"Aran."
I nodded in reply, then explained everything to Miranda. I stood and held her hand as she had the NPU inserted in the bone of her temple, just behind her ear.
Noah began to fuss in Tracen's arms. "He's probably hungry."
"Yes," Tracen replied. "I'm surprised he's not asleep. All of you. The first time you transported, you slept when we came to meet you."
"I did?" I wasn't even aware of their visit.
"Yes, our son is very possessive. I can see why."
"Better?" I asked Miranda, once she started to look around wide-eyed, understanding everyone in the med unit.
She smiled now, much more at ease. "Wow. It's amazing. Thank you." When the baby fussed again, she said, "Do you have infant formula here? Natalie does her best to feed him, but he's a hungry little monster and her body just can't keep up."
Tracen was cooing and nuzzling her grandson, and didn't bother lifting her head as she answered. "I do not know what infant formula is, but I've raised two children. We will make sure you have everything you need."
My shoulders sagged. Was it really going to be this easy? I couldn't believe it. Roark would be completely healed by this time tomorrow, and I'd finally have the family I'd always dreamed of.
Roark's father turned to Miranda. "I am surprised you accompanied Natalie on such a great journey."
I had no idea what the protocols would be, but I wanted her protected, so I interrupted before Miranda could respond. "She's my friend and Noah loves her. I couldn't leave her behind."
"Of course not." Tracen smiled and hugged Miranda with one arm, Noah in the other. Noah squealed with excitement, his hunger temporarily forgotten, as he focused on Miranda's face. He truly did love her, as she'd helped me care for him from the day we brought him home from the hospital. "Welcome to the family, Miranda. You belong to us now, and we will protect you as we do Natalie and Noah."
Miranda blinked slowly, letting everything sink in, especially now that she understood. I smiled at her like I had a thousand times before, like sisters, and she smiled back. "Thank you."
Tracen let her go, but Noah screeched and reached his chubby little arms for the familiar comfort of Miranda's arms.
Reluctantly, Tracen let him go.
"He just doesn't know you yet," I hurried to reassure her.
"Oh, I know, dear. Don't worry. That won't be the case for long."
Behind her, Roark's father chuckled, pulling his mate backward and wrapping his arms around her. "He will love you, gara, as your son and I do."
She turned to look up at her mate and the love I saw shining between them made my heart skip a beat. So much love, after so many years. My parents had never looked at each other the way these two aliens did. Not once.
Seton cleared his throat behind me, where I'd completely forgotten him. "My apologies, my lady, but we should get you to a more secure location for the night. All of you."
I turned to look at him, but was immediately distracted by the sight of Roark's unconscious form inside the pod thing. "I want to stay with him." I couldn't leave his side. Not again. Especially since the bad guys-what else was there to call them?-wanted the medallion and I had it. With Miranda here, and Roark's parents, I knew Noah would be safe and protected. Roark, however, was alone. I didn't want him to be alone. I wanted my face to be the first thing he saw when he awoke.
Turning to Miranda, I was prepared to plead, but she was already shaking her head. "No problem, Natalie. I can handle Noah for one night. Stay with Roark. He needs you."
Seton stepped forward on my left. "He is unconscious, my lady. He will not even know you are here. You should rest."
I opened my mouth to protest, but my gaze met Tracen's before I could form the words I needed to argue.
"Let her stay, Seton. He'll know she's here. Trust me. He'll know. The guards can escort her should she wish to come to Noah at any time."
Seton crossed his arms, one eyebrow raised, and looked to Roark's father, who shrugged. "Don't look at me, Seton. They are matched. And our females are stubborn. You can't win this argument." He looked at his son in the pod, his eyes clouding with anger. "Unless you are worried for her safety here. Can you protect her? Roark will have both our heads if anything happens to his mate."
Seton unfolded his arms. "Yes. I have more than enough guards to protect two locations. But Miranda and Noah will need to stay with you. I do not have enough men I trust to guard three locations."
"Of course, she'll come with us." Tracen slipped from her mate's arms and went to Miranda's side, wrapping her hands around the younger woman's arm. "Come with us, dear. The guest room at our house has a nice, soft bed, and we'll get Noah fed and settled. Then you can get some rest. How you are still awake after transport I have no idea."
I stepped forward and kissed Noah's soft, downy head before waving Miranda and my new in-laws away. Seton stayed by my side, nodding to a group of guards who saluted and followed my new family out of the medical unit and into a hallway. I had no idea what time it was, but I was exhausted, just as Tracen had said. First, Roark had kept me up half the night making love, then I'd woken before dawn, the attack, the panic, the rush to Miami. And the transport halfway across the galaxy.
I deserved to be tired, right?
Maybe they had one of those pods for exhausted new mothers?
"May I have a chair or something?" I asked Seton.
"Of course." He hurried to the side of the room and brought a chair to me where I stood next to Roark's unconscious form. We were not in a sandy tent, more like a surgical suite in a major hospital. The floors were something like concrete, the walls stone. Everything was sterile and solidly built. "Where are we?"
"Xalia City," Seton answered. "This is the capital of the southern continent, and where Councilor Roark keeps his permanent home."
Whatever. We weren't in the desert, and that worked for me. I had to assume Xalia was a large city, or at least a city with walls.
"Thank you." I sat in the strange sling-style chair. It looked like it folded up for easy transport, but it was soft and comfortable. I curled my legs up underneath me, reassured by the heavy weight of the dagger tucked into my boot, and laid my head on my arms, watching my mate, willing him to know I was here.
"I'm here, Roark. I won't leave your side."
Seton paced behind me. The doctor was working on something on a panel a few steps away. I assumed he was monitoring Roark's healing process, but had no idea what he was truly doing. At the room's entrance, two guards stood at attention. Everyone else was gone.
I turned to look up Seton. "Two guards? Are there more outside?"
"Yes. Do not worry, my lady. I have a full dozen guards surrounding the transport station, and another dozen with your son. Commander Loris is in charge of protecting the station and he is a trusted and well-trained officer."
I didn't care who was in charge. And twelve didn't feel like enough, not after what I'd been through the last time I was on this planet. To him, it had only been ten days, but to me, it felt like a lifetime had passed. "Are there Drovers nearby?"
"No. We are not at Outpost Two. You are in the north, my lady, in a large city. The nearest Drover territory is hundreds of miles from here. You are safe."
Hundreds of miles sounded good, but I wished it were thousands. Millions. But I'd been ten light years away and danger still found me.
"Okay." I returned my attention to Roark.
"Are you hungry?" Seton asked.
To my surprise, my stomach lurched at his question. I was starving. "Yes. Thank you."
Seton bowed and ordered a guard to bring me something to eat. I ate quickly, the warm stew mild but filling. The vegetables were odd, but tasty, and I finished two bowls and a chunk of bread in record time. Stomach full, Roark safe, my eyelids began to drift closed and my head dipped, falling as I slipped into slumber repeatedly.
"My lady." Seton's soft voice didn't fool me. He was going to order me to go lie down somewhere and rest.
"No. I won't leave him."
Seton sighed, and I lifted my arms to the side of Roark's pod, rested my head on my arms and promptly fell asleep in my chair.
Chapter Fourteen
Natalie
Interplanetary transport gave a whole new meaning to "jet lag". My head felt heavy and cloudy as I fought my way out of slumber. The chair I sat in was pressed to the side of Roark's healing pod, and I lifted my head quickly to make sure he was still all right, still healing. But the transparent screen must have had another layer because I couldn't see him anymore. The window into the pod was covered in a thick black screen. I couldn't even tell if he was still in there. The machine still hummed beneath my arms though.