Nikhil(10)

"No." Her quick response had all three males frowning, but before Gryf could ask anything else, a cough racked her small body.

"Water!" Nikhil ordered, then carefully helped her sit up and placed the glass, Luol had brought, to her lips.

The first sip tasted like ambrosia to Mac, and she quickly covered the large hand holding the glass with both of hers, trying to tip it higher. Some of it ran down her chin as she greedily gulped it down.

"Easy, Little One, there is plenty."

"How long has it been since you've had water?" Luol asked quietly.

"I don't know. Since the Zaludians discovered me."

"How long ago was that? How long have you been on Pontus? Where did the Zaludians find you?" Gryf's rapid-fire questions had the glass slipping from Mac's hands as she sank deeper into Nikhil's embrace, trembling.

"Enough, Commander!" Nikhil ordered, catching the glass. "You're scaring her."

"I must agree with Squad Leader Kozar, Commander. She has only just regained consciousness and is not yet ready to answer questions. Maybe tomorrow, after she's eaten, rested, and cleansed."

Gryf opened his mouth to argue, when one of the energy crystals flared slightly, reflecting off Nikhil's True Mate bead in her hair. Snapping his mouth shut, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

Mac exhaled the breath, she hadn't known she'd been holding, when the one Nikhil called Commander had started firing questions at her. His eyes seemed to burn as he looked at her. Why? What had she ever done to him?

"Ignore Commander Gryf, Ashe Mackenzie," Luol reassured her gently. “His anger is not because of you."

"Then why? He seemed so angry at me."

"It is a story for another time. Now, Nikhil, if you will lay her back down, I would like to make sure she hasn't harmed herself."

"No!" Mac clenched at the black vest that attempted to cover Nikhil's chest.

"Ashe Mackenzie, I will not harm you."

"No! I'm not going to be restrained again! I'm not going to be poked and prodded again!"

"No, Mackenzie, no! My vow! Luol would never harm you that way!" Nikhil told her.

"Your Dasho is correct, Ashe Mackenzie. I would never harm you," Luol tried to reassure her, taking a step back to show he was no threat.

"I... I don't understand. I thought your name was Nikhil, not Dasho. And I know my name is Mackenzie Wharton. Not Ashe Mackenzie."

"It is a sign of respect for a Kaliszian," Luol quickly said, when he saw Nikhil didn't know what to say, deciding not to tell her it was a respect only given to a female wearing a male's Ashe bead or True Mate bead. "I do not know what it translates into your native language."

"Oh."

"May I use this to examine you?" Luol held up the handheld unit. It couldn't treat her as well as the deep-repair unit, but it would be better than doing nothing, and it would, at least, tell him if she had severely damaged herself.

"What are you going to do with it?" she asked.

"Just run it over you like this." He demonstrated by turning on the unit and holding it several inches above his arm and ran it along it. "It causes no pain."

She looked like she was about to refuse when Nikhil spoke.

"Please, Mackenzie. You can stay in my arms. I need to know that I have not harmed you."

Mac found she had to tip her face up, and up, and up to look into Nikhil's worried face, his eyes glowing with concern. "Why would you think you had hurt me?"

"Be... because I caged you under me, just to make sure you didn't harm yourself," he quickly added. "I am very large and..."

"You didn't hurt me, Nikhil," she frowned remembering how panicked she'd been. "If I remember it correctly, I was hitting you! Did I hurt you?"

The question stunned Nikhil. No one had ever worried about hurting him before. With that one question, he started to fall in love with his True Mate.

"I am fine, Little One." Carefully he reached up, touching her cheek, and was amazed when she tipped her head silently accepting his touch.

Luol clearing his throat had them both looking toward him. "May I?" he asked, lifting the handheld unit.

Nikhil looked down at the female that was quickly becoming his whole world. He needed her to know that he would always protect her, always put her needs first. "It is up to you, Mackenzie. I know you have been through a great deal and are still unsure of all that has occurred. But I need you to know that I would never allow anything to be done to you that would cause harm."

"If I didn't want..." she gestured to Luol, her eyes returning to Nikhil.

"Scanned," he filled in the word she was searching for, "then no, I wouldn't force you to have it done."