“What is it?” I ask as she kneels next to Dragix, opening the container.
Arix’s eyes are on Vivian’s face as he replies, “Cava berries. They are our most precious resource. They allow healing when it would seem that there is no hope.”
More tears slip down my face at his words. Please, please let them work. Please.
The healer squeezes the bright-blue berries against Dragix’s lips, and I reach forward, helping her open his mouth. She places the berries inside, and we all watch as they stay in his mouth.
She gives me a sympathetic look. “He must swallow,” she says.
I nod. He’ll swallow these goddamned berries if I have to shove them down his throat.
“Dragix,” I try. I switch to our mental pathway. I remember him telling me I was too loud, that I was shouting in his head.
And I scream at him. “Dragix, you giant pain in my ass! You don’t get to leave me, do you hear me? You made me fall in love with you, and it’s not going to end like this. Wake up and swallow, damn it. Now!”
Dragix takes a giant, shuddering breath. He doesn’t open his eyes. He doesn’t even reply.
But he swallows.
Chapter Nineteen
Dragix
I can hear the low murmur of voices, and I frown. My eyes are too heavy to lift, but I can smell the sweet, fresh scent of my little two-leg. I can feel her soft hand stroking my cheek.
“Dragix?”
“I am unable to speak or open my eyes, Charlie. But I am here.”
She lets out a choked sob and nestles closer to me, burying her face in my neck. I wish I could stroke her hair, could give her the slightest comfort, but I am paralyzed.
The thought sends a ripple of fear through my body, and that is enough to allow me to lift one finger.
I rest, exhausted from that slight motion.
“Where the hell did all those women come from?”
I recognize Nevada’s voice. It’s the flame-haired one—Ivy—who answers her.
“They were on the ship. Same story as us. They were abducted by the Grivath and sold to the Dokhalls. It sounds like those poor women were on that ship for weeks. One of them said that the Dokhalls were ordered to come to Agron and search for us before they were allowed to return to their planet.”
“That must have been hell,” Ellie says. “It was bad enough for us, and we were only there for a few hours.”
“Yeah,” Ivy replies. “The healers want to check them over. Actually, I’ll go find them now.”
I manage to crack open my eyes. I’m in the healers’ kradi, and the first person I see is Rakiz, who has Nevada in his lap as he clutches her to him, as if afraid to let go.
He grins at me, flashing white teeth. “Charlie,” he murmurs, “it seems your dragon is awake.”
Charlie jolts, lifting her head and grinning down at me. I raise my arm, and it shakes with the effort it costs me. But I manage to bury my hand in her soft hair and pull her head to mine so I can take her mouth.
She lets out a low laugh against my lips. “Why am I not surprised that this is your first move after you were unconscious for hours?”
I smile as she pulls her head back, staring down at me as if memorizing my face.
“What happened?” I ask.
“The Dokhalls scattered. Most of them are dead, but some of them got away. We won, Dragix. There’s not enough of them to take us away. We even have their ship, although it was damaged when the Dokhalls returned to it and attempted to take it. Vrex and Ivy had a bunch of Braxians guarding it with them, but they managed to set it on fire.”
“I am not sad to know that you can’t leave me,” I tease, and she gives me a look.
“I’m not leaving you,” she says. “You scared the hell out of me, you know.”
I nod, pulling her close again. She looks exhausted, the skin beneath her eyes dark and puffy and her face pale. But she has never been more beautiful to me.
“Rest, little two-leg. We will talk properly when we are alone.”
She nods, snuggling closer to me, and I manage to turn my head. The healers are busy, moving from bed to bed as they help the wounded Braxians. In the bed next to mine, Vivian is somehow managing to sleep through the commotion.
The human females are sitting on small wooden stools, huddled around our beds. Rakiz gets to his feet, places Nevada back on his seat, and kisses her forehead.
“I must meet with Dexar,” he says.
She nods, giving him a small smile.
“Rest,” he says, and Nevada rolls her eyes but nods and then turns to Alexis.
“What’s the deal with the ship?” she asks. “How badly damaged is it?”
“I’ve only had a quick look,” Alexis says. “The good news is that this ship is in much better condition than the hunk of junk we landed here in. But the fuselage is cracked, and one of the thrusters was damaged.”
All the females are silent for a long moment.
Ivy steps inside. “Moni? The women are saying that they can wait. They don’t want to take time and attention away from injured Braxians.”
The healer smiles at her. “Thanks to the king from across the Colossal Water, we have enough healers to see to our wounded. He has brought healers with skills and abilities that we could not have imagined.”
Ivy hesitates but finally nods, flicking her bright hair over her shoulder as she turns, murmuring to someone outside.
Charlie moves her head from my shoulder to my chest, turning it so she can see what’s going on. I stroke her back, more content than I could have imagined in this moment.
The white-haired female steps inside, her eyes immediately surveying the tent suspiciously. And then her eyes land on Vivian.
“Viv?” Her tone is incredulous, and she ignores everyone else in the kradi as
