She swallowed with effort and tapped her v-link. “Are you sure?”
Zade nodded and Yoli began summoning physicians and technicians and researchers to the lab. Soon, the space was packed with Baylans and their screens. Zade knew it was right to allow Yoli to lead. He was simply too distracted and the bond fuddled his mind. He stayed by Ash’s side. She was dying, slowly, and with each vital statistic that flicked to red on the monitor wall, his fear increased. He could not fathom losing his mate, just after he had found her.
Yoli, however, had only the feverish gleam of determination and discovery in her eyes. As time ticked by, she took deft control of the research—which should have taken five times as long to process thoroughly—and accelerated the process. He watched her command her team with skill and confidence. Here was someone he could trust to take on some of his duties, provided Ash survived.
At last, Yoli walked up to him, a vial of clear liquid held triumphantly high. She met Zade’s gaze. “This will either cure her or kill her,” warned Yoli. “I am seventy percent sure it will cure her, but you should not ignore that thirty percent.”
“Even if those numbers were reversed, I would administer it,” he said through a dry, rough throat. “She has a one hundred percent chance of dying if we do not.”
Yoli nodded gravely and handed him the vial. “May the stars be on her side,” she said.
His hand closed around it. “Thank you.” He felt shaky, numb, and hopeful as he crossed to the medicine port on the wall. He inserted the vial into the slot. As he expected, the machine analyzed it and blurted out an angry beep. The readout said: “UNKNOWN.” Zade put in his personal code to override the warning message and the antidote emptied into the tube running to Ash’s body.
Three physicians held their breath until the machine read: “ADMINISTERED.”
That was it. All they could do was wait.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ash
For the third time in her life, Ash drifted to consciousness. This time, awakening did not come with an accompanying sense of dread. In her fuzzy, in-between state, she had the sense of eagerness to be awake. She had something to do, or someone to see, and her mind stretched toward the muted noises and the shadows moving on the other side of her eyelids, rather than cringing away from them.
One voice in particular sounded familiar, and warm, and…sexy.
Zade. Her heart leapt at the recollection. Memories were returning, becoming clearer. She was on the Raplan-B, not Earth. No one had died—at least, not yet. Zade’s voice sounded strong and confident, as always. He was giving orders to people, and there were a number of others around, turning the mix of murmured voices into mush.
Slowly, she willed her eyes to open. The lids felt like they were being pulled down with lead weights. The room was dim, of course, except for the blue of herrejutable. She rememberedfeeling ill, dizzy, then throwing up. After that, she must have passed out. A glance at the readouts on the wall monitor revealed all blue and green—no yellow or red—indicating that she was in good health. She stretched, long and deep. It felt so good, and she could tell that any tubes that had been attached had been removed. That meant she had come through whatever had made her ill.
A hand closed around hers, warm and strong and large. She gathered up her strength and squeezed it. He was next to her, gazing down at her with a tender expression. “My love,” he murmured. His head lowered and his lips brushed her knuckles. “I am so pleased to see you have awakened.”
Ash took in his shining hair, gleaming like gold, and his pale, shadowed face. “I am happy to be awake.” Her mood darkened. “You look ill,” she said. “Are you okay? You didn’t catch whatever I have, did you?”
“Had. You are fully cured.” He smiled. “And I am perfectly healthy. Simply tired. It has been a trial, but Yoli found the cure for the toxin that made you ill.”
The tall female standing behind Zade made a noise in her throat and shook her head, but Zade turned to her. “You deserve full credit for this and you shall receive it. You and the team you assembled have saved countless lives.”
Yoli’s cheeks flushed. She stared at him in shock, then looked away, rapidly blinking.
“In fact, you have proven yourself capable of taking on more leadership roles on this ship, if you are willing?”
Yoli looked like she was about to faint. “Stars, yes,” she said in a strangled voice. “I have wanted that for so long.”
“Good. We will discuss it later, then. I will be stepping down from some committees.” Zade turned back to Ash; his gaze was warm and possessive and made Ash’s toes curl. “I will have other duties to attend to.”
He made it sound like her residency on the Raplan-B would be a permanent one. It was a huge step, although it did not appear to be in the slightest bit a question to her Baylan mate. In his eyes, they were bonded for life. It was something Ash had done once already and thought she’d never do again, but another go at marriage—or whatever the Baylan’s called this bond—was definitely looking better. Their gazes locked and her belly tightened.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Your vital signs have returned to normal.”
“That’s nice.” She reached for his hand and tugged him down. “Can we make all these people go away?” she asked into his ear.
He chuckled. Straightening, he waved a hand and the room cleared instantly.
“That’s better.” She sat up and looped her arms around his neck. He lifted her, carrying her carefully to his larger reju.
She kissed the underside of his cut jaw and slid her fingers into his hair, but he captured her hands and held her away from him. His brow was stern.
“You are recovering from a deadly toxin. I will not stress your body further with sex.”
