“What’s the last thing you remember?”
Nothing. The memories were there but she couldn’t access them, like walking through a river and fighting against a current for every step. “I don’t know. I was scared. I didn’t want to go.”
“That is not unusual,” the purple-skinned alien said, approaching the bed again. He must be Mahdfel, Thalia realized. He wore a white lab coat, so she assumed he was a doctor. “Short-term memory impairment is a common side effect of stasis chambers. Your exposure exceeded the recommended amount, but normal memory function will return in time,” the doctor said.
Aware that she stared, Thalia looked away. She had never been this close to an alien before and now she was on a Mahdfel ship. She was safe. That sank in, penetrating the fog in her brain. Safe. Whatever had happened in that blank spot in her head, she knew she had been in danger.
Holy fuck.
The beeping of a machine increased.
“I remember,” Thalia said. “I was at an auction and they put me in this coffin—” And the memory slipped away. She chased it down, and it felt very much like trying to hold water in cupped hands. All that work only gave her a few sips but never enough to quench her thirst.
The nurse, Meridan, sat on a stool next to the bed, which placed her head just a little below Thalia’s. Oddly, Thalia felt more in control.
“What Medic Kalen tried to tell you was that stasis chambers are designed to be used for one or two days, a week at the most. You got an extra big dose of the drugs used to keep your body in suspension, and it’ll take time for them to work their way out of your body. We call that ‘anesthesia brain’ back on Earth. The fog will clear in time.”
“It sucks.”
Meridan nodded. “Undoubtedly. Can you tell me your name?”
“Thalia Fullerton.” She smiled, pleased she knew something without a struggle.
“What happened to your identification chip?”
Thalia held up her hand, frowning. For a moment, she didn’t know, then remembered that she never had one. “I had one from school, the kind in a rubber bracelet.”
“School? How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.” Shit. She had been in the stasis chamber for three years. “I guess twenty-six now. I’m confused.” She frowned and every muscle in her face ached.
“It’s not a trick question. I’m guessing whoever put you in that stasis chamber took your ID chip. We’ll set you up with a new one.”
“The Mahdfel.”
“Yes. This is a Mahdfel ship,” the nurse said again, her tone gentle and reassuring.
Thalia must have fallen asleep because she woke again, this time a different alien with horns and a purple complexion loomed over her bed. He questioned her about how she got in the stasis chamber. She told him all she could remember about Nicky and the auction, but the details were slippery.
After an eternity, he left with a frown and a vague promise that the one responsible would face consequences. Clearly, she didn’t have the information he wanted, and she didn’t like the odds that he’d be bothered to report Nicky to the authorities on Earth.
The friendly nurse came back, checked her vitals, and reassured Thalia that she was doing great. The ship was headed to Sangrin and they would help get her back to Earth, back home.
Only she didn’t want to go.
Chapter 5
Havik
The day had been a complete waste of time, and now he was stuck in a hospital with the most useless Terran he had ever met.
Frustrated, he slapped his palm against the cinderblock wall.
The Terran jumped. “I said I don’t know!”
“You know something,” Havik said.
“I don’t know anything.”
“That I believe.” Havik stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders. His tail slapped against the wall, a loud crack echoing through the room.
The color drained from his face, which was a feat as bruises mottled it. “You swore you wouldn’t hurt me.”
The day had started promising enough. He and Ren traveled to Sangrin to liaise with a local warlord, Paax, who had rescued several females abducted by smugglers. The assignment fit the mission they received on Earth, to seek out the females who had gone missing and bring justice to those responsible.
If the assignment went well, Havik knew that Ren hoped for a place in the warlord’s clan. Though they had each other for the last few years, Ren needed people. Havik was content to be alone, but Ren suffered in isolation. His friend would never admit it, but Havik knew. Ren vibrated with excitement when they arrived at a new station or port and spent every available moment talking to as many strangers as possible.
Havik would rather gnaw off his tail than converse with a stranger. Joining a clan filled with strangers rubbed him like sand under his armor—not a pleasant experience—but he would do this for his friend.
By accident, he spotted his mate—former mate—in the crowd. Three years had passed since he last saw her, and her hair was styled differently. In his mind, her belly was still round with their child and her face puffy. That she had changed in their time apart sent ripples of dissonance through him.
He had changed, surely. He was no longer the spoiled son of the warlord, selfish, and short-sighted. But for Vanessa to change, without him, felt wrong.
He followed her. Having spotted her in the Sangrin station, long after he gave up hope of finding her in the wilderness of stars, he would not let her vanish again.
Even if she walked with another Mahdfel warrior.
And smiled at him.
And kissed him.
The male was not completely useless. Occasionally he paused, as if alerted to Havik’s pursuit, and scanned the crowd. He spotted Havik several times, as he should because Havik knew he was the opposite of stealthy, but his gaze always slid over Havik. If the male registered Havik’s presence at all, it was as a non-threat.
Foolish male.
No one could be trusted, especially another Mahdfel warrior.
Of course, he noticed
