Sliding the belt under Vos’s leg caused him to cry out, and Natalie continued breathing with him as Amelia talked him through exactly what she was doing. “I’m going to tighten the belt now. It’s going to hurt, so you hold onto Natalie’s hand.” She tugged the belt as tight as she could, then gestured for me to come help tighten it further.
Vos’s screams echoed through the room even more loudly than they had before. Sweat popped out along his brow line, and I marveled at Amelia’s ability to remain calm, to keep talking to him even when it was clear he wasn’t listening. Her voice was soothing, professional, direct.
“Okay,” she said, “first, we’re going to see if we can get this wall out of the way.” She glanced at Cav and me, and we both pushed against the metal, shifting it a few inches at a time. Vos screamed the first two times we moved the wall, and it jostled the desk beneath it—and his impaled leg. Then he passed out, and I, for one, preferred it to hearing his screams.
Once Vos was unconscious, Amelia cut off her calming patter and turned all business. “Okay. Now you two lift the desk and move it as quickly as you can. Natalie, I want you to put your hands here, and lean all your weight on it, yes, right behind the belt. We want to cut off as much blood flow as we can right now, at least until we can get him to Medical. They might be able to save his leg—and I don’t want him to bleed out before we give them that chance.”
Cav and I situated ourselves, ready to lift the desk, and a giant shudder went through the entire station as it took yet another round of fire.
The office walls creaked but held this time.
“Now. Lift the desk now,” Amelia ordered.
We lifted the desk, and the spike that had gone through Vos’s leg came out with a wet-sounding pop.
“Okay, now we need to move him,” she said to Natalie, who stood up long enough to grab Vos under one arm while Amelia grabbed the other. Together, they pulled him back, out of the way of the desk.
Cav and I dropped the desk on the floor with a thump, and Natalie went back to leaning on Vos’s thigh.
Vos mumbled and moaned but did not awaken.
Probably for the best.
I stepped in. This part I knew. Getting people out of danger—that was my specialty. “Let’s get him to Medical.”
Cav and I each took a side, carrying him with his arms draped over our shoulders, our arms around his waist, and each with a hand under his knees. Amelia raced beside us, keeping the tourniquet tight to slow any bleeding, while Natalie rushed ahead to tell the medical technicians we were coming.
Medical was in chaos, but a technician met us at the door and called some of his people over to take Vos from us.
Amelia went with him, the two of them discussing blood loss and arteries and other medical issues that might arise.
“How can I help?” she asked the medical technician. “If you need any, that is.”
“We definitely need the help,” he replied, his voice fading as they disappeared into the clinic.
I watched Amelia go, pride swelling in me.
I might not know yet what she had decided, but no matter what, she would always be my mate.
Chapter Nineteen
Amelia
It took the Khanavai military response six hours to wipe out the Alveron Hordeships that had attacked Station 21.
Because I spent all night and half the next day in Medical helping tend to the wounded, I didn’t learn this until the next day.
In fact, I came off the Medical shift only because Dr. Javant told me I had to get rest, or I was going to end up doing more damage than good.
He was right, but as I walked out of Medical, I realized I had no idea where to go.
I staggered toward the food court, where I picked up a cup of something like coffee—the Khanavai version of it, anyway. I was just taking my first sip when two aliens—one tall and silvery with three breasts, and the other short with a braid hanging out of one nostril—came rushing toward me.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” the tall silvery one trilled.
“Of course it is.” The short braided one bowed, and I nodded a greeting, finally dredging up the species name for both of them.
A Poltien and a Blordl.
“I’m Amelia Rivers, if that’s who you’re looking for.”
“Yes,” the Blordl said. “I’m Drindl. Natalie sent us to find you. We have been waiting, but we must have missed you when you came out of Medical.”
“And I am Plofnid,” the Poltien added. “We can show you to your quarters. I suspect you need some sleep.”
“That would be glorious. But first, do you know where Zont is?”
The two glanced at each other and my heart clenched. Surely nothing had happened to him while I had been off saving other people? I didn’t think I could forgive myself if that were the case.
“He’s already asleep in your quarters,” Drindl said.
I glanced between the two of them. “Our quarters? And whose idea was that?” I knew it couldn’t have been Vos’s—he was still under sedation. We had managed to save his leg, but only barely. He would probably walk with a limp forever, but at least he would be able to walk.
Drindl’s laugh sounded like the chime of bells. “It was Natalie’s plan. She said that she knew what you would choose.”
Plofnid scowled its disapproval. “But we can arrange different quarters for you, if you like.”
I considered it for less than a hot second. “No, I think taking me to my quarters now would be perfect.”
The room they led me to was dark, and I could hear Zont breathing heavily as he slept. I tiptoed into the bathroom and figured
