by Hope Hart
Zoey rinses her hands. “You did great. Just the placenta to go. Not long now and we can get the hell out of here.”
Nevada laughs, and it seems as if she’s glowing from within as she gently strokes her daughter’s head. “Thank you, Aunty Zoey.”
Now that the worst seems to be over, I join Jozet outside, and we both watch as warriors bring mishua to the cave entrance, one of them with a cart attached for Nevada and the baby.
Hewex approaches from where he has been stalking through the trees, looking for any Dokhalls who dare approach.
The sun is beginning to go down when Nevada is finally loaded into the cart. Rakiz is still beaming at his family, and I attempt to ignore the way my chest tightens as I shift my attention from him to Zoey.
She’s striding toward us, and she doesn’t look happy.
“Uh-oh,” Jozet says.
Zoey scowls at him as she reaches us. “What the fuck was that?”
He stares at the ground. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be. In what world do you live in where it could possibly be a good idea to suggest a pregnant woman is going to die while that woman is in labor and without the father of her baby?”
He’s silent, and she shakes her head, obviously exasperated.
“Where did you get this idea?”
I clear my throat. “He heard it from my father.”
She snorts. “And what would Calix know?”
“Braxians have large babies. Human women are small.”
“Small and tough,” she snaps.
Jozet and I both nod, and Zoey throws up her hands. “We’ll talk about this later,” she promises, stalking away.
Something about watching my little healer order around warriors twice her size makes me hard as stone.
But it has always been this way. From the moment I saw her curled up in that cage, it was like recognizing the other half of my soul. Her eyes were slits as she glared at me as if daring me to approach, exhaustion and pain clear on her face. I knew, looking at the tiny female who was so close to breaking but still fighting…I knew she was mine.
I push the thought away for now and focus on getting ready to guard Nevada and the baby.
Nevada is sitting in the cart, while Rakiz orders everyone into position. He’s now tense, his brow creased as he glowers around him, and it’s easy to understand why.
If the Dokhalls are planning another attack, now would be the perfect time to do it.
Zoey
We’re all on edge, wondering if there will be another attack, but thankfully, the trip back to camp is uneventful.
The ground is littered with burned Dokhall bodies in one clearing as we pass, and smoke drifts toward us on the wind. At one point, a ground-shuddering roar sounds from deep within the forest, and Nevada smiles down at her daughter.
“Uncle Dragix is unhappy,” she murmurs.
I laugh.
I will forever remember the terror of the walk from our camp to that cave, but it feels like it only takes us moments to travel back as I sit in the cart with Nevada.
Her daughter is still lying against her skin on her chest, a heap of warriors’ shirts wrapped around them both to keep them warm.
As soon as we arrive back at camp, it erupts in celebration, cheers sounding from all directions as the cart rolls through the kradis.
Nevada smiles, and Rakiz’s chest puffs up with pride. He gently lifts Nevada into his arms before carrying her and the baby into the tashiv. Moni follows them in to give Nevada one last checkup and to make sure the baby latches, and I jolt as Tagiz takes my elbow.
I blink. I’m still standing outside, staring at the tashiv, my mind a hundred miles away.
Tagiz releases me for a moment and speaks to one of the servants, who glances at me and nods, rushing away. He returns to my side, stroking some of my hair back off my face.
“You need to rest,” he says gruffly.
I nod. I’m so tired I feel like I’m practically sleepwalking, the adrenaline crash hitting me hard.
“Let me just check in on Nevada. I want to make sure she doesn’t need anything.”
He nods and waits by the door. Nevada smiles at me from her bed. Arana is standing near the bathing room, overseeing the filling of the bath as she beams at Nevada.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Completely in love,” she murmurs.
The baby lets out a tiny squeak, and I lean over.
“She latched okay?”
“Yes, thank God. And Moni said I didn’t even need any stitches. As far as cave births go, I’m calling this one a success.”
I sigh. “Let’s never do that again.”
She laughs. “Thank you, Zoey. I know I’ve said it before, but I couldn’t have gotten through it without you.”
“Yes, you could’ve.” I smile. “You probably would’ve killed all those Dokhalls while birthing that beautiful baby.”
She grins at me, and I lean over, stroking her daughter’s soft, little head.
In the other room, Rakiz is throwing out orders, pacing as he speaks to a group of warriors.
“Do you want to hold her?” Nevada offers.
I hold out my arms. “Gimme.”
Now that she’s all cleaned up, and I’m not responsible for bringing her into the world, I can simply enjoy a snuggle.
“God, she’s so small.”
Nevada smirks. “She didn’t feel all that small coming out. My coochie will never be the same.”
“Your poor mommy,” I murmur to the baby. “That’s the price we women pay.” I return my attention to Nevada. “Do you know what you’re going to call her?”
Nevada’s gaze is full of love as I stroke her daughter’s soft cheek, inhaling that newborn baby smell.
“We’re still thinking about it.”
Rakiz steps into the room, his gaze immediately flying to Nevada’s face before shifting to his daughter.
“I’m going to let you guys rest,” I say. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m sure the whole camp will be begging to babysit, but I’m first in line.”
Rakiz smiles at me, taking the baby from my arms. He holds his daughter as if he has been doing it his whole life, and she’s tiny in his huge hand. He wraps his other arm around me, and it’s clear he’s giddy with happiness.
“Thank you,” he murmurs, and I grin up at him.
“You’re welcome.”
I walk out into the dark night, the air cool on my skin. Surprisingly, Tagiz is still waiting, leaning against the tashiv as he gazes up at the stars.
“You were incredible today, little healer,” he says as his eyes meet mine.
“It was a team effort.”
“I saw what you did to the Dokhalls,” he says. “How?”
“I poisoned them,” I murmur. That’s something I’ll need to deal with. I don’t regret it, but I’m a nurse. I’m used to saving lives, not taking them.
Tagiz’s eyes widen slightly before pride flashes through them.
“You kept yourself and the tribe queen safe,” he says. He places one hand at my lower back as he walks me to my kradi.
“Thank you for coming for us.”
He frowns at me. “I may not be able to give you what you need, but I will always come for you, little healer.”
Stop calling me that, I want to beg. Stop giving me nicknames and making me wish for things I can’t have.
My eyes burn. I’m just tired. Once I have a good night’s sleep, I’ll be able to function again.
I turn to him as we reach my kradi, gazing up at his face. His jaw is hard, and his eyes…they look…sad.
Well, I’m fucking sad too.
Tagiz’s hand comes up, and for a moment, I think he might kiss me. Instead, he strokes one finger along my jaw, gazing down into my eyes.
“Good night, Zoey,” he says, turning and walking away.
I whirl, stalking into my kradi, and freeze as I find my bath full of clean water, steam still rising int
o the air.
He had someone fill my bath for me.
I strip off my clothes, slide into the bath, and dunk my entire head beneath the water.
If some of the drops of water rolling down my face taste like salt, that’s no one’s business but mine.
Chapter Thirteen
Zoey
I feel drained when I wake to the fur ball licking at my face. Although, I don’t know if I can call him a fur ball anymore now that he’s growing so fast.
“You know, this wake-up method is gross and unnecessary.”
He opens his mouth, displaying a row of sharp teeth, and I roll my eyes. “You can’t intimidate me. I’m friends with a dragon.”
The karja is beginning to roam further from my kradi. I was concerned until I spoke to Tagiz about it, and he said once a karja is tamed, it does not hunt close to home. Apparently, the people in this camp are safer for having the karja around, since he’ll now protect what he considers his territory with his life.
I let the karja loose in the forest. Now that he’s no longer limping and his ribs are no longer sticking out, I don’t worry about him being prey for a larger animal. He’ll go hunt his own breakfast and return to my kradi to sleep when he’s done.
I didn’t wake up in time for my training with Kroniz, but something tells me he’ll give me a pass after everything that happened yesterday. Still, I want to make sure he knows I’m on for our next session, so I head to the training arena to see if he’s there.
“Ah.” He grins when he sees me. “Your name is on everyone’s lips this morning. I’m free to train you tomorrow, although from what I heard about your actions in that cave, I’m not sure you need it.” He winks, and I blush.
“I just did my job,” I murmur, and his face turns serious.
“From where I’m standing, it sounds like you used your particular skills and strengths to save the day. Not all battles are won on the battlefield. There’s a reason strategy is so important.”
I open my mouth, unsure what to say. A wind kicks up, and we both turn our attention to the sky as a shadow blocks out the sun.
Dragix’s huge form is all I can see in the sky, and Charlie waves at me from his back. Warriors scatter, but I stay where I am. I’ve seen Dragix land a hundred times by now, and he has an incredible ability to aim for the tiniest space. He won’t crush anyone. Unless he chooses to.
Charlie is off his back as soon as he lands, and she runs at me, giving me a hug.
“I heard what happened,” she says. Behind her, Dragix shifts into his human form, although he’d likely snarl at me if he heard me refer to it that way. Dragix is many things, but he’ll never be human.
I avert my gaze as the dragon is suddenly naked, stalking across the training arena toward us as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Charlie pulls back, eyeing me.
“Yeah, it was crazy,” I admit. “No one saw it coming. We’ve been expecting the Dokhalls to attack en masse like they did last time. But it seems they’ve broken into smaller groups, which means they’re likely even more dangerous.”
Charlie sighs. “Dragix has been hunting them. They’re smart, but he must’ve taken out a hundred of them yesterday.”
Dragix reaches us, wrapping his arm around Charlie. Pure devotion shines in those gold eyes as he looks at her, and then he nods at me.
“I will go speak with Rakiz,” he says.
“I packed you some pants.” Charlie holds up the bag she’s clutching in her fist, and he scowls but takes it, walking away.
“He’s not the biggest fan of clothes,” Charlie murmurs.
“With a body like that, I don’t blame him.” I slap a hand over my mouth. “Sorry.”
She throws her head back, cracking up. “Girl, it is what it is.”
I grin at her. “What are you guys doing here anyway? I thought you were hanging out on your mountain for a while.”
“We were. But with everything that’s happening, Dragix is beginning to get nervous I’ll be taken. He’s a threat to anyone he decides is his enemy on this planet, and if the Dokhalls have been studying him enough, they’ll know all they need to do to get him to fall in line is threaten me—just like they attempted to do to Rakiz. So I’m going to stay here while Dragix goes hunting.”
“Well, I can’t say I’m disappointed to have you around. Beth and Alexis are staying for a while too.”
Charlie nods with a smile, linking her arm through mine. But her expression says her mind is clearly elsewhere, and I narrow my eyes at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
I tilt my head, and she glances around us before a deep sigh leaves her. “I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant.”
I bounce, throwing my arms around her. “Oh my God. I’m so happy for you!”
Her smile is small, and I freeze.
“This is a good thing, right?”
“Oh yes. Of course. I mean, I never thought I’d have kids, but then I never imagined I’d meet someone like Dragix. And he’s the last of his kind. I know he loves the idea of having a family.”
“So what’s going on?”
“I haven’t told Dragix yet.”
“Uh-huh. Why?”
She smiles at that. “There’s no way he’ll leave me behind to go hunt the Dokhalls. It’s still so early. This is my first missed period, and we both know how these things can go. I don’t want to distract him until I know for sure.”
I nod. “I get it. I think you should tell him soon though.”
“I will. I just want to be certain. I don’t want to get his hopes up. And there’s no point distracting him from his revenge plans unless I’m sure. Anyway, thanks for listening.”
“Anytime.”
“So give me the deets. I know all about Nevada’s cave baby, which is what I’m calling her until Nevada punches me,” she says, and I laugh. “But what exactly happened with Vivian and Sarissa?”
I fill her in, and her mouth drops open as we arrive in front of Nevada and Rakiz’s tashiv.
“Holy shit. So they’re just going to stay there?” She frowns. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I. I want us to all be together.” I nod toward a group of the human women who landed with the last ship as they walk toward the training arena. “It was difficult explaining the decision to those guys. It sounds like Sarissa was the one holding everyone together on that ship.”
“God. Logically, I know it makes sense, but…”
“Yeah. You should’ve seen that marketplace though. I had no idea there were people on Agron trading with other planets. This could really be our opportunity to get out of here.”
Charlie angles her head, her gaze steady on my face. “And you’re sure you want to take that opportunity?”
I sigh. “I don’t know. I want that opportunity to exist though. For the other women, if not for me. And I can’t deny I miss my life on Earth.”
“And Tagiz?”
“Well…”
“Are you two going to stand outside my house and gossip all day? Or are you going to come in and see my daughter?” Nevada is standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.
Charlie bursts out laughing. “I was giving you a chance to have some time to yourself.”
Nevada rolls her eyes. “Tribe queen, y’all. There is no time to myself. I accepted that when I took this gig. Get in here.”
We follow Nevada inside her tashiv, finding she’s entirely right. Rakiz is having a serious conversation with Dragix, Tagiz, and Terex in the main room, their voices hushed.
Tagiz’s gaze finds mine as I walk in, and he scans my body, his eyes warm. I nod at him, pretending my heart doesn’t break a little more every time I see him.
Dragix says something to Tagiz, drawing his attention, as we follow Nevada back into her bedroom.
Ellie is sitting near the bed, the baby in her arms. She beams at us as we walk in.
“Isn’t she adorable?” Her voice is hushed, and Cha
rlie practically trips over her feet as she bounces over to the baby.
“Naaaw. Good work, mama.”
Nevada smiles, sitting on the edge of her bed. “I couldn’t have done it without Zoey.” Her smile turns into a smirk as she glances at me. “Maybe you should consider a career as the camp midwife.”
I shudder at the thought. “No, thank you. I’ll leave that business to Moni. Give me an amputated arm over a fully dilated cervix any day.”
The other women crack up, and the baby opens her eyes, a tiny cry escaping her lips.
“Someone’s hungry,” Nevada says, holding out her arms. She pulls up her shirt, positioning the baby at her breast, and she immediately quiets.
“Did you get much sleep last night?” I ask.
“Nope. Rakiz is going to kick everyone out soon so I can nap. He’s instituting a new rule—no meetings in our tashiv. He’s going to use a kradi instead while we figure out what our new sleep schedule is going to look like.”
Charlie plunks herself down on the bed next to Nevada, and I lean against the wall.
“Have you named her yet?” Charlie asks.
“Yep.” Nevada grins. “Meet Danica. It was my grandmother’s name. I never met her, but it means ‘morning star.’ After everything we’ve been through, it seemed fitting.”
Ellie brushes away a tear as she smiles at them both. “It’s beautiful, Nevada.”
I nod. “I love it.”
Rakiz pokes his head in the door. “They’re leaving now, karja.”
Charlie gets to her feet. “We’ll let you get some rest.”
Charlie leaves us outside the tashiv, murmuring something about talking to Blair—one of the new women. Apparently they’ve bonded, and they seem to have a lot in common.
Ellie hesitates as we watch Charlie stride away. She opens her mouth as if she has something to say and then clamps it shut again.
“What’s going on, Ellie?”
“It’s okay. You’ve got a lot going on. I know you’re having…issues with Tagiz. I can wait a few days.”
Her face is pale, and her hands are shaking.
I frown. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”