“What? What’s never happened?” I ask, leaning forward.
Nanish runs a hand over his dark hair. “Two Eleadian males have never claimed the same female.”
I lean back. Somehow I knew that was what he was going to say, but it’s impossible to process. Claimed me? I don’t think so.
Before I can form a response, Bamgin speaks. “Dankin will fix your knee as soon as we move you to the mothership.”
This makes my eyes bug out. “You can’t be serious.” I shake my head. “He has no way of knowing if it’s even possible. Is he even an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports-related knee injuries? You happen to have an ortho on your spaceship?”
Bamgin shakes his head. “We only have one kind of doctor on Eleadia. They don’t need specialties.”
I gasp. “Bamgin, it doesn’t work that way.”
“It does for us, Little one. Trust me. He will fix it. You’ll be back to normal by the time we get home. Your leg will fully heal while you’re in stasis.”
“Stasis!” I lean forward and reach over to grab my crutches where they lie on the floor. I need to get out of here. These guys are certifiable.
Both men rush forward and stop me with a hand to each of my shoulders.
“Don’t scare us like that, Little one,” Nanish reprimands as if I’m a toddler. “You could have fallen. Bamgin is right. Dankin can fix damn near anything, but we still don’t ever want to see you hurting. A fall on your head would send us into a panic.”
I stare at them. “I’m not a child. I have better balance than the average human, too. I wasn’t going to fall on my head.”
Nanish leans over and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “You’re our responsibility, Little one. We will always worry about you. Eleadians are far more overprotective than human males. Partly it’s innate, but it also stems from the fact that we travel a year round trip to find a mate. We never want anything to happen to you. It would devastate us if you so much as skinned a knee.”
I reach for the water bottle that fell down between my thighs. I think I need another drink. It tasted so good, and I must be dehydrated.
Bamgin gently takes the bottle from me. He opens the top and tips the bottle toward my mouth. “Not too much, Little one.” He glances at Nanish. “Dankin said it won’t hurt her. The pure water is probably making her feel better already, but he’s worried about the lack of calories. He doesn’t want her to fill up on water and not get enough nutrition before we take off.”
“Take off for where?” I ask. I know the answer. But I need to hear them say it.
“Eleadia,” they both say at once.
My head is spinning. I think I might pass out. All I can do is lean back and stare at them some more.
That explains the wordstasis.
Chapter Five
Bamgin
I slowly lift my Little girl’s hand to my lips at the same time as Nanish. We’re in sync. It’s as if we can read each other’s minds. We need to calm her and strengthen the bond. And we will do that now.
I glance at him as I kiss the tip of her middle finger. He’s ready. Together we both prick her.
“Ouch!” She jerks her hands out of our grips. “What did you do? How?” She holds her fingers up to look at them, but there’s nothing to see. The pierce is already gone. There won’t be blood. It won’t even be sore by now. But our serum is running through her system, calming her right before our eyes.
I gently lift her leg so I can slide under it and sit closer to her, watching her closely to make sure she isn’t hurting. She doesn’t wince, which I’m grateful for. But she does eye me suspiciously.
“I’ll need pain meds in a while,” she mutters.
“You won’t, Little one. You’ll never need pain meds again.”
She jerks her gaze to me. “What are you talking about? My leg will start throbbing in a few hours.”
She doesn’t fight me when I reach for her hand and stroke her fingertips. “We have a quill behind our front teeth, Little one. We can use it to prick your skin. We release a serum into your body. It can do several things, but one of them is control your pain. We won’t let you hurt, Mags. I promise.”
“It’s only for a few hours anyway. Dankin will repair your knee as soon as we can arrange it,” Nanish adds.
