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Her small size didn’t fool Eden. Carolanes were small but lethal if you got on their wrong side. Despite her cute looks and short stature, if Jendar got a group of her buddies together, you wouldn’t stand a chance.

“They’re a violent nation. Cunning. Not to be trusted,” Jendar said.

“It’s not our first encounter with them,” Blaze said.

“Don’t worry about your friends. We’ve got incredible medical facilities here. We work rehab magic on anyone who needs it. We’ll patch up your guys. Hopefully, with a few days’ rest, we can get their ships repaired and they can fly out of here.” Jendar’s smile was reassuring. “Now, how about you let us take a peek at our new arrivals?”

“Of course,” Eden said. “They’ll be glad to get out of their pens.”

Jendar grinned again, exposing tiny pointed teeth. “We can’t wait to get them to their new homes. I hope you can stick around for a few days. We’ve got the eastern lights tomorrow.”

“I’m not sure how long we’ll be here.” Eden made a point of not looking at Blaze. “Work is intense on the Apocalypse.”

“You must stay. Spend time with the animals, explore our beautiful home, and by the looks of things, get that ship repaired.” Jendar gestured to the side of their vessel.

Eden looked over the hull of the ship and grimaced. It was damaged in several places by laser strikes. They weren’t leaving here anytime soon.

“Sure, we can stay. Thanks for the offer,” Blaze said.

“Perfect. So, are there any health concerns we need to worry about?” Jendar followed Blaze as he led her up the docking ramp.

Eden stayed a few paces back and let the rest of the team go on board in front of her. How could he be so calm? Her insides were in turmoil, but he seemed unaffected by what had happened between them.

She gritted her teeth. She had to take a step back and get her thoughts in place. And work was the perfect distraction. There were thirty animals to take care of. That she could handle.

They’d just brought out the first five pens when a convoy of ships arrived in the docking bay.

“Holy crap.” Eden’s mouth fell open as she looked at the smoking wreck of one ship. “That’s Gunner’s ship. How did he survive that?” She dashed over, joining three members of the Tiavac medical team.

“This looks bad.” Blaze joined her, his expression tight as his gaze ran over the hulls of the ruined ships.

“Blaze, look at the front of Ranger’s ship.” Eden’s throat tightened. The nose was missing and the protective shielding over the window was splintered.

Blaze hissed air through his teeth. “He’s one lucky bastard if he gets to walk away from this.”

A pilot from the ship that had towed in Ranger’s wreck raced over and forced open the docking ramp. The waiting medical team hurried inside.

Eden went to go in too, but Blaze grabbed her arm and shook his head.

“It may not be a pretty sight.”

“It’s Ranger! He got injured helping us.”

“And the medical team will help him. He’s not going to want to see you if he’s injured. The guy’s got an ego the size of the planet Giantithon.”

Blaze was right. Ranger was your typical alpha Apexian. He loved nothing more than getting into a skirmish and coming out the other side with a cocky smile on his face.

They waited in silence for ten tense minutes until the medical team came out with a stretcher between them.

Eden gasped. Ranger’s body was covered, so she couldn’t see the extent of his injuries, but his face was bloody, and he was unconscious. “We were lucky to get out alive.”

Blaze nodded, his lips pressed together as Ranger was carried away. “They sacrificed themselves so we could get these animals to safety.”

Wilder was brought out next. He was barely conscious.

Gunner was the last to leave. He was just about able to stand but was clutching his side and limping badly.

“Hey, Gunner. What happened up there?” Eden said.