AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tegan was aware that Max was staring at her. She cleared her throat, looked away quickly, and snatched up the empty oil bottle. She didn’t know Max well enough to unload her dark thoughts about men, and it probably wouldn’t be good for any pregnant mother’s mental wellbeing to realize that their own midwife didn’t believe in happily ever after.
“Found you!” Tori popped her head into the room.
“Me or Tegan?” Max asked, looking from one to the other.
“The doc,” Tori said, then held up a hand before Max could say anything. “The baby doc.”
Even though she wasn’t a doctor, Tori and most of the others on board had been calling her doc, and she’d given up correcting them.
“Me?” She glanced at Tori’s stomach. “Is everything okay?”
Tori made a face. “Like I told you, you won’t have to worry about me at all. I was stopping by to see if you needed anything. We’re making an unscheduled stop.”
“The fuel leak? Max asked, her brow furrowed.
Tori cursed under her breath. “Holly still doesn’t know how it happened. She and Rixx fixed the leak, but we won’t be able to make it much further without refueling. Unfortunately, the nearest stop is Kurril.”
Max’s jaw dropped. “Kurril? As in, the place where you and Vrax almost died?”
Tori’s already stern face darkened. “Trust me, if there was any place closer, I would not return to the Den of Thieves, but we can’t afford to be dead in the water.”
“Didn’t you and Vrax leave under bad circumstances?” Max asked.
“You mean in the midst of ships exploding?” Tori waved a hand in the air. “No one knew it was us, and we were gone before the dust settled.”
None of this sounded reassuring to Tegan. She’d assumed there would be some risk being on a bounty-hunting ship, but she hadn’t expected it so soon.
“So, do you need any supplies while we’re there?” Tori turned her attention back to the midwife. “Kurril might be a cesspool, but if it’s sold, you can find it there.”
Tegan looked at the empty brown bottle and thought of the other medicinal oils and herbs in her cabinet that were running low. “I do need more supplies.”
“Give me the names, and I’ll have Rukken get them for you.”
Tegan shook her head. “I need to get them myself. I must be able to smell them to ensure they’re genuine. Too many vendors try to pass off fakes, and only a trained nose can tell the difference.”
Tori scowled. “You did hear the part of the conversation where I said that I almost died on Kurril, right?” She gave the woman a brief once-over. “And I’m guessing I’ve killed more people than you have.”
“Maybe you can wait on the supplies?” Max suggested.
Tegan shook her head. “Not if I want to do my job well and keep you—and your babies—safe.”
Max’s cheeks paled, and she exchanged a glance with Tori.
The Zevrian huffed out a breath. “Fine. But I’m going to be furious if I lose our midwife on Kurril. She wasn’t easy to find, you know.” Then she pivoted to Tegan. “I’ll let you go, but you have to take armed guards with you.”
Tegan had no problem with an armed escort. “Will it be you?”
Tori gave a brusque shake of her head. “There may still be those who recognize me in the Den of Thieves. Same goes for Vrax.” Her lips twitched. “I’m sending you with Dothveks no one will know.”
Chapter
Four
Zaandr stole a glance across the compact mess hall then quickly returned his gaze to Rixx. But it hadn’t been fast enough.
Rixx craned his head over his shoulder to peer at Tegan sitting with the captain and her mate, K’alvek. “Is that her?”
Zaandr’s face warmed, as he tried to shrug it off and appear unconcerned as he focused on the bowl of spicy stew in front of him. “Is that who?”
