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“Damn right,” Skye said approvingly.
“It’s decided. You’ll stay with us.” Sulat made it sound like a royal decree.
“We will protect you,” Tariq confirmed.
“And who is going to protect the two of you when the Liq’za adds you to their shit list?” Jody asked.
Skye answered before anyone else. “The rangers. I sent a message to Striker. You’ve met him. Right? Big cyborg. Doesn’t speak much. Mated to Maggie from the Bar None. He leads the rangers, and he’s already agreed to send over some cyborgs to act as security.”
Yardan nodded. “It’s a good idea. Right now it’s safer to leave that job to someone the Liq’za would never recruit.”
That worked for her, but she wasn’t the only victim of the vile group. “What about Lores and the others? They’ll need protection, too.”
“I’m working on that. Lores, Vixi, and some of the others can move to the integration camp with the human women. There are more than enough habi-pods for that, and if most of them are in one place, which will simplify security.” Skye’s eyes hardened. “These assholes don’t know who they’re messing with. If they come for anyone in the colony, we’ll make them regret it.”
Tariq looked relieved. “Vixi will be protected? That’s good. She’d argue if we tried to make her stay with us. This way we can avoid that unpleasant scenario.”
“Good.” Yardan pointed toward the front door. “With that decided, I’d suggest the three of you go home and prepare to stay there for a while. There’s a lot of work to do, and the sooner we have everyone safe and accounted for, the better.”
“Agreed.” Sulat took the bag of clothes from her and pulled the strap over his shoulder while tucking her box of treasures under his other arm.
“I’ll carry your things. Riq will carry you.”
Tariq confirmed the situation by opening his arms and then pointing to a spot in front of him. “Come here.”
“But you… you don’t like to fly. Are you sure?”
He cocked a brow in her direction. “Are you questioning me?”
Something in his tone made her pulse race. “No, Healer A’Nir. I would never do that.”
As he drew her into his arms and reminded her to hang on, all she could hear was the roar of blood in her ears and Skye’s laughter. “Good luck, Doc.”
Jody clung to Tariq as he took off into the late morning sun. She had no idea what would happen next, but she was sure of one thing. She didn’t need luck. Not when she had the two males she’d dreamed of since the first time they’d met.
10
Of all the scenarios he’d envisioned over the last few days, this one hadn’t even been a consideration. Sulat couldn’t decide if he wanted to scream at the ancestors for putting everyone he cared about at risk, or celebrate the fact Jody was coming home with them. It was a messy, twisted way to bring the three of them together, but it worked.
He spent the short flight home considering options and speaking to Tariq via their internal link. Not only did they put together a decent plan in that time, but it let him keep tabs on his anrik. Tariq had come a long way since their confrontation, but his healing was still in progress. Flying wouldn’t be easy for him, but today he’d shown no signs of difficulty.
Once they were safely inside, Tariq did a full tour of the house to check that all the doors and windows were locked. While he did that, Sulat set down Jody’s belongings and ushered her to a seat in the main living area.
She sat down with a grateful sigh and immediately started fixing her hair, trying to tame the wind-tangled curls. “Damn. I just realized I don’t even own a comb anymore.”
“Anything you need, we’ll provide,” Sulat said, moving in behind the chair she sat in. “May I help?”
She turned to look at him quizzically. From this angle, with her seated in a chair made for a much larger being, she looked even smaller than usual. “Help? You’ve already done that.”
“And I will continue to do so. We both will. But I was referring to your hair.”
“Oh.” Her surprised expression was adorable. “You want to fix my hair for me?”
“I want to take care of you.” He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Let me.”
A shiver coursed through her, strong enough he felt it. For a moment, her eyes locked with his, letting him experience the moment she accepted not only his offer but something more. “Yes. Please.”
Desire slammed into him like a runaway comet. She had given him the gift of trust, a momentary surrender of control. He untangled her hair with care, combing his fingers through her unruly locks a bit at a time. When he was done, he moved on to a scalp massage.
