“Not by you,” she said and started pushing away from him. She winced again as she managed to wiggle out from the retreating armor.
He put his hand on his chest where she laid.
Her blood stained his formal robes.
“No, it's alright, you go ahead, I'm good,” Adryel said, pushing yet another female ahead of herself in the line of people to be seen by the healers and the medical bots. The banquet hall had been converted into a shelter for the refugees of the galactic alliance. The ones still alive, anyway.
“Will you go?” Stron snapped at her. He'd already gotten treated. A shot of meds and a couple of quick healing patches on the small wounds rebalanced his system after the explosion.
She, however, had spent this entire time ignoring her own, much worse, injury.
And he was ready to throw her off the nearest platform.
She shook her head. “She's way more hurt than I am. She's got blood all over her face! I'm fine. I can wait.” Stron didn’t miss the hand clutched at her side.
“You need to be treated too.”
“It's a scratch. Seriously. I have a headache and small lacerations. Nothing that a medical patch won't heal in a moment.”
Why did she fight the help? He did not understand. It was not like the medical droids needed breaks, this was their purpose.
Stron shook his head. “You make me crazed.”
She shrugged. “Well, you know, it is entertaining.”
“Fine. Whatever you think. I have things to see to.”
He glanced around the secured location—where they were supposed to have a banquet and celebration for the newly chosen brides. It had been rapidly converted into a secured location. Floating beds had been set up all around the room for patients needing more care, and a triage center where minor wounds could be handled. The food from the banquet now fed those who were still able to eat.
Some of the Galactic Alliance staff were mixed in with Kantenans, trying to track down all the survivors.
Guards stood watch, while other teams went through the wreckage and looked for more survivors.
Unfortunately, the survivors had been few and far between so far. He and the female were lucky to survive the explosion at such close range. No doubt, thanks to his armor protecting them both.
From what he’d heard from Adryel, it seemed more than just her leader had fallen off the platform, but so far, they were not sure who else went down.
Right now, this whole operation needed a leader, and it looked like Stron himself was a candidate.
Khalzin had been off the platform when the second blast hit, he’d rushed his mate to a secured location. So it fell to Stron now.
“Hey, Kantenan,” she called out.
He turned back. “What?”
“Thanks.” Her voice was soft, gentle.
“For?”
“Making sure I'm not dead.”
The words touched him. He blinked, bowed slightly, and crossed his hands over his chest as he did.
She smiled back at him.
He turned on his heel and walked away.
Because if he stayed and kept talking to her, he might decide that he liked her. And he was not interested in that. Not her, anyway, who’d already proven she was a pain in his backside.
