Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

BEHTU

" W ell met, Qhix," I say into the comm as we enter the solar system where Pryt orbits.

"Back already?" Qhix drawls. "Thanks for letting someone know you were taking Jules with you. If it weren't for the biometric scanner on my ship, we would still be searching the planet for her."

"That Thrushian cube does have its uses," I smirk, grabbing every opportunity to tease the male about his prized spacecraft. "I didn't take her, the female in question stowed away."

"Jules got the stealth on you?" Raucous laughter erupts over the comm. "Finally, the great Behtu has met his match! Wait until I tell Navik, he's sure to have a good laugh."

"Glad to be of amusement, but this isn't a social call," I mumble then add. "I need your help."

"Anything, brother," Qhix quickly sobers. "Is Jules not well?"

"The female is more than fine." I cast a sideways grin where Jules sits next to me at the command console. "It's me that needs help and I'll explain soon enough. We're coming in for a landing now. Meet me at the landing zone and bring a Ziarian medical cuff with you."

"Sounds serious. What have you gotten yourself into this time?" There's an edge to his curiosity, the kind only found in those who've navigated the Universe's dark underbelly alongside you.

"Let's just say I've got a Grymlok souvenir lodged in my spine that needs removing," I growl.

My freighter glides smoothly through the vibrant atmosphere of Pryt. As we descend toward the designated landing zone, the lush greenery of the tropical paradise unfolds beneath us like a mesmerizing tapestry.

The pink sand beaches stretch out in gentle curves along the turquoise waters that sparkle under the radiant sunlight. Lush vegetation sways lazily in the balmy breeze, which I recall is heady with the scent of exotic flowers and salty sea spray.

With a soft thud, my craft touches down on the cleared area, stirring up a swirl of pink sand that dances in playful spirals before settling down. The landscape around us is alive with vibrant colors, from the vivid hues of blooming flora to the iridescent feathers of tropical birds flitting overhead. Safe and welcoming.

Everything Ritk is not.

I release my seat strap and glance at Jules doing the same. Despite her fiery spirit, her species is fragile, easily broken, and in need of protection.

By nature, Star Mavericks are loners, embracing solitude, but also living apart since we are all wanted males. It's safer for us to not congregate in one place for too long. However, when I peer into Jules' bright gaze, I can't shake the tranquility and refuge Pryt offers. And with so many other females of her species living here, she belongs on the pink sandy beaches of Pryt more than she does dwelling inside a biodome on Ritk.

We leave the command deck, Jules trailing behind me, her silence a shroud of tension I can almost touch. The walls of my ship hum softly as we make our way to the medic bay to await Qhix.

"Behtu," Jules' voice is steady but laced with an undercurrent of doubt, "are you sure there's no one else more... qualified to do this?"

The medic bay door swishes close behind us and I turn to face her. Her verdant gaze searches mine, seeking reassurance or perhaps an escape from the task at hand. But it's her hands that catch my attention, slight tremors betraying her composed exterior.

"Jules, there's no one else I trust more than you." My words are a vow, spoken with the gravity of a male who's witnessed the cosmos and all its merciless beauty. "You're a healer on your world. I know you can do this. I need for you to do this, otherwise, my sivot will never wake."

I watch the conflict play across her features, a dance of fear and determination that makes her all the more captivating. She takes a fortifying breath. "Okay, let's do this."

The door to the medic bay hisses open, and Qhix strides in with the swagger of a male who has navigated more star systems than most have charted on maps. He pauses, his eyes landing on the protrusion along my spine. "Past deeds catching up to you, brother?"

"You have no idea," I reply curtly and hop up onto the padded table.

"Aside from delivering the medical cuff, what can I do?" Qhix sets the long, white life-saving device aside.

"He needs to be under while I extract the device," Jules tells Qhix. "I'll need you to help administer the correct anesthesia, and hover the scanner over his spine so I can see exactly what I'm doing."

"I can that," Qhix says, pointing to the cuff. "The medical cuff needs to be calibrated to his weight and donned just as soon as the neuroblocker is removed. It will heal the damaged tissue from insertion."

"Sounds like a plan," Jules says. "Ready to get that thing out your back, Behtu?"

"More than ready." I lay face down on the cushioned surface of the examination table, my arms tucked at my sides and my head turned toward Jules.

Qhix's fingers dance over the medical console with practiced ease, his movements a blur of efficiency as he prepares the anesthetic. The hiss of the hypospray is soft against my skin where he places the pad on my shoulder.

My gaze finds Jules, her verdant gaze luminous in the bright light of the medic bay. She steps forward, so close, that I can catch the scent of her, the faint trace of antiseptic from the sterile environment mingling with the underlying warmth that is uniquely hers. It's intoxicating, a heady mix that binds me to this moment, to the vulnerability I feel with her standing sentinel over my prone form.

As the anesthetic takes hold, its tendrils spreading through my veins like liquid night, my consciousness begins to fray at the edges. My muscles loosen, surrendering to the strength of the drug, but my heart thuds with intense affection I never knew I was capable of.

"I love you," I manage to murmur, though I'm not sure if the words actually make it past my lips.

Her hand brushes my forehead, a feather-light touch that anchors me. She whispers words my sluggish mind can't process as sleep claims me.

JULES

Behtu's last words echo inside my head. Barely audible as he drifted off to sleep, but I heard them loud and clear. His declaration explains why he knotted me in his Kaul form, claiming me as his after keeping me at arm's length. He'd given into his heart the same as me.

Now it is up to me to keep in one piece.

My heart races, a frenzied beat against my chest as I hover over Behtu's prone form. With hands that betray none of my inner turmoil, I reach for the instrument that will detach the device from Behtu's spine. The tool is a sleek, metallic device with intricate engravings along its surface, shimmering under the stark lights. Its handle fits perfectly in my grip, cool to the touch as I'm poised above my heart-stopping task.

Before I begin, I glance at the wafer-thin scanner Qhix holds above the Grymlok device embedded along Behtu's spine. The thin square projects the inner workings of Behtu's body onto the sleek screen of the internal imager before me, every nerve and synapse displayed in stark relief. His anatomy is more complex than any human's, but I fall back on my years of schooling and experience in the ER to guide me through this labyrinth of alien biology.

The device is lodged deep, entwined with nerves that could spell disaster if my hand slips. Breath held, I am acutely aware of the stakes. One wrong move could paralyze him.

"You're going to do fine. Take your time and go slow," Qhix's voice is steady, clinical, yet there's an undercurrent of urgency that matches the thrumming of my own heart. His presence is both reassuring and unnerving as if his proximity amplifies the charged atmosphere between us.

"Steady, Jules," I murmur to myself, maneuvering deftly with my tool not designed for human hands, yet adapted to my touch. Sweat beads on my forehead despite the cool air inside the medic bay.

With precise movements, I delicately maneuver the tool to release the clamps that tightly secure the alien device to Behtu's flesh. Each clamp gives way with a faint click, freeing the device's hold on his spine. Next, I reach for another specialized instrument, its tip designed for intricate extraction procedures. As I guide it toward Behtu's spine, my hands remain steady despite the nervous flutter in my chest.

The tool engages, capturing, and locking onto the device. I look up at the internal imager, at the delicate webbing of tissues surrounding the foreign object.

"Here we go," I breathe to Qhix.

I ease the device from Behtu's spine, each millimeter a painstaking eternity. My hands move with deliberate care, the delicate procedure demanding unwavering focus. The air in the room hangs heavy, suffocating, every breath measured as I draw out the device ever so slowly, as if time itself has come to a standstill in this crucial moment of liberation. With a steady hand, I finally guide the last of the Grymlok device's tendrils away from the sensitive nerve bundles nestled within Behtu's spine.

"Got it," I whisper, my pulse thrumming in my ears.

I set the vile device aside on a metallic tray as Qhix attaches the medical cuff around Behtu's forearm. He taps on the array of keys until an intricate pattern of multi-colored lights dance across the smooth screen. Qhix assures me, attaching a sleek medical cuff around Behtu's forearm. Its surface comes alive with tiny lights, pulsing rhythmically as it works to heal his body from within.

"Will it heal him completely?" I ask, my voice tinged with worry as I glance at Behtu's still form on the medical table.

"Yes. When the blinking lights turn a steady white means he is healed completely," Qhix confirms, his tone reassuring and light. "Now that you've done the hard part, the cuff will monitor his vitals and adjust its output accordingly. Behtu will be back to his cocky self before long."

"Thank you, Qhix," I say, as gratitude floods my heart like a warm tide, swelling with the weight of unspoken appreciation.

"You did all the work," he grins. "I just held the scanner. It should be me thanking you for helping my fellow Maverick. My thanks, Jules."

"Of course," I return his grin with a relieved one of my own. "Anything for Behtu."

"The females were all excited to know you were found safe. Want to come out and greet them?"

"Soon," I reply, a pang of guilt tugging at me for causing concern. "I want to be here when Behtu wakes up. Please tell them I said hello and I'll see them soon."

"You can contact me on this comm." Qhix hands me a small, boxy device. "In case you need anything."

"Thanks. I will."

Qhix leaves me alone with Behtu. I pull up a chair and sit down beside my mate, my eyes fixed on his serene face. His chest rises and falls with each breath, a soothing rhythm that puts me at ease.

Long lashes that are too long to belong to a male lay in half moons against high, regal cheekbones. Lying on his stomach, Behtu's long, snow-white hair cascades to one side, streaming off the edge of the exam table. The puncture wound on his back, where the Grymlok device once resided, appears to be swiftly healing.

Warlord Zarnak's words float back to me, The very space pirate who renounced his seat on the throne of Klaxis to navigate the stars.

Now that I was sitting still and safe on Pryt, I had nothing to do but think and I wondered about who Behtu was.

Had Behtu been born to royalty on his world?

Time dilates as I watch over him, the steady rise and fall of his broad chest a metronome to my anxious heart. Then a tickle of movement disturbs my vigil, jerking me back from the edge of my anxious wait. Behtu's eyelids flicker, a prelude to the awakening I've been holding my breath for.

"Behtu?" I whisper and lean closer.

Lashes flutter, and then he's peering up at me. Those glacial eyes, a startling blue, are clouded with the remnants of sleep and drugs, but they lock onto mine with an intensity that sears through the haze.

"Jules," he rasps, his voice barely above a gravelly murmur.

"Hey, you're back with me." Relief crashes over me and my attempt at steadiness falters, emotion coloring my tone.

He tries to lift his head, a grimace etching lines of pain across his noble features, but determination fuels his every move. "What did you whisper?" he demands, each word laced with grogginess yet unwavering focus. "Before I succumbed to sleep. I heard you whisper something. What was it?"

I lean closer, my pulse thrumming in my ears as I meet Behtu's intense gaze.

"Jules," he rasps, his voice hoarse yet commanding, "the whisper."

I let the truth spill forth, a cascade of raw emotion wrapped in four simple words. "I love you, too."

With a fervent growl that rumbles deep in his chest, Behtu sits up, his movements defying the weakness that should have held him down. His powerful arms ensnare me, pulling me onto the exam table with an urgency that leaves no room for hesitation.

"Behtu," I squeak. "You should be resting. Qhix said you're not fully healed until the lights on the medical cuff turn a steady white."

"Say it again," he demands.

For a moment, I'm lost in the visceral intensity of his gaze, the electrifying touch of his skin against mine. "Not until you lay back down."

"Fine," Behtu growls and lays on his side, tucking my front to his. "I'm lying down. Now tell me what I want to hear."

"Do all Star Mavericks make bad patients?" I tease. "Or, is it just you?"

"Jules…" he grumbles and gives me a little squeeze.

"I love you, Behtu, my demanding corsair," I repeat, my voice a whisper against the synchronized beats of our hearts.

A smile of triumph graces Behtu's lips, and my heart fills with joy for the male whose soul speaks to mine.

"Your turn," I prod. "I want to hear you say it again."

"I love you, my precious treasure." His lips gently touch mine before he deepens the kiss. I can feel his arousal pressing against me, indicating where this is heading.

I pull back, my hands pressing against his heavy pectorals. "Not until that cuff turns white," I say firmly.

"You're a cruel female," he snarls.

"No," I playfully swat at his chest, "I'm a nurse first and a female second. Right now, you need to be resting so your spine can heal."

"Fine," Behtu concedes with a snort and pulls me closer, resting his cheek on the top of my head. Several heartbeats pass as we lay entwined before he speaks again. "What do you think about a home here on Pryt?"

"I thought you said it's safer for Maverick's to live apart."

"It is but Qhix and I are no longer actively reaving," he explains as my heart beats faster. "I will ask him, but I'm sure he won't mind if we stay."

"Why would you give up your place on Ritk?"

"You're not comfortable living inside a biodome on a volcanic world." He tilts back his head so I can peer up into his regal face. "Plus, there are other humans here, and there will be until we figure a way past the Yulineon patrollers guarding Earth."

Leaving behind New York and my life on Earth fills me with a bittersweet ache, yet the thought of remaining on Pryt by Behtu's side thrills me to my core. The idea of sharing my days with the male who claims not just my heart but also harbors a protective beast within him brings an overwhelming sense of joy that lights up my soul like never before.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I know he's giving up his coveted solitary existence for me, and I worry he will grow to resent me if we stay here and play house. "There are five Ziarian males, Qhix, and eight humans including me."

"Once this bliking cuff turns white, we can walk the beach and find a spot away from the crowd to build a home."

"You would that for me?" I sit up, too excited to lay still.

"If it's what you want."

"I do want!"

A rare smile plays across Behtu's too handsome face. "Now lay down. My demanding nurse said I need my rest."

A radiant grin lights up my face as I melt into Behtu's enveloping embrace, a sense of pure bliss washing over me. I shut my eyes and daydream about turquoise waters and pink sandy beaches and the little house I'll share with the space pirate who stole my heart.