“Yes, I know, I am mortally injured, but it was worth it to die a hero, so my beloved could be proud of me and mmpphh…” Violet put her hand over his mouth.
“You are not injured, is what I said. Not in the slightest. You just tripped and fell. That’s it.”
Kroi sat up, an expression of bewilderment on his face. “No. That is not possible. I am bleeding, look. I’m covered with blood.” He plucked at his tunic, looking at her plaintively.
“Yeah, when Treffon ripped that dude’s arm off, blood splattered everywhere.”
“Oh.” Kroi looked down at the blood on his tunic. “You are right. I am not injured at all. Violet, I am not a very good warrior, am I?”
Violet considered being polite and lying, but what was the point? “Honestly, no. But there are other jobs in the pack, right?”
“I would prefer to be a teacher, like Allison. I love working with cubs. But my father wanted me to be a warrior. He said that was the only way to be worthy of a mate.”
Violet snorted. “Allison loves you, and since you’re a pretty lousy fighter, I’m sure she would rather have you be a live teacher than a dead warrior.”
Treffon walked over to them and nudged Kroi with his foot. “You have redeemed yourself in my eyes, not because you did a good job, but because you were brave and tried your best. I accept your resignation from the guard. Now get up – you look ridiculous.”
Then he held his hand out to Violet and pulled her to her feet. “Excuse me,” he said. “If you could spare a moment for a man who has been a terrible fool?”
Violet looked up at him. “Well, hello. Fancy meeting you here.”
“I came to rescue you. Where else would I be?”
He pulled her into his embrace. In between passionate kisses, he was saying something about how stupid he’d been, how he’d forced his real feelings down and hadn’t let himself sense that she was his true mate, but she definitely was, he was an idiot for not admitting it sooner, and he’d spend the rest of his life making it up to her…
“Treffon,” Violet said, putting a finger on his lips to shush him.
“Yes, my beloved?”
“Could you please just shut up and kiss me some more?”
* * * * *
Zura and Voljaki and Allison were waiting by the landing pad when Treffon landed Madok’s ship later that afternoon.
“It took you a long time to return,” Zura chided them as they walked down the ship’s ramp. “I was worried. What were you doing?”
Violet blushed red as she glanced at Treffon. “Talking,” she muttered.
“Oh, the human’s face is changing color. That means she is embarrassed because she was having sex with my cousin,” Zura explained to Voljaki.
“Why would that embarrass her? She is his true mate.” Voljaki looked confused. “She should be embarrassed if she isnothaving sex him.” He stroked Zura’s arm. “For instance, I have not heard your cries of pleasure since early this morning, and I am very…embarrassed.”
“Aieee! I can’t hear you! La la la la…” Violet covered her ears.
“Of course you can hear us, otherwise you would not be turning the color of a snarfleberry,” Zura said. “Humans say strange things all the time. Oh, by the way, where are the Eeplings? We have someone who wants to meet them.”
Dorcas came barreling down the ramp, followed by the Eeplings and the rest of Treffon’s men.
“They locked me in a room for two hours,” Dorcas said indignantly to Zura. “So rude! Why, I’ve half a mind— My goodness, what is that?”
A group of Eeplings were hurrying towards them. To Violet’s shock, they were half the size of the Eeplings from the resettlement center. They were accompanied by a slender, purple-skinned woman with antennae, and a half a dozen squat, bumpy-skinned aliens who wore uniforms and blasters. They hurled themselves at the Eeplings who were with Violet, and there were hugs and shrill cries of joy.
“We had the grownup Eeplings with us all along!” Violet exclaimed in shock. “That’s why they were travelling without a teacher or guards! But how did they get separated from their children?”
The purple-skinned woman walked up to Violet. A voice hummed inside her head.They were evacuating their colony when their ship was attacked by cyborgs, so the parents put the children on a separate ship and sent them away. Then they fled directly through the cyborg fleet, to draw the attackers after them.
Violet blanched. “I can hear you in my head, but your lips aren’t moving. How are you doing that?”
