Chapter 37

CHAPTER 37

Lomax

“D rink this, Lomax.” Madison handed me a mug of steaming gallberry tea.

“Thank you.” I sipped at the tea, staring at Regan in the infirmary bed. “Why isn’t he awake yet? It’s been nearly twenty-four hours.”

“He’ll wake up soon. I know it.” Madison kissed the top of my head. “Have you gotten any sleep yet?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I want to be here in case Regan wakes up.”

“I told you I would call you when he wakes.” Sigan joined us, checking Regan’s IV before giving me a stern look. “The serum may have healed you from your injuries, but you still need sleep.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, shifting on the chair I’d dragged over beside Regan’s bed.

“You look terrible,” Sigan said.

“Sigan,” Madison said gently.

“What? She does,” Sigan said.

Exhausted and scared to death that Regan would die despite the serum, I could feel hysterical laughter bubbling up in my chest. It escaped before I could stop it, and I rested my forehead against Regan’s blanket-covered thigh and laughed until my stomach ached and tears dripped down my face.

When the laughter finally eased, Madison rubbed my back and said, “Better?”

“Yeah,” I said, scrubbing the tears from my cheeks. “Sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She kissed my head again as I rubbed my eyes. They burned and prickled, and I was so tired I could barely form words, but I couldn’t leave Regan. I just couldn’t.

“Stand up, Lomax,” Madison said, urging me to my feet.

“I won’t leave him,” I said, my voice hoarse with exhaustion.

“I know.” She pulled back the covers of Regan’s bed and handed my tea to Sigan. “Get in with Regan.”

“The infirmary beds are not meant for two,” Sigan said.

“We can make an exception,” Madison said firmly.

I kicked off my shoes and crawled in beside Regan on his uninjured side. The deep slashes from the groden’s claws had become shallow scabs, but his skin was still deeply bruised. I traced light fingers over the skin as Madison pulled the covers over us.

“Get some rest, honey,” Madison said.

“I love him so much, Madison,” I said as tears slid down my cheeks. “What if he dies while I’m sleeping?”

“He will not die,” Sigan said with his usual pragmatism. “But you might if you do not get some rest. Go to sleep, or I will give you drugs that will make you sleep.”

“Dick move, Sigan,” I mumbled, but my heavy eyelids refused to stay open a moment longer.

* * *

Regan

Waking up with the soft warmth of my mate tucked against me was a blessing from Krono. I stared at her beautiful face before tracing her pink lips and the bridge of her nose. She sighed, her lashes fluttering against her cheeks before her eyes opened, and she stared sleepily at me.

“Hi, honey,” she said with a soft smile.

“Hello, sadora.”

She cuddled closer, her eyes drifting shut again. I glanced around the familiar infirmary, but there was no sign of Sigan. I studied the IV in my hand before I pushed the covers down and examined my side where the groden had attacked me. The skin was smooth and unbroken, and I rubbed my hand over my ribs. There was no pain, and I felt refreshed and energized.

I shifted in the bed, and Lomax scowled when her body was pushed against the bed railing. I slid my arm around her and lifted her until she was sprawled across my body.

She sighed happily and kissed my chest, her hand running up and down my side. “What time is it?” she mumbled.

“I do not know,” I said.

“Do we have time for a quickie before you go to work?” she asked before yawning.

I grinned, my cock stirring at her words. Or maybe it was how her hand traced my stomach before she slid her hand beneath the waistband of the thin cotton pants I wore.

Her fingers brushed the head of my cock, and I groaned softly, my hips rocking upward. She giggled and kissed my chest. “I don’t care if we have enough time or not, I’m fucking you.”

I wanted nothing more, but considering Sigan or any other Draax could walk in at any moment, it would have to wait until I had her in the privacy of our quarters.

I caught her hand, tugging it out of my pants. “Open your eyes, my mate.”

She pouted but blinked rapidly before staring at me. “I want you, honey.”

“I want you, too, but we are -”

She suddenly sat up, a look of shock on her face. “Oh my God, you’re awake!”

“I am,” I said.

“You’re not dead,” she said.

I shook my head and she dropped on top of me, hugging me hard and pressing kisses all over my face. “Oh, Regan. I was so scared you weren’t going to wake up. Sigan said you would and kept saying you were healing, but I was… oh shit!”

She sat up again, giving me a worried look. “Your side! Is it okay? Did I hurt you?”

“I am completely healed, small one,” I said.

She pushed down the covers anyway, studying my side with laser focus before letting her breath out in a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God.”

I tugged her back against me, stroking her back as she rested her cheek on my chest.

“I love you, Regan,” she said.

“I love you, too.” I threaded my fingers through her soft hair. “You were fearless in the forest, my mate. Thank you for saving my life.”

She kissed my chest. “We saved each other.”

“How long have we been here?” I asked.

She smiled at me. “I’m not sure now. We’d been here for about twenty-four hours before Madison and Sigan made me sleep.”

I studied her, and she smiled faintly. “I was afraid you would die while I was sleeping.”

I held her close. “Did Sigan heal you of your injuries?”

She nodded. “Yes, I feel perfectly fine, honey. Even better now that you’re awake.”

The lab door opened, and Sigan stepped into the infirmary. He grabbed two bottles of juice before joining us. “How are you feeling, Regan?”

“Good,” I said. “Fully healed.”

Sigan scrutinized my side, poking and prodding before making a nod of satisfaction. Without speaking, he removed the IV from my hand, then studied Lomax, grasping her chin with his fingers and turning her head first one way and then the other.

“You look much better, human.”

“I feel better,” she said. “How long was I sleeping?”

“About twelve hours or so.” Sigan handed us the gallberry juice. “Drink these, and then you are free to return to your quarters. I will inform Galan that you are awake.”

He hesitated. “There is a rumour that King Cignek and King Raynor will arrive shortly.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Sigan.”

Sigan returned to the lab, and I nudged Lomax’s hand. “Drink your juice, sadora.”

“Regan,” she swallowed hard, “are you still planning on telling the other kings what Eastolf is doing?”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation.

Relief washed across her face, and I kissed her before saying, “Drink your juice, Lomax.”

* * *

I kept my back straight and my hands folded behind my back. Madison stood just as still beside me as she watched the three kings sitting at the council room table before us.

Our combined story had taken less than half an hour to tell, and by the time we had finished, both Cignek and Raynor were staring at us with undisguised shock.

Cignek stood abruptly and paced behind the table, his dark grey cloak billowing. In his late thirties, he was older than the other kings and was known as a steadfast ruler who cared deeply for his people. I had met him a few times over the years, and until now, I had never seen any emotion from him beyond a cool calmness.

“If what you say is true,” Cignek said, glancing at Madison and me, “then Eastolf’s actions have put us all at risk.”

“It is true,” I said. “He worked with the Korceans to kidnap Madison and forced her to spy on King Quillan, and he intends to sell Vokine weaponry to four of your states, King Cignek.”

Cignek growled deep in his throat. “What madness has overtaken him?”

“A madness for power,” Quill said. “For too long, we have allowed him to do what he wants unchecked, and we can no longer afford to ignore it. Eastolf must be stopped.”

“If what they say is true,” Cignek repeated.

Raynor sighed. He was the youngest of the kings and had a reputation for a quick temper, but he was as loyal and committed to his people as Quill and Cignek were. He wore his hair in a long braid and pulled absentmindedly at it as he said, “Cignek, why would they lie?”

“Eastolf sent word a few days prior that he had promoted Axen as his new head of guard,” Cignek said. “Perhaps Regan seeks revenge for losing his position.”

He turned toward me. “We are all aware of how important it was to you and your father that you succeed him as head of the guard.”

“I would gladly step down as head of Eastolf’s guard if it meant he was stopped,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Eastolf is dangerous, and I will not pledge my loyalty to a king whose actions harmed a female and who tried to sell my mate to the Korceans for malanite.”

My voice was rising at just the thought of almost losing my mate, and I was grateful for Madison’s support when her small hand squeezed my forearm briefly before letting go.

“We were forced to flee into the forest to escape Eastolf’s madness, and my mate nearly died because of it,” I said. “Madison was left with the Korceans and would have been sold into slavery had their ship not crashed. She was forced to defend herself against Korceans and Ugomians because of Eastolf’s actions. She would have died if it had not been for King Quill’s guard.”

“Repeating what you have already told me does not convince me you speak the truth,” Cignek said.

My temper got the best of me, and I growled deep in my throat. “Considering it is your states that Eastolf deals with, and you had no clue, perhaps your ability to rule your kingdom is also compromised.”

“Regan,” Quill said sharply. “Enough.”

“Forgive me, my king.” I bowed to Quill but refused to apologize to Cignek. His stubbornness, his stupidity, could cost us everything.

“King Cignek,” Madison said, “what possible reason would I have to lie about what Eastolf did to me?”

Cignek sighed. “I do not know, little female.”

“Exactly,” she said. “I understand you don’t want to face the truth that Eastolf isn’t just after Quill’s province, but yours and King Raynor’s as well, but pretending Eastolf’s power grab doesn’t exist won’t make it go away.”

“He wants to take the little females’ free will away from them,” I said. “I know him well, and believe me when I say he will not stop there. Allowing him to continue making these secret deals with the humans, allowing him to take the power he seeks, will harm us all. What if he is unsatisfied with forcing the unmated females to breed with us? What if he decides to hold rule over the mated ones as well? What if he decides he wants your mate for himself?”

I was deliberately pushing Cignek’s buttons, and satisfaction rolled over me when Cignek snarled, and the last remnants of his calm vanished. “If Eastolf dares to go near my mate, I will kill him myself.”

“He must be stopped,” I said, “and only the three of you hold the power to do so.”

“What is it you ask us to do?” Raynor said.

I looked at Quill. I had not spoken to him about invoking the Act, but I was not surprised when he said, “The Kaliden Act.”

Cignek froze in his pacing, and Raynor sat up straight, surprise turning his features slack as he stared at Quill. Sharp inhales to my left made me glance over, and I stared at Galan, who stood against the wall with Cignek and Raynor’s heads of guard. Galan’s features remained serene, but the other two Draax were not nearly as competent at hiding their shock.

“The Kaliden Act has not been invoked for over fifty years,” Cignek said. “And even then, it was used because of the threat of war.”

Quill’s eyes blazed with sudden fury, and he slammed his fist onto the table. “Do you not believe that Eastolf will lead us into war? Whether between our provinces or with Earth, his actions will bring on a battle in which no one wins, Cignek.”

Although I knew Quill would never hurt a female, I could not help my instinct to step in front of Madison. She poked me lightly in the back and mouthed, “I’m fine,” when I looked over my shoulder at her.

I returned to her side as Cignek said, “If we combine our resources, even if Eastolf attacks us, he will not win, Quill.”

Quill glared at Cignek. “It is not just about the safety of our provinces, Cignek. We cannot stand by idly and watch Eastolf ruin everything we have worked so hard to achieve. If he is allowed to continue, it is not only our kingdoms that are in jeopardy but our very existence. His madness will destroy our partnership with the humans.”

He rested his hands on the table, pinning his hot gaze on Cignek and Raynor. “Our race will die without the little females. But I would rather watch the entire Draax race fade out of existence than allow Eastolf to hurt them, to sell them into slavery, or force them to be our mates.”

He straightened, the fury in his eyes fading. “We must invoke the Act, Cignek. It is the only way to stop him.”

My stomach churned, and I could practically taste Madison’s nervousness in the air.

“And who would we vote in as interim king if we invoked the Act?” Cignek said. “Eastolf has no living relatives.”

“Haiden,” Quill said.

“My brother?” Cignek said.

“Yes,” Quill said. “Your brother would rule the eastern province well, and with your son as heir to the throne, Haiden is not needed in the southern province.”

“And if Haiden refuses to accept the appointment?” Cignek asked.

“We both know he will not,” Quill said.

Cignek sighed. “No, he will not.”

Thick silence permeated the room before Quill said, “I call for the vote. What say you, Raynor? Aye or nay?”

“Aye, Quill,” Raynor said.

Quill turned to Cignek. “What say you, Cignek?”

Cignek’s gaze flashed to Madison and me before he sighed wearily and said, “Aye, Quill.”