Nikhil(33)

"Shit!" she exclaimed quietly. Here she was looking at her hair, worrying about the way Nikhil's shirt fit, about him not liking her kissing him, and she hadn't given one thought to her friends! Where were they? How were they? Were they being treated well? Had they discovered Jen yet? Spinning around, she went to find Nikhil and get some answers.

She found him in the outer room, dressed in his full uniform with the complete accompaniment of weapons from the day before, minus the sword strapped to his back. But it lay just within reach. He had an array of silver packets sitting on the table in front of him.

Nikhil heard the door to the cleansing room open and turned to let her know where he was. But the words remained lodged in his throat. He'd never known a mere storm covering would look so sexy on a female. On his female. The material was made to conform to the wearer’s body, preventing the elements of the storm from harming the wearer. But this... It accentuated every curve, every line of the beautiful body he had cleansed last night. Goddess! She was beautiful. The crackling of a packet being crushed in his hands brought him out of his daze.

"Which would you like?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm fine," she replied even though her stomach growled quietly in protest. "I need to know about the others."

"The others?"

"Yes. Where are they? Are they okay? Have they gotten anything to eat?"

"Mackenzie, I am sure they are fine."

"You're sure. That means you don't know they are. My God, they must be worried out of their minds about me. I need to get to them."

"I know that all the survivors are being kept in one area. I know that they have been fed, allowed to cleanse, and given places to rest. I know that if any were in dire condition, the warrior in charge of them would have brought them to Luol for treatment. None were while you were there."

"How can you know all that?"

"Because it has been the procedure for the survivors we found at the other sites."

"Other sites... you mean there were more places... more mines...”

"Yes," he told her quietly, wanting to hit himself for revealing that. Especially when he saw her pale.

"How many?"

"Yours was the sixth one we found."

"Six...?”

"We believe we have found them all."

"Why?"

"Because no more Zaludian ships have attempted to approach Pontus since our arrival six weeks ago. We have learned they arrived once a month to retrieve the mined crystals and restock the sites."

"Then why were they still having us mine?"

"That I do not know, but I'm sure the General will discover it from the Zaludian survivors."

"Some survived?"

"I would think so, although I do not know that for truth. There were some from other sites."

"And were there any other humans found?"

"No, Mackenzie. You were the first of your kind we found." He lifted the packet again. "Will you eat now?"

"I need to know they are okay." Her eyes pleaded with his, and Nikhil found he could refuse her nothing. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to get his way too.

"I can contact the warrior in charge and find out, but only if you eat while I do. You have been through a great deal."

"So have they."

"Yes, but you are the only one I'm concerned about." Nikhil refused to back down in this. She was his True Mate, and hopefully one day his Ashe, and while it seems he had done some things wrong in caring for her, this he would do right.

"Alright," she finally said. Sitting down, she chose a packet.

"Let me help...” He reached out to take it from her, but her look stopped him.

"I saw how you did it last night." She pinched the dot. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"I never thought you were. I was just trying to help."

"Help by finding out about my friends. You said you would if I ate." She ripped the top off the pouch, grabbed one of the utensils on the table, and began to eat.

Nikhil unclipped the comm he carried at his waist and contacted Warrior Parlan.

Parlan had just finished enjoying his first meal when his comm rang. "Parlan," he answered, his displeasure at being contacted before going on duty easily heard.

"Warrior Parlan, this is Squad Leader Kozar."

Parlan sat up straighter hearing who was contacting him. Squad Leader Kozar was someone you didn't want to be on the wrong side of; not even him. For not only was Nikhil the largest among them, but he was also one of the strongest. He never said more than needed saying, letting his skill with the sword, blaster, and blade speak for him. His manno was also in the employ of Minister Descarga, one of the most influential and respected ministers in the Empire. Not even Parlan's own connection with Minister Stepney would help him if he offended Descarga.