“I’ll check on them in a few hours,” Bombaya said quietly, gathering his equipment. “Make sure she eats more and rests.”
“I will.”
The medic left, and suddenly he found himself alone with her and the children in his personal space. The intimacy of it struck him unexpectedly. No one had been in these quarters before except him. Now the space felt different, life existing where only ghosts had lingered before.
She crossed over to the bed and carefully laid Mikoz down beside Anya, covering them with a blanket before returning to the outer room and looking up at him.
“I need to know what happens next.”
Direct. He appreciated that. “You will rest and recover. The children will receive proper medical care. Beyond that…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Complications exist.”
“What kind of complications?”
“You know that Mikoz is Cire, as am I.”
“Yes.”
He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “There are very few Cire. The Cire Council will need to be informed.”
“I don’t care about your Council. I promised his mother I would protect him.”
“I understand your attachment, but?—”
“Do you?” She started pacing, anger flashing in her hazel eyes. “Do you understand what it’s like to watch a dying woman beg you to save her child? To hold an infant while the Vedeckians discuss his value as if he were a piece of meat?”
His value?His tail lashed angrily.
“Who was the buyer?”
She blinked, clearly not expecting the question. “I don’t know. I only heard the Vedeckians talking about it. They said someone was willing to pay a premium price for a pure-blooded Cire child.”
Rage flooded through him, cold and controlled. Someone wanted to buy Mikoz. If he discovered who, they would regret their existence, but in the meantime…
“You will not be separated from the child,” he said, making the decision at that moment. “Not until we can be certain of his safety.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I do not say things I do not mean.”
She studied his face, searching for something. Whatever she found must have satisfied her because she nodded slowly.
“All right. I believe you.”
The trust in those words affected him more than it should. His tail reached for her, but he forced it back to his side as he turned towards the door.
“I will return to check on you later.”
“Where are you going?” she asked quickly, biting her lip, and he almost changed his mind.
“I have duties to attend to,” he said stiffly instead.
“Of course.” She looked through the open door at the sleeping children, then took a deep breath and smiled up at him. “Thank you, Selik. For everything.”
He left before he could do something foolish, like promise her things he had no right to promise. The door sealed behind him, and he stood in the corridor, trying to regain his equilibrium and fighting the urge to return.
His comm unit chimed. Tarak, his second-in-command.
“Commander, I need a word.”
