me.

I reached for one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Yes, I was. But that was because I pushed you out of the path of the blaster and got hit instead. You tried to shield me with your own body. You put your life on the line for my sake."

"As is my duty as a protector!" she exclaimed as if it was self-evident.

"Which you performed admirably," I countered, making it clear it should be obvious to her as well. "Do you not realize that I'm still here today thanks to you? Had Liam dropped by yesterday when I was alone over there, he would have abducted me with no one being the wiser. You delayed him long enough for help to arrive. When I was injured, you took me to a safe room and tried to stem the flow of my blood so that I could hang on until rescue got there. The skilled and fearless way you fought him, even though you were weaponless, was a thing of legend. You're my fucking hero!"

She gaped at me, then pressed her lips together, no doubt to hide their quivering. Talin blinked rapidly, but it didn't hide the glistening in her eyes.

"Don't you dare question how you handled this situation. For as long as I live, I will forever be grateful that you were there, and that you stood up for me. Thank you for saving my life."

To my surprise, Talin dropped all pretense of control and stoicism. A powerful emotion settled on her face as she carefully drew me into her embrace. Although it once again stirred a slight discomfort in my lower back, I felt no pain and gladly reciprocated. My throat tightened, and I buried my face in her neck. It had been too long since I received this type of truly maternal hug.

I didn't know how long we held each other. When she released me, Talin studied my features as if she was seeing me for the first time. She then gently caressed my cheeks and my hair in that same motherly fashion that turned me upside down. To my left, Joree was purring approvingly.

"You are my daughter, Farah. There is nothing I wouldn't do to ensure your happiness. I have many faults, but this was yet another lesson that I must keep my arrogance in check," Talin said with a humility that left me reeling.

She smiled at my confused expression, kissed my forehead, then helped me lie back down in my bed. She sighed, the air of guilt creeping back on her face.

"You warned me that you needed to stay in hiding or that human male would find you and cause much harm. I dismissed your concerns, thinking he couldn't get to you," Talin explained. "Instead, I should have been proactive in finding ways to ensure your safety, from alarm systems, security cameras, having his description and those of his known acolytes on the watch list in our various ports of entry. There was so much we could have done."

I nodded in understanding and gave her a reassuring smile. "Yes, there is much we could have done. I should have requested such security measures. But truth be told, a part of me also thought he could never get to me here."

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, really. Many women in my situation are completely alone and isolated. I was a lot more careful then. But being surrounded by so many strong people, having a support system allowed me to let my guard down."

"A big error," Talin said dejectedly.

I shook my head. "Each situation is different. Sometimes, fully going into hiding is the way to go. Other times, taking the bull by the horns is the appropriate response. Liam had the means and the determination to find me. He would have stopped at nothing. Instead of facing him on his terms, which landed me in this hospital, we should have been the ones to set the trap and have that confrontation on our own terms. So yes, lessons learned. Humans say that it takes a village to raise a child. But it also takes a village—in this instance a clan—to build a safe future. Instead of hiding, I should have relied more on all of you to help find a solution."

"And this we shall all do should any new challenge arise in the future," Talin said in a firm tone.

"This, we shall all do," I echoed with a smile.

She returned it, caressed my cheek one last time, and dropped her hand. All softness suddenly vanished from her face, the return of her commanding expression giving me whiplash.

"For now, we must get you back on your feet. My son cannot go on being half-married to his human. I will see that weird ceremony you two want to have set in motion sooner than later," she said in that beloved grumpy tone that had me chuckling.

Yeah, I loved my prickly mother-in-law.

Iremained in the hospital for one more day of observation, then finally returned home. My clan took pampering to an insane new level. Belle had warned me how overwhelming they could get in their need to take care of you, but I never expected it to be to this extent. The wretched woman laughed at my dismay when clanmates nearly fought each other for the right to come check in on me and help with my physio exercises.

When I started walking around the city again that following week, every eye was on me, making sure I didn't falter or need assistance. I now realized Ugrul wasn't exaggerating at that first assembly with his warning that once Krogal and I had children, people would be even more rabid in their need to look after them than they were with Belle's and Bayron's.

As annoying as it felt at times, it also made me feel amazing to have so many people concerned about my welfare and ready to have my back.

I truly had my village, my extended family.

It took a little over two weeks for me to feel like I was back to my old self. Krogal continued to handle me as if I was as fragile as a quail egg. The silly man refused to properly get frisky with me again before the third week, despite the doctor giving us the go ahead right after the first week. And even then, he held back on me.

As much as I loved his protectiveness, I wanted my husband back.

At first, I made subtle hints. When that failed, I expressed my wishes a bit more clearly. When that still failed, I sat him down and told him I wanted him to fuck me into next week. His horrified expression felt like a slap in the face and pissed me off to no end. Granted, he was just terrified he might hurt me, knowing how wild he became once he unleashed his passion. But enough was enough.

Tonight, it was make or break.

I returned home early from my store, prepared us a nice Haitian meal, and got myself dolled up. There was an assembly tonight. After we ate, Krogal hopped in the shower. I hurried into my old bedroom's washroom to remove my makeup, slip into a frilly negligee, and grab my secret weapons.

The poor man wasn't prepared for what I had in store for him.

He stepped out of the hygiene room to find me putting down a large rectangular box on the nightstand on my side of the bed.

"You're going to bed?" Krogal asked with confusion while still drying his hair with a towel.

"In a way, you could say that," I replied nonchalantly.

"Are you feeling unwell? Are your injuries—?"

"No, Krogal, I'm fine," I said gently, interrupting him. "I'm feeling great!"

He blinked, his confusion cranking up another notch while I smiled at him with an air of pure innocence.

"You… do not wish to attend the assembly with me?" he asked carefully.

"Initially, I was going to. But I've decided to go with different plans for tonight. I'm sure you will have a blast, even without me," I said in the same conversational tone.

"Different plans? Such as what?" he insisted.

"I'm going to spend the evening with Bob… and his friends," I said, matter-of-factly.

My husband froze, shock, confusion, and a hint of outrage mixed with disbelief fleeting over his features in quick succession.

"Bob and his friends?" he repeated, his voice dangerously calm. "Dressed like this?"

I glanced down at myself, pretending to be surprised to be so lightly covered. "Hmmm, right. It's okay. They won't mind, and I'll be in bed anyways."

His mind appeared to go blank while he tried to make sense of my words. As offended as he obviously felt at the thought I might choose to spend the evening with another man, and worst of all in our home and in such a skimpy outfit, Krogal knew he was missing something. He knew I wasn't having an affair and was trying to read between the lines of what he perceived as a riddle.

"I see," he replied, although he clearly didn't see anything. "And who is that Bob? Have I met him?"

"No. He arrived yesterday, but we haven't had a chance to make a more intimate acquaintance just yet," I replied in a singsong voice.

He narrowed his eyes at me, the spark of anger fading, replaced by a playful curiosity. I loved that he was always willing to play along with my silly games. However, I doubted he would like the big reveal as much as he anticipated.

"Well then, I would like to meet this newcomer… and his friends, before I go. I will not be deemed a poor host to guests visiting my dwelling," he said with a dare in his voice.

"Of course!" I replied enthusiastically. "But I'm not sure you guys are going to get along."

"Is that so? Now I'm even more curious."

I turned around, picked up the large square box from my nightstand, then held it in front of me like a waiter with a tray of food. It was black with an elegant, swirly logo embossed in gold on top. Unless you were familiar with the brand, the iconographic symbol wouldn't reveal anything.

Krogal's surprised and inquisitive expression would have been adorable if I didn't know what storm was about to sweep through the room. I lifted the lid the way bankers and jewelers did in movies to present the contents of a suitcase full of cash or of a case filled with an expensive tiara or diamond jewelry set.

Right on cue, Krogal's face fell, and his jaw dropped. His four eyes roamed over the full set of female sex toys. Bob—the Battery-Operated Boyfriend—was a thick, multispeed vibrator. His friends were the other accessories included in the kit: a rabbit sleeve, a nubby sleeve—with the type of soft spikes that greatly resembled those of an Ordosian peen—a swirly sleeve that could have belong to the merfolks called Thalans, anal beads and Ben Wa Balls.

Once more, a plethora of emotions flashed over his face, from shock to outrage, to disbelief, and hurt. The latter had my chest constricting. I didn't want to hurt my man, but this needed to stop.

"Why in Khivolt's name would you need such things?" he asked, sounding betrayed. "Do I not see to your needs?"

I hardened myself and lifted my chin defiantly. "Actually, no, you don't. Not anymore. You treat me like a collector's item in a museum."

"You've been hurt!"

"That was one fucking month ago!" I snapped, before shutting the lid of the box with a bit more force than necessary. "The doctor told us it was fine to resume as normal after the first week. You've been multiplying the excuses to delay. And when you finally get on with it, I might as well have been made of glass. I want a husband, not a babysitter."

"I always make sure to pleasure you!" he argued, sounding offended.

"What you have done is to frustrate me," I retorted harshly. "Every time I think we're finally getting somewhere, you pull away and hold back. So I'm done getting my hopes up only to systematically be let down because you're too scared and don't trust me or the doctor enough to know what I can and cannot handle."

"It's not like that at all!" he exclaimed, disbelievingly.

"It's exactly what it feels like to me. I've tried to reason with you, but you won't listen. So fine, have it your way. Since you can't be a proper husband to me anymore, I will manage without you. These toys may not be you, but with them, I know exactly what to expect, and they won't hold back on me out of unfounded misgivings. Until you're ready to be a proper lover, you can keep your hands to yourself… all four of them."

As my heart bled to see him so hurt and devastated, I steeled myself in my resolve. We needed to pierce this abscess.

"You should get dressed, or you will be late for the assembly," I said in a casual tone. "I'll be in my old room."

Without waiting for his response, I calmly headed for the bedroom door, still holding my box firmly between both hands.

"I watched you bleed out," Krogal suddenly said in a tortured voice, stopping me dead in my tracks.

When I turned around, he was staring at me without seeing me, a haunted look on his face.

"I held you in my arms while you were going into shock. I stood by helplessly as you died. The first responders had to revive you after your heart stopped. For three days, you hung between life and death. So many bone shards scattered through your spinal cord, that even if you survived, they didn't think you'd ever walk again."

"But I'm alive, Krogal," I said in a gentle voice. "I'm alive and well. All of you saved me. My spine is healed. I can walk, dance, even jump on a trampoline. You all gave me a second chance at life. What was the point, though, if it's just so you can put me in a different gilded cage?"

I closed the distance between us, putting the box on top of the dresser as I walked past it, and placed my hands on Krogal's sides. He immediately wrapped his arms around me. The tortured expression lingered on his handsome face while his eyes flicked between mine.

"Life is too short, sweetie," I continued in a slightly pleading tone. "That day proved that everything can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye. You hated my desire to stay in hiding as you felt this was giving him power over me. I was afraid to lead a normal life because he might find and hurt me. And here you are doing the same by allowing the near-tragedy of that day to rob us of our normal married life. Despite the doctor's reassurances, you keep us in limbo out of fear of hurting me."

"I… I know. It's just… I'm in love with you, Farah. The thought of losing you… of hurting you…"

"I'm in love with you, too, silly man! You won't hurt me! If I feel any discomfort, I'll tell you. Pain and I don't get along at all. Have you forgotten how loud I squealed that one time I banged my pinky toe on the corner of the island?"

He snorted and nodded slowly. I smiled and cupped his face between my hands.

"Give me my husband back. I would really rather not have to become better acquainted with Bob and his friends," I added, casting a sideways glance at the vibrator box set on the dresser.

"Fuck Bob," Krogal growled, menacingly.

I made a face at him. "Uh, the whole point of this intervention is specifically to avoid that," I said tauntingly.

"You know what I meant," he replied with false severity.

"Do I?" I asked with false innocence. "I'd ask you to show me what you mean, but I don't want to make you late for the assembly."

"Fuck the assembly," he growled again. "If you get hurt, I will spank you raw."

I never got a chance to reply. His mouth crushed mine in a possessive kiss, and my toes instantly curled.