"What?"
"She wears Nikhil's True Mate bead."
"What?!! Impossible!" Luol just raised an eyebrow at him. "Show me!" Gryf ordered.
Luol led the Commander into the darkened room that contained the deep-repair unit. He understood Gryf's disbelief, and if he hadn't witnessed it himself, Luol knew he would be just as disbelieving. Ashe's were precious enough to a Kaliszian. Finding one meant the male could have healthy offspring with her. Something that wasn't possible with every female a male gave his seed to. But if one of them were to die, the survivor could still carry on, might even find another Ashe or Dasho.
A True Mate was something entirely different. True Mates were the greatest gift the Goddess could give a Kaliszian. The bond would bind them together for life. If one died, the other would soon follow.
It was whispered that with just a look, True Mates could know what the other was thinking. With just a touch, could feel what the other was feeling. It was whispered because, since the start of the Great Infection, there hadn't been a single pair of True Mates.
"Why is the room darkened?" Gryf demanded.
Luol just shrugged, and turned the lights up slightly, "It seemed appropriate."
Gryf slowly walked across the room, his gaze moving from the tiny body in the repair unit to the enormous one sitting next to it, a giant hand seemingly touching the still one. "Squad Leader."
Slowly, Nikhil looked away from his True Mate to Gryf. "Commander," he said, not rising in respect to Gryf's higher position, and Gryf's eyes widened slightly. Nikhil was always respectful.
"What is going on here, Squad Leader? I gave you permission to bring the female to the Healer, not to remain. Why have you not returned to your duties?"
"I couldn't leave her. She needs me," the quiet words shocked Gryf as did the look in the much larger male's eyes. Nikhil rarely showed much emotion. He was the strongest and most silent of the Elite Warriors. He never gave away what he truly thought, but right now his eyes screamed for Gryf's understanding.
"She has Healer Luol," Gryf told him harshly. "You are not required here. You will return to your duties."
"No! I won't leave her! She is my True Mate and she is injured!" Nikhil's voice rose as he did, his fist clenching as he tried to control his rage.
"You will do as I ordered..."
A gut-wrenching scream had all the males freezing, and Luol running to the repair unit. Inside the unit, the female was violently thrashing her arms, hitting the dome while her feet kicked.
"Luol! What is going on?" Nikhil questioned.
"She's scared out of her mind," Luol told him looking at the readings. "You are angry, and speaking a language she doesn't understand? Talk to her before she injures herself."
"Little One. Calm. Please calm."
"In Zaludian, Nikhil!" Luol ordered, and Nikhil immediately complied, but it didn't seem to help.
"Luol. Help her!" Nikhil begged.
"I can't give her halcyon. I don't know what affect it will have on one so small. It could kill her. She needs you, Nikhil. Get ready."
"Get ready? Ready for what?"
"I'm ending the treatment, and I am going to open the dome. It will be up to you to subdue her."
"Subdue?"
"Calm her! Hold her! She needs your touch. You are the only one she knows." Pressing the release, the dome opened, and Nikhil was there, caging the thrashing bundle in with his massive arms and chest, grunting slightly at the strength of the blows she was landing. His True Mate might be small, but even in this condition, she was a fighter.
"Calm, Little One," he whispered in Zaludian, his lips grazing the delicate shell of her ear. "I'm here, Mackenzie. I've got you. All is fine. There is nothing to fear. My vow."
With each statement, the bundle beneath him struggled a little less until she finally stilled. Nikhil lifted his head to find confused, dark brown eyes gazing up at him.
"It is alright, Mackenzie. I am sorry I frightened you. It was not my intent. It will never be my intent."
"Ni... Nikhil?" came the broken whisper.
"Yes, Little One." Nikhil's voice broke slightly, realizing she had heard him speaking to her. "I am Nikhil. You are Mackenzie, and you are safe."
"The Zaludians?"
"Will never harm you again." He watched her lick her dry lips.
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
"You arrived over six hours ago."
"What about the others? What about J..." she trailed off, and Nikhil turned his head to look at Gryf.
"The other ten human males are here."
"Ten...” she whispered.
"Should there be more?"