“Bring him to the infirmary,” Avery said. “Elise, go to Elon’s quarters and tell him he’s needed there.” Avery looked to Ivy and then at the others. “Elon is our medic. He might be of some help to you.”
“We have our own methods of healing,” Zyyr said protectively.
“I know,” Avery said. “I respect that, and we wouldn’t get in your way. But he might be of some service to you. Whatever you might need, he’ll be there to help. Please. I know that we made the wrong decision when we first came here, but I’d like to show you that we want to be a part of this with you.”
“You don’t even know what’s happening,” Ivy protested.
“Ivy,” Maxim said, quieting her. “He might not fully understand what’s happening, but he’s offering his service to us. Don’t turn your back on help. Especially when we need it the most.”
Ivy felt a hint of color splash across her cheeks. She knew that Maxim was right. She stepped back toward the lounge and rested onto it again, needing another moment to let the dizziness fade away again.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“Thank you,” Maxim said, stepping toward Avery, his hand extended in the way that Ivy had taught him to greet humans.
“Avery,” the pilot told him, taking his hand.
“My name is Maxim. Thank you, Avery.”
Elise led Zyyr out of the room and Avery followed. Maxim watched until they were gone and then turned to Ivy. He came to the lounge chair and sat on the edge, leaning over so that he could rest his head on her chest. She cupped her hand around the back of his head and relaxed with the feeling of his breaths traveling across her skin.
“Where’s Nylek?” Lila suddenly asked.
Ivy’s eyes snapped open and she looked at Maxim, who had sat up sharply.
“Nylek didn’t find you?” she asked.
“No,” Maxim said. “He wasn’t here when we left.”
“He showed up just a little while later,” Ivy said. “He insisted that he go to the quarry to help you. He figured that he would either get there while you were still there or he would meet you somewhere along the way. You didn’t find him?”
“No,” Maxim said, starting to sound nervous. “He’s still out there somewhere. The hybrids might have found him by now. I have to go find him.”
Maxim jumped up and Ivy reached for him, grabbing him by his wrist and trying to pull him back down to her. The thought of him going back out into the darkness was terrifying. She needed him there with her. She didn’t want to be left alone in the shuttle again, pacing and waiting, helpless and ineffective.
“I can’t leave him out there alone,” Maxim said. “He left his mate and his home to come with us and help. We can’t abandon him.”
Ivy knew that he was right. Nylek was one of their number, a warrior who offered himself into service of his king even though he wasn’t a part of the initial journey that had brought them there. If he was still out in the desert, he could be in serious danger, and they had to do whatever they could to return that courage. Maxim disappeared into the chambers deeper in the shuttle and came back wearing a thick cloak that he must have gotten from his pod.
“Lynx,” he called. The warrior came out of the kitchen and Maxim tossed him another cloak. “Nylek is still out there. We need to go find him. Rain, could you please get Elise and ask her to unlock the door?”
“I can do it,” Avery said, stepping back into the room. “Kyven is resting,” he said. “He’s in the infirmary and they were able to clean his wounds and apply ointments deeper in his skin. Elon put some sutures in, which should help them heal more quickly. He’s resting now.”
“Thank you, Avery,” Maxim said.
He tightened the tie of the cloak around his neck and came back to Ivy. He stroked his fingertips along the curve of her jaw and looked into her eyes.
“I will be back as soon as I can,” he said. “Go to bed. I need to know that you are safe and warm, and you need to sleep.”
“Maxim,” she started, but he leaned down and touched his lips to hers to quiet the words.
“I’ll be back,” he whispered. “Go to bed. I love you.”
“I love you,” Ivy whispered.
She watched as Avery went to the panel and input the code that unlocked the door. Maxim and Lynx stepped out and before they were even off the stairs, the former pilot closed the door again and locked it. He turned toward Ivy and she could see hope in his eyes. Despite Maxim’s admonishment, she still couldn’t bring herself to trust the man. Without saying a word to him, she stood and walked in the direction of the infirmary, hoping that she wouldn’t encounter Elise along the way. She wanted to take a shower and change into fresh clothes so that she could slip into bed and drift away until Maxim was back with her.
****
Maxim dropped to his knees in the sand beside the form lying face down beneath a long black cloak. He tucked his hand beneath the form and flipped it over, revealing Nylek’s face. Lynx knelt on his other side and lifted his head, feeling his neck for a pulse.
“He’s alive,” he said. “Check for injuries.”
Maxim ran his hands down Nylek’s arm and then along his chest and stomach. He felt something cold and wet against his hand and looked down to see blood shining on his hand in the moonlight. Even with his hand rested directly on the warrior’s chest Maxim could barely feel his breaths, and he knew that they needed to get him back to the shuttle immediately if they were going to have any chance of saving him. Lynx scooped Nylek into his arms and they started back to the shuttle. As they went, Maxim’s mind wandered to Ivy and the baby that she was carrying. Being a father was never something that he had considered before, but now that it was happening, it felt completely natural, as though it was something that was always there but he only now discovered it. Suddenly his entire world was focused in on two heartbeats and for now those hearts beat together, ensconced within the same protective body. Someday, though, they would be separate and all his love would have to exist in two places.
By the time that they got Nylek back to the shuttle, his breathing had stopped completely. Maxim pounded on the door, calling in to Avery or Elise to let them in. As soon as the door opened, Lynx rushed Nylek to the infirmary. Maxim watched as Elon left Kyven’s side and came to the bed where Lynx had placed Nylek’s limp and unresponsive body. He felt a shudder deep within him as Elon cut away Nylek’s clothes and reached for pieces of equipment that were attached to the wall and ceiling. He attached them to Nylek’s chest and the insides of his wrists, then pressed a button. The warrior’s body arched, but fell limp again. Maxim tried not to think of what happened to him when he was out in the desert, to wonder what had caused the deep gash that he could now see meandering across his stomach and up to his chest, to feel the guilt crushing down on him that Nylek had left the safety of the shuttle to come to him and he had never found him. As hard as he tried, though, Maxim couldn’t push away the thought in his mind, wondering if Nylek had called out to his mate as he collapsed to the ground and lay dying in the cold.
Suddenly there was a gurgling sound from the bed and Nylek’s chest expanded as he filled it with a deep breath.
“Is he going to be alright?” Maxim asked.
“That’s still left to be seen,” Elon said. “For now, he’s breathing and his heart’s beating. If I can keep him stable for a while longer, I can attempt surgery on his wound. If he survives that, his next challenge will be getting through the night. After that, he has a good chance.”
Maxim nodded and stepped over to Kyven’s bed. He looked down at his brother, grateful for the look of peaceful sleep on his face. His lower body was covered with a sheet, but Maxim could see that nearly his entire upper body was wrapped in tight bandages. On the edges, some of the healing ointments had soaked through, giving the pristine fabric a green cast. He knew that beneath those bandages his brother’s skin had been stitched back together, a concept that was both foreign and frightening to Maxim. He cou
ldn’t stand there any longer, listening to the strange sounds coming from the equipment attached to Nylek or looking at the bandages seeming to engulf his brother. They had been on Penthos for such a short time, and already two of their own lay tattered.
Maxim backed out of the infirmary and walked to the bank of showers in the room adjacent to it. He stood under the water until he felt all the twitching, adrenaline-fueled energy stream out of his muscles. Wrapped in a towel, he left the showers and returned to the chamber where his and Ivy’s pods had been for the journey. The travel pods had been converted to sleeping accommodations and in the faint glow of emergency strips along the ceiling he could see Ivy resting quietly. She had left the space beside her open for him and it was one of the most welcome sights that he had ever seen. Maxim closed the door to the chamber and let the towel drop to the floor. Lifting the edge of the blanket, he slid into the bed and let his body sink into the mattress. Though he had been as careful as he could, the movement made Ivy stir and she gave a little sigh.
Maxim slid across the mattress to her and molded his body to her back. Through the gauzy white fabric of her nightgown he could feel the warm of her skin and it took away the deep chill that even the shower hadn’t been able to remove. Ivy smelled sweet and clean and her skin felt soft as he ran his fingertips along her arm. Ivy sighed again at his touch and her back arched as she pressed her hips back against his. Maxim touched a kiss to her shoulder and returned the pressure of her hips. After a moment, Ivy rolled over onto her back and her eyes opened to look at him. She gave a sleepy smile and Maxim dipped his head to brush his mouth across it. Ivy caught his lips in hers and he felt her hands come to his back. The gentle pressure of her touch guided him over so that he lay on top of her and their kiss deepened. There was nothing urgent in the way that their mouths moved across each other. It was only calm, nurturing tenderness that reassured each that the other was there.
Ivy reached down and took hold of her nightgown, easing it up her thighs and over her hips. Maxim lifted his chest off her to allow her to remove it the rest of the way, and then settled back down onto her. The warmth of their skin touched from shoulder to their tangled feet and everything else fell away. Nothing else mattered but the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest and the fullness of her lips beneath his mouth as her hands ran languidly along his back. He craved her. Not in a way that was harsh or aggressive, but in the way that she filled him, satisfied him, and breathed life back into him when he felt that it was draining out of him.
One hand trailed along her side, feeling the ridges of her ribs and then the deep dip of her waist before the lush swell of her hip. He continued the touch down to her thigh and guided her leg up to his bend beside his hip. The movement opened her body to him and Maxim could feel the heat of her waiting core against his already hardened erection. Ivy moved her other leg out slightly to open further and Maxim felt his tip press into her opening. She sighed at the touch and Maxim lifted up slightly to sink the rest of the way into her. Her body molded around his perfectly and he paused deeply within her just to enjoy the way that it felt to have the embrace of her walls around him. He kissed along the side of her neck, creating a slow, gentle trail down to her collarbone where he let the tip of his tongue glide out against her skin.
When he finally began to move his hips, it was in long, unhurried strokes that ensured she could feel him touch every inch within her. The desperate need he had for her was nearly overwhelming. Watching Kyven and Nylek both nearly slip away had only solidified how precious she was to him and how vital to his life she truly was. Ivy was his breath and his blood, his reality and his dreams. Without her he knew that he could do nothing, and with her he was willing to endure anything.
There was nothing frantic or rushed in the way that his body delved into hers, but soon he could feel himself nearing climax. Pressure built throughout his body, fueling him to press slightly deeper and harder with each stroke until finally it broke and he felt everything within him pour out into her. Maxim rose up a few inches and ran his hand down her belly until he could press the pad of his thumb against her peak. He massaged it in tight, hard circles as he leaned down to draw one of her nipples in between his lips and suck it gently. It took only a few moments of this attention for her to let out a gasping cry as Maxim felt her body close tightly around him and draw him deeper with a series of intense spasms.
Maxim lowered himself carefully down onto Ivy and then rolled to the side, scooping her up against him so that he could cradle her body close to his. She tucked her head into the curve between his shoulder and neck and he felt her touch a kiss to his skin. After a few moments, Maxim pulled the blankets up higher over them, surrounding them in soothing warmth. Ivy was already falling asleep, but Maxim lay awake for several minutes longer. His hand trailed down her chest and settled on the swell of her belly. He ran his thumb along it, feeling a sense of awe come over him. When she hadn’t yet told him about her pregnancy, he hadn’t noticed anything different about her. Now that he knew, though, the difference was beautifully blatant. Though small, her belly was evident to him and it was as though he could sense the baby within it. It worried him that neither of them knew how this pregnancy was going to progress. Much like Eden and Pyra, this baby was unlike any that he had ever seen born. He didn’t know if she would carry more like a human or more like a Mikana, which meant he couldn’t predict when the baby might be born.
Cupping his hand on the side of her waist, Maxim eased Ivy’s head off his shoulder and onto the pillow so that he could bring his lips to her belly. He kissed it tenderly and then turned to rest his ear against it. As he listened to the quiet sounds of her body, Maxim thought of his father. For so many years he had thought that Aegeus was dead and part of him had felt almost angered that he had allowed himself to be taken away from his sons. Now that he knew that his father was alive, however, it only confirmed what he was feeling toward the tiny child growing within his mate. He knew that there was nothing that would make him leave this child, and it would take everything to force him. He needed to see his father again and to be there when his own baby was born. He would survive whatever was to come, no matter what that took.
Maxim remembered what Elon had said about Nylek, and realized that it was the same for the rest of them. There were challenges ahead and they needed to prepare to fight, but first they needed to get through the night.
Chapter Thirteen
Sleep was brief and fitful for Pyra. He would allow himself to rest only for a few moments before he would suddenly wake so that he could check on Eden and their child tucked in her arms as she slept. Finally, some of the others around him began to shift and stir, and he knew that it was time to get moving. They had gotten a chance to refresh, but now they needed to forge ahead. As long as they were in the laboratory building, they were far more vulnerable to Ryan and his hybrids. Even though he knew that there were more waiting on Penthos for them, at least when they were there, they weren’t trapped in a maze at the mercy of whatever was around the next corner. When they made it back to Penthos, they could fight.
The group was slowly pulling itself together and preparing to move on when the building around them shook and somewhere above them Pyra heard a tremendous blast. Eden sat up and scooped Lysander to her chest.
“What was that?” she asked frantically.
“I don’t know, but we need to hurry,” Pyra said. “Get Lysander changed and gather anything that’s here that you might be able to use. We need to move.”
Pyra went around the room urging the group to prepare themselves. Soon they were gathered at the door to the emergency chamber looking to him for instructions.
“No hospital, not even one from a century ago, has only one stairwell,” he said. “We followed the one on the same side of the building to get down here. Maybe if we find another one, we’ll find a way out.”
“Why don’t we come back the way we came?” Ty asked.
“It’s too dangerous,” Pyra
said. “We can’t retrace our steps.”
Pyra opened the door to the chamber cautiously, but the rest of the subterranean floor was still as silent as it had been when they found it. Several of the members of the group took out their lightsticks, while others used lanterns they had found in the emergency chamber to light their way. There seemed to be little on this floor of the hospital except for storage, and they soon made their way to the opposite side from the one where they had arrived. Here Pyra found a pale wooden door featuring a plaque with a jagged line etched onto it. He had come to recognize that symbol as representing stairs. Like the other stairwell doors that they had encountered, this one was unlocked and he stepped right through it, but paused when he noticed that there were stairs both leading up and down.
“What is it, Pyra?” Eden asked as she came into the stairwell with him.
“There are stairs leading down,” he said.
“I thought that we were on the bottom floor,” she said.
“I thought we were,” Pyra said. “The stairs that we used to get down here didn’t lead any further down.”
“So, what’s down there?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Pyra said, “but I don’t think going down is going to be the way that we get out. We should move back up into the new building and find the main exit.”
They had moved up the first flight of stairs when Pyra heard a faint pounding on the wall. They all paused and Pyra listened more intently. The pounding came again and this time he thought he heard voices. Straining to hear them again, Pyra ran in the direction where he thought the pounding originated. He heard it again and this time the voices were stronger and more distinct. They were muffled by having to move through the walls of the contemporary building and the medical ward, but they were definitely voices.
Pyra!
Eden grabbed his arm.
The Alien's Return (Uoria Mates IV Book 1) Page 10