For a moment, there was silence in the med bay.
“Lycen?”Skyla whispered.
“And Elio!” Dax cried.
“Did anyone...” Marcus trailed off, question hanging in the air.
“No! Never,” Skyla vowed.
“No clue. But then, I’m kinda clueless sometimes,” Dax shrugged.
Marcus coughed. “I can’t argue with that, son. But I must say... I think you could have knocked me down with a whisker.”
“Morning, Marcus. Why so startled?” Jaxson and Kaylie entered the med bay.
“Nothing. Nothing. Something medically confidential.” Marcus quickly closed the tab on his screen.
“Ah, gotcha. Okay, love of mine. Have a good day at work. Save the species. Rebuild the population and all that,” Jaxson leaned down and gave Kaylie a lingering kiss.
“Ohhh! It’s true!” Skyla squealed and jumped, running to hug Jaxson. “I’m so happy for you! Kaylie, you’re getting one of the best guys in the whole universe! I’d saythebest, but I think he’s tied with Dax.” She gave him a long look over her shoulder.
“Ah. Cupid’s been busy.” Jaxson gave a knowing nod.
“Love must have been in the air last night,” Kaylie agreed with a blush. “You’d better run along, babe. Lycen will come and hunt you down if you’re late to start the short-range shuttle overhauls.”
“You’re right, I’d better— Oop.” Jaxson paused as he began to walk out of the med bay, pulling his comm device from his pocket. “Hey. It’s from Lycen. ‘Sorry, boss. Taking a day off.Important personal business to attend to.’ That’s not like her. She never misses a day of work.”
“Something must have come over her,” Marcus said with a straight face.
“Or in her,” Dax muttered, shaking his head in awe. Skyla elbowed him.
“I’ll have Nessa help out, it’ll be fine. Although I do need to run by the freight hangar and get my parts from Elio. I think those Model M Short Range—hold on. Oh, speak of the devil. It’s Elio.” Jaxson looked at his comm again.
“Surprise, surprise,” murmured Marcus, his whiskers twitching.
“He says my stuff is in the hangar and he’s going to give me an access code so I can pick it up myself. He has... Huh. He has ‘important personal business’ and is taking the day off.” Jaxson put his comm down and stared at the three medical members of the crew. “Is there something contagious on board?” he demanded, stepping closer to Kaylie, putting a protective arm over her shoulder, face suddenly tense.
“Yep. The love bug,” Dax blurted. “And there’s no shot to ward it off, apparently.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure that ashotisn’t involved,” Marcus sighed with a smile. “I think some cosmic Cupid has been shooting his arrows all over this ship—and I, for one, am damn pleased about it. Don’t the four of you agree?”
Jaxson looked at Kaylie, who beamed up at him. “Couldn’t have put it better myself, Doc.”
Dax took Skyla’s hand. “I’m all for it. Think we should make it a celebration every year, babe?”
Skyla cuddled into his side and leaned her head against his. “Definitely.”
Taken by the Tigerite
Fall in love with the alien from the galaxy next door...
Talos is unhappy working aboard theComet Stalkerwith a mixed crew of Leonids, Felids, and humans. Leonids and other Felids live in prides and packs, but Tigerites are solitary creatures who long to find just one soul to share their lives with. The problem? The female he’s fallen in love with is terrified of him—and she’s a human.
Wendy survived a horrible ordeal back on Sapien-Three. Nightmares still haunt her, even though her adopted family aboard theComet Stalkerpromises she’s safe.
When Wendy’s troubled past invades her mind, she can’t believe aloof, taciturn Talos, the Tigerite who can barely stand to be in the same room with her, is the one who offers her a way out.
Can a journey to the remote jungles of Tigerite-Seven heal Wendy’s broken mind—and Talos’ broken heart?
