Colby clapped him on the shoulder, offering his support without words.
“That sounds like a mating to me,” Matrix said solemnly before letting his lips spread into a wide grin. “If you were thinking clearly, you would have been able to see that as well.”
“Which is yet another reason why I thought of ignoring this mess.” Raking a hand through the hair on the top of his head, Sparx gave Matrix a worried glance. “How can I be the warlord needed for Fyeir if I have this distraction hanging over me?” Pointing angrily at the monitors on the wall, he said, “Right now I am supposed to be handling correspondence not only with the Phaetons but also Earth, yet all I can think about is the woman I can’t keep out of my thoughts. If I mess this up, it could derail the entire volunteer program before it’s even begun!”
“Let me handle all of that,” Matrix offered, standing up and walking up to him. “I can take care of everything that is needed regarding Earth and the Phaetons. Colby can handle the volunteers just like you’d planned, and I will take your place here—”
“You can’t—”
“I can,” ‘Trix interrupted, clapping Sparx on the back with a jarring pat. “Go to your mate and give in to the heat. I will handle all of this until you are in a better place to take back your seat.” Giving him a half smile, Matrix shook his head. “It never occurred to us to consider we might find mates for ourselves and what we would need to do to handle that, now did it?”
“Not at all,” Sparx said dumbly, feeling beyond relieved at the way the other warlord and Colby were stepping in. “Are you sure you have this handled for me, ‘Trix?”
“More than sure, friend. Hopefully, one day, you can do the same for me.” Jerking his head toward the door, Matrix gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Go. Take care of your mate.”
“Will do,” Sparx said, turning without a second thought and walking swiftly towards the door.
Behind him he could hear the usual buzz of the command center begin again as his men, and his stand-in, went back to work.
“Colby,” he heard Matrix call. “You’re in charge of the volunteers and beginning their formal introduction. I’ll take care of the Phaetons and Earth from here before I retire for the evening. Let me know if there are any problems—”
The door swung shut behind Sparx as he strode through them. He trusted Matrix with not only his life but also the lives of his men. Fyeir was in good hands for the few days it would take for Sparx to be able to think clearly again.
His focus was now straight ahead and locked on the future with one immediate, single-minded goal.
Find and claim the female who would stand at his side as he served as its warlord.
Chapter Seventeen
“You will be all right, poor thing,” Sparx whispered into her ear as he pulled the blankets away from her overheated body. “I’m here to take care of you now. You’re already doing so much better.”
“Uh-huh,” Lucy whispered, reaching for the man who’d come to tease her in her dreams.
Gripping his shoulders, she squeezed the leather there under her hands. “You’re arms and—everything is so big.”
“Let’s just take this off you. You’ve soaked through this shirt.” Dream Sparx tugged at the hem of the top Rue had helped her pick out that morning. His voice was sweet and soft as he undressed her with gentle hands. “I didn’t know this was happening or I would have never left you. At least, I don’t think I would—”
“Sir,” a voice asked from outside the fuzzy cocoon that her and Sparx were in.
“Don’t open the door!” Sparx shouted, the sound jarring her a little from the delicious ideas she was wanting to lose herself within.
Cracking her eyes open, Lucy squeezed them shut almost immediately at the burn that ensued. She felt like she’d been through the wringer, or at least more than one bottle of wine. She was hot and sweaty and her mouth was dry as hell. Her eyes burned, even though the light in the room was ridiculously dim and she felt more than a little groggy.
“Sorry, sir. The healers said that all will be well now that you are with her. Although under no circumstances are you to leave her side or her sight.”
“That’s it?” Sparx asked, each word exchanged bringing Lucy a little more into consciousness as her brain tried to figure out the puzzle of what was going on.
“Yes, sir. They will continue to monitor her using the Phaeton bracelet and will intervene if the situation becomes dire enough to warrant it.”
“You can leave now,” Sparx growled, the vibration of the sound doing odd things to her nipples.
“Hot,” she whispered before realizing the scratchy voice that croaked it was her own.
“I know, Lucy honey. Let me finish getting this clothing off you, and then I will wipe you down with a cool cloth. That will make you feel better.”
Lucy only heard part of that sentence and the two-word words her groggy mind fixated on were clothing and off. For the next few minutes, she raised her arms and her hips when he requested, her shirt and pants coming off piece by sweaty piece. Each new body part that was bared to the Warlord of Fyeir enjoyed a brief wash of cold air before
