"Sister," she said, then shrugged. "Well, cousin really."
"Her sister," Kirr called back, then grinned at Harper. "Cousin."
He winked.
Despite everything, she smiled. How did he do that? How did he make her smile when her entire world was falling apart?
"Stabilized," Kellat's voice came from the back, with that same flowing accent Kirr had. "But I want her in the healers' hall right away. The internal injuries are extensive."
Her throat tightened. Shit. Extensive internal injuries.
"We're down," Kirr said, already unbuckling. "Emergency medical standing by. Ramp descending."
He spoke into his comm unit, rapid-fire words in that other language. She listened, confused, as the sounds washed over her without meaning. Wait. She'd understood him before. Understood both of them. But now?—
"Why can't I understand you?" The question came out before she could stop it.
He paused halfway out of his seat. "I was speaking Terran before. Now I'm not." He stood, moving to help her unbuckle. "You'll need a translation matrix fitted once we're in medical. Then you'll understand everything."
His hands were gentle as he worked the restraints, careful not to jostle her injured ribs. This close, she saw that his hair wasn’t fully orange, it had strands of red, yellow and gold through it. Like living flames.
Who was this man? This warrior who'd pulled her from wreckage, called her "little one" and made her feel safe for the first time in longer than she could remember?
The shuttle ramp dropped with a hiss. Sound and light flooded in… voices shouting in that language, equipment rattling, footsteps echoing off metal floors.
Her breath caught. Too much. Too fast.
But Kirr was there, his hand settling on her shoulder through his jacket. "I've got you. Stay close."
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
Delilah's stretcher moved past them, Kellat calling out instructions to the medical team that materialized around them. At least a dozen Latharians in matching uniforms surrounded them.
Harper stumbled after them, Kirr a solid presence at her side. The docking bay was enormous, the size of a football field, filled with shuttles and equipment and more of them than she'd ever seen in one place. Latharians.
They all looked human, she noted with a start. Tall, yes. Broad-shouldered and muscular in ways humans rarely achieved naturally. Eyes in colors humans didn't have… that she couldn’t even begin to describe. But human in shape and structure. Just… Bigger. Much bigger.
The corridor they entered was wide enough for six people to walk abreast, the ceiling high overhead. Harper's wet shoes squeaked on the polished floor as she hurried to keep up with Delilah’s stretcher and the medical team. Her ribs throbbed with each step, her head felt stuffed with cotton, but she couldn't stop. Couldn't let Delilah out of her sight.
Latharians moved around them, some in uniform, others in what looked like civilian clothes. A few glanced at her with curiosity, but most paid no attention, caught up in their own business.
Her eyes darted everywhere, trying to take it all in. Doors marked with symbols she didn't recognize. Lights that seemed to glow from the walls themselves rather than fixtures. The subtle hum of technology she couldn't identify. This was real. Actually real. She was on a space station, following her dying cousin to medical, and the only thing keeping her upright was the warrior at her side.
The medical team turned a corner and she followed, Kirr's hand steady on her back. Through a set of double doors into a space that had to be medical. The smells hit her first—antiseptic and something else, something almost herbal. Equipment lined the walls, some recognizable, most foreign.
"This way." Kellat's voice cut through the chaos, directing his team toward what looked like an operating theater. The walls were transparent. Some kind of see-through material that let them observe from outside.
They wheeled Delilah through another set of doors and Harper couldn't see her anymore. Couldn't see anything but medical personnel shutting her out.
Her legs gave out.
Kirr caught her before she hit the floor, strong arms wrapping around her as he pulled her up against his broad chest. "I've got you," he murmured against her hair. "I've got you."
She clutched at his bare chest, his skin warm under her hands, and let herself lean into him. Just for a moment. Just until the world stopped spinning.
The medical bay hummed around them, strange and terrifying. She closed her eyes. Kirr was solid and warm and real, and that was enough. It had to be enough.
Because Delilah was in there fighting for her life, and Harper was out here, helpless to do anything but wait.
