“Everyone prepare for speed acceleration!”
Suddenly LemAN was next to her, strapping her in. This was different than the last time but they were also going through at a faster rate, like a speeding bullet caught up in a tornado.
Inside the wormhole was full of incredible, swirling colors despite the entrance appearing dark. She felt weird but it was because of their speed which added to the inertia she felt.
They were out on the other side in minutes and she was grateful to be sitting down because she was overwhelmed with dizziness.
“Commander, the transport is dead in space!”
What? She looked up at the monitor and saw the Morin transport doing nothing. The Katieran warships had inflicted some serious damage on it. “Wow.”
“Get me Prime Commander ConEL.”
“He’s on the line, Commander.”
“What’s the status of the captured transport?”
“Most of those left on board the ship are dead or suffered severe injuries. We believe that some of the crew used shuttles to flee while inside the wormhole. Did you encounter any of them or their warships?”
LemAN growled. “We accelerated our speed so it’s possible we passed them.”
Teagan frowned. “Why would they abandon their transport? They couldn’t possibly make it very far on shuttles and warships without refueling.”
“Prime Commander, do you have anyone on board that transport who can get answers?”
“Stand by.”
The next thing Teagan saw was a huge flash as the Morin transport blew up. The fire and debris blew outward and hit their transport, knocking them off kilter. Alarms went off and the lights were flashing. She would have fallen to the floor if she had not been strapped in. Many of the others were not so lucky.
“LemAN?” she called out. She sighed in relief when she saw him get to his feet.
He glanced her way before calling out, “Damage report?”
“Hull damage and part of the docking bay has been hit. All power is being rerouted to life support and shutting off corridors that are too close to damaged areas.”
“Any crew casualties?”
“None.”
“Hail Prime Commander ConEL and Commander Kayley to check on their state.”
“Both report minor damages.”
Teagan sat there still reeling from what had happened while LemAN gave orders to his crew and checked the updated status on the docking bay. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there but jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at LemAN’s concerned expression.
“What?”
“Let me take you to the medic wing.”
“Why? I’m not hurt.” She tried to unbuckle her strap but couldn’t. LemAN leaned down to help.
“Baby, you’re shaking.”
“I am?” She looked at her hands and, sure enough, they were trembling really bad. No wonder she couldn’t unhook her strap. “It’s just shock.”
He lifted her in his arms and carried her off the command bridge despite her protests that she was fine. Giving up arguing with him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
It felt so good to be in his arms. He was unhurt, she was unhurt, and that was all that mattered. She whispered against his ear, “I love you, LemAN.”
He looked down at her in surprise and then his face lit up with joy but he didn’t say it back. It was a little disappointing but she understood his reservations. He’d lost a mate and child, and that kind of devastation was hard to get past. She would be patient with him and love him until he felt safe enough to love her back. He was worth the wait.
*****
LemAN tightened his grip on his mate as he carried her to the medic wing. He had to fight his instincts to go to her as he gave orders. He had to make sure the ship was secure or they could face an attack if another Morin transport was close by.
There was no way that the Morins would abandon their transport in deep space without having backup. This was not the last they’d seen of the Morins—not by a long shot.
