“Earth.”
The man looked up at me and I knew his thoughts.
“Eva,” I murmured. “It has to be.”
“No matching has been recorded from that planet. I believe you are right.”
“How long?” I asked, already running to the lone transport pad on the outpost. It was close.
“Thirty seconds.” The guard ran beside me, the rest following behind.
I’d make it in ten. “Switch your weapons to stun. If it turns out to be my mate, I don’t want anyone to shoot her.”
The guard nodded and I glanced at the others.
“Stand back,” I boomed. “No one moves until we assess the transport.”
Hope swelled in my chest as I stopped inside the tent and watched the empty spot before me. Slowly, a body materialized and it was, indeed, Eva. Sprawled on the dark black transport pad she appeared to be asleep, she looked… fark, she looked like the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.
The two guards who had entered behind me stood down and put their weapons away. I knelt beside her and scooped her up into my arms. She wore the slip dress and nothing else. With her pressed against my chest, I could feel the rings in her nipples and the gems I’d put there before she’d returned to Earth.
The soft feel of her, the scent of her skin, the silky feel of her hair, fark, it was hard to believe she was in my arms. I’d thought I’d never see her again and yet… how had she been able to return?
I carried her back to the main tent, eager to share the good news. I wasn’t sure what to expect from those gathered, but instead of disdain or hostility on the faces of the councilors, they all looked pleased and perhaps even amazed at her return.
Stroking her hair back from her face, I talked to her, whispering in her ear and waiting for her to wake. It had taken hours the last time so I had to assume—
“Tark?” she murmured, shifting in my arms.
“Shh, gara, I’ve got you.”
Her eyes opened at the sound of my voice and she stared at me, her body stiffening. “Tark!” she repeated as she wrapped her arms around me and gripped me tightly.
Even though I could hear whispers all around us, my focus was solely on my mate.
“You came back,” I whispered into her ear.
She nodded against my chest.
“May I ensure she is well, high councilor?” Doctor Rahm asked, standing a respectable distance away.
“Gara, will you let the doctor ensure you are well after your transport?”
She stiffened. “Not another probe.”
“No. No probes. I will hold you the entire time. You traveled across the galaxy not once for me, but twice.”
“All right.”
I gave a slight head nod and Doctor Rahm held up a sensor and moved it above her body. He didn’t touch her, didn’t even look at her, only at the display on the medical unit. His eyes widened, then did another pass, then turned it to face me. I read the display and my heart leapt into my throat. Pride filled me and my chest ached.
“Gara,” I growled.
“Hmm,” she murmured.
“You… you’re—” The words caught in my throat.
“Yes.”
I didn’t want this moment when I discovered my mate was carrying my child to be shared by anyone. There was a roomful of councilors to contend with first, and then I would have her to myself. The meetings were over. We would leave Outpost Nine as soon as she was well enough to travel. Now that she was with child, I wanted her safe in the palace more than ever.
“I am well, Tark. Please, let me stand.”
Carefully, I placed her on her feet, yet kept a possessive grip about her waist. She laid her head against my side and I forced myself to look away from her and at the others in the tent.
“Lady consort,” Councilor Roark said, lowering to one knee before her. It was the traditional position of respect and honor when offering allegiance. All members of the council offered it to me at the death of my father and during my investiture.
“Lady consort,” the other members repeated together, also lowering to one knee before her.
Eva glanced at them, then up at me. “They are giving you their respect.”
“But—”
“We are glad of your return, lady consort.”
Commotion at the entrance to the tent turned everyone’s heads. Davish stepped inside with Mara. The woman ran to the stage and dropped to her knees as well.
“I am sorry, Eva—”
“Lady consort,” Roark advised.
Mara licked her lips and looked contrite. “Lady consort, I am so very sorry for how I treated you. I owe you a debt for saving my life.” Mara sounded remorseful, looked it even, however I knew her to be duplicitous.