The Torid Affair by Laurann Dohner

Chapter Fifteen

 

Maith opened Jessa’s lab door expecting a confrontation with the angry female doctor. He didn’t like the way Cynthia Kane had spoken to his mate or attempted to give her orders.

But it wasn’t her in the corridor.

Roth inhaled deeply. So did Drak and Gnaw. All three gave him curious looks.

He waved them inside. Once they entered and the door was sealed, Maith opened his arms and lunged for the three males, embracing them. “I have a mate!”

His grouping clasped him tight, joyful sounds coming from their throats. He held them tight for a good minute before letting go. He addressed Roth first. “I have a lot to tell you.”

“Not as much as you think. We immediately went home when we returned from the surface. Abby updated us.” Roth paused. “I contacted our king afterward to speak to him. He’s already contacted Earth.”

Maith’s joy dimmed.

“The humans didn’t immediately agree to give up Jessa and her sibling, but they said they would consider it. He is directing a few Veslor fighter groupings to be prepared to assist us, should we need to take our mates to safety.”

It didn’t surprise Maith. “Did he give us permission to leave now?”

Roth shook his head. “He wants to give Earth and their fleet a chance to prove their worth. Human females have given males like us hope of finding mates.”

That made sense. Some Veslor females might test matings with Veslor fighters, traders, and hunters, but it was purely driven by curiosity, to learn what it’s like to copulate with a male deemed unacceptable. He’d long known to expect rejection, beyond giving those females pleasure. It had always hurt his heart a little but it was expected.

“Two more fighter groupings have requested that our king send them to work with the fleet, in hopes of finding mates the way we have,” Drak stated quietly. “He was prepared to do so, until you contacted him about Jessa and what is happening.”

Maith snarled, enraged.

Roth reached out and gripped his shoulders in comfort. “Calm. Our king deeply appreciates what males like us do for our people and only wishes for them to find happiness.”

“I’m infuriated with the humans controlling their planet and fleet. Not our king. Those groupings should be allowed to find mates the way we have.”

The tension left Roth’s face and he squeezed his shoulders. “The humans need us. Abby is certain they’ll comply and give us your mate and her sibling. They won’t want the alliance to fail. More groupings will get their chance.”

Gnaw flashed his fangs. “We’re attempting to right a wrong. Our king is honorable and intelligent. He’ll make them understand that they need to free their enslaved.”

“Where is Jessa?” Roth looked around the lab, his gaze lingering on her discarded gown.

“Taking a shower.” Maith smiled. “I need your help. The four of us can move all of Jessa’s belongings into our home.”

“We will do that,” Roth agreed. “We’ll also keep our mates together until this is resolved, in case the humans make bad choices.”

“We don’t have a ship.” They’d been dropped off by another grouping to Defcon Red. Their king hadn’t wanted one of their vessels exposed to anyone who might attempt to study it and steal their technology.

“It won’t be a problem. The fighter groupings our king is sending will stay within range, to pick us up if needed.”

Maith knew the males would do whatever it took to get them and their mates to safety. Even if that meant attacking the fleet vessel. It left him inwardly sickened. They’d made some good friends on the task force teams. Commander Bills was also considered family to Abby.

“Abby thinks the commander would order all fleet to stand down and allow us to go freely, regardless of whatever orders he’s given from his planet,” Drak added.

Gnaw spoke next. “I think we should share what is going on with the task force teams if this goes bad. They would refuse to fight other Veslors if they knew why they’ve come. They are good males. All were happy for us when we found mates. They’d want us to get our females away if they are in danger.”

“Agreed.” Maith felt a little guilt, though he knew he shouldn’t. He had no remorse for taking Jessa as his mate, regardless if it possibly turned his people against humans. The wrongdoing was on Earth’s leaders. “One of us should also inform Clark. He deserves to know everything.”

“He calls us sons,” Roth agreed, nodding. “I will talk to him, but we’ll wait to see how Earth responds to our king’s demands before we share this trouble with the task force teams.”

The bathroom door opened and Maith turned. Jessa had pulled her hair up into a wet ponytail and wore a pair of leggings with a long shirt. She saw his grouping and paused, but only for a moment. “You’re all back.”

Maith held out his hand to her.

Jessa came to him and clasped his hand. Her grip felt surprisingly strong. She pushed her chin out, giving Roth a stern look. “Do you have a problem with us being mated?”

Roth smiled. “Calm, female. You have my vow that we welcome you to our grouping with happy hearts, Jessa.” He fisted his hand and placed it over his chest, before dropping it to his side.

It felt good when his grouping brothers all accepted his mate in the same way. He smiled at Jessa. “They are happy for us.”

“They won’t be when they find out what kind of shitstorm it’s going to cause.”

“We know,” Roth informed her. “You are one of ours now, Jessa. No one will take you from your mate or our grouping. Our king will make your people see logic and set you free.”

Jessa’s grip on his hand tightened. “It’s not going to be that easy.”

“We’ll give your people the chance to do the right thing.” Maith moved in front of her to gain her full attention. “You will live with me.” He braced for Jessa to argue with him.

“Okay.”

She surprised him. It must have shown on his face, since he saw a hint of a smile. His mate was clearly amused.

“Nothing in my contract forbids me from living with someone, as long as we’re on the same vessel. We just can’t get legally married. I’d love to share your bed every night.”

“We’ll move you into our home now.”

“Okay.” Jessa nodded. “That works for me.” She released his hand and walked over to her workstation. “I’m going to give the four of you access to my cabin. Thankfully, I don’t own a lot, and the most important thing is my med kit. You can just toss all my clothes into a pile on the bed, then use the bedding to carry it to your family cabin. And…done. The temporary access lasts for ten hours. You’re good to go.” She turned, giving them the location. “I guess I’ll meet the four of you at home in about an hour?”

Maith growled. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

Jessa held his gaze. “That’s probably for the best. Kane might try to lock me up again.” She looked at Roth. “Just toss everything of mine on the bed and wrap it in the blanket. It should fit. All the furniture and art is fleet owned. Please don’t leave the various data pads I keep on my desk in the bedroom. I have all my best research material stored on them. Thank you.”

“We can check on the cub and Wilma tomorrow.”

Jessa crossed her arms and gave Maith a dirty look. She tapped her bare foot on the floor. One of her eyebrows arched. “We just mated. Do you really want to have our first fight so soon?”

“They are being cared for,” Maith reminded her.

Jessa tapped that foot again, her expression not changing.

Roth chuckled. “We’ll go get your mate’s belongings and see you when she’s done checking on the two injured humans.”

Maith muted a snarl. Even his grouping leader knew there was no way he’d change his small mate’s mind. “Stubborn female.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Jessa smiled and dropped her arms to her side. “Mating isn’t going to change that.”

“We’ll see,” he rasped, stepping close to her. He knew how to make her submit.

Jessa backed up, her amusement growing. “No kissing. That’s not fair. I see that sexy gleam in your eyes. Nope. Patients first, then you can make me forget my own name.”

Pride had him feeling happiness. She’d just admitted that he knew how to give her great passion in front of the other males. He turned to his grouping, who were all chuckling. “Please go move my mate into our home. She is also hungry.” He looked to Drak. “Do you think Abby would mind us having a holiday feast to celebrate?”

Drak gave a sharp nod. “She insists on ordering too much from D Corp. We will prepare it to be ready in an hour.”

“We will be there.” Maith turned to Jessa. “One hour.”

“I’m starving. We’ll be there.” She went to a cupboard and opened it, bent, and pulled out a pair of small shoes. Humans called them slip-ons. She grabbed her med kit and walked toward the exit doors. “I’m ready to go.”

“What about the research you feared someone would steal?”

Jessa smirked. “I deleted it all with my implant. Now it’s only inside my head.”

Maith followed her. A few humans in the corridor shot him strange looks. It reminded him that he’d torn open the front of his jumpsuit and a lot of his skin was revealed, almost to his waist. He clutched the material together when a female took too much notice, halting to stare openly.

“We’re getting you another jumpsuit,” Jessa muttered. Then she lowered her voice as they entered Med Bay. “Before I slap someone for staring at my man.”

He grinned.

Jessa shot him a glare. “You’re going to be impossible, aren’t you?”

That sobered him. “I will be a good mate. You are everything to me.”

She spun and walked to him, stopping inches away. “I have a bitchy reputation to uphold. You making me want to kiss you all the time will ruin that. Just act like your normal grumpy-ass self while we’re in public, okay? Help a girl out.”

“You own my heart.” He couldn’t resist telling her.

Jessa closed her eyes, her hand coming up to lightly rest on his chest, and she growled low. “Not helpful.” She opened her eyes. Her real one looked as if it had tears. “You own mine too. But this isn’t the place. Hold that thought for an hour. Wait—two. I really am hungry. We’ll eat first. Okay. Bitch face on.” She pulled her hand off his chest and pointed at him. “Behave.”

“You said half an hour,” a familiar female voice called out. “It’s been longer than that.”

“Fuck,” Jessa muttered, turning from him. “Let me guess. You timed me? Don’t you have patients to see, Kane? I know I do. I’m going to go check on Ned. That’s the teenager who had Prissa.”

“No, you’re not. We’ll go into my office and contact that medical team.”

“What makes you think I haven’t already done that? I’m the A.R.S., and you can’t block me from seeing either of the patients that were transferred here from the surface. Prissa disease is of alien origin.”

Maith masked his emotions as his mate snapped at the other female.

“The teen has been cured and Mrs. Jones showed no signs of Prissa,” Kane snapped back.

“Wilma was given a vaccine for Prissa while pregnant.” Jessa didn’t back down. “I need to do a follow-up with her. The same with Ned, even if Prissa isn’t showing in his system anymore. It’s a nasty parasite. Now tell me which rooms they were assigned or I’ll go looking for them myself.”

“You know damn well that both are fine and don’t need to see you.” The other doctor’s face turned a little red. “And it’s a disease. Shouldn’t you know that?”

“It’s a parasite,” Jessa argued. “It’s not my fault some idiot dubbed it wrong and it stuck.”

“Females,” Maith grumbled. “Don’t fight. It will look too strange if you attack each other.” He directed a deadly look at the taller female. “I will defend Jessa.”

“I’m calling that medical team and telling them that you refuse to come to my office.” Kane stomped away.

“You do that,” Jessa called after her, then hurried to the nurses’ station. She accessed the data hub and then rushed toward where he assumed the cub and pregnant female must be.

Maith followed. No one tried to stop them.

 

“Tattletale,” Jessa hissed, furious with Kane. That woman really lived up to the nemesis title.

“What is that?”

She’d almost forgotten that Maith was trailing her. “It’s what Cynthia Kane is. She drives me nuts.” She paused in front of a closed door. “This is Wilma. Can you please wait here? I’ll be quick. You really should go grab another jumpsuit that isn’t torn, or maybe some scrubs from the nurses’ supply room. I won’t leave here until you get back.”

“And I won’t leave you.”

She stared up into his handsome face. He was being pretty sweet, even if slightly irritating. “Okay. Just don’t blame me if I punch some woman ogling you.”

He clutched at the torn jumpsuit tighter. It was really cute, the way he tried to hide his amazing chest. She had the sudden urge to kiss him.

That seemed to be her new favorite urge.

“You stay put.” She tapped the buzzer and entered without waiting, finding Wilma sitting on a med bed with a data pad in hand. The colonist seemed happy to see her.

“Jessa!”

“Hey. You look great.” Jessa put her kit down on a chair near the bed and withdrew her scanner. “Are they treating you good, Wilma?”

“Yes. They found my husband and let me talk to him. He’s okay.”

“That’s great news.” The scan completed. “You and your baby are looking perfect.”

“The doctor assigned to me said that they should be able to send me back to Torid in a few days. Why not now? I feel fine. Are you sure everything is okay?”

Jessa took her hand. “Truth? You and the baby are doing great. You’re still suffering from malnutrition but you’ve vastly improved since I first saw you. The danger is over. They’re going to want to keep you for a few days as a precaution, but I see no reason to worry.”

The other woman nodded. “Okay. The vaccine I had was really safe? It worked?”

“Yes and yes. I will say that after six months, if you or the baby are exposed to Prissa again, get another injection. A booster is always the safest way to go. Not that I expect you to ever come across it again.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Jessa squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome. My last name is Brick. Have a nurse com me if you need me. I’ll come. Now I’m going to go check on Ned.”

“I saw him. He was still sleeping when they transferred us to rooms, but he looked better.”

“The parasites in him have died. Now it’s just going to be about him regaining his strength. You’ll get to see your husband soon. Just get lots of rest and eat everything they bring you.” Jessa let her go and returned her scanner to her kit.

Maith waited outside the door.

“She’s good.” Jessa went to the room three doors down and just entered, not wanting to wake Ned if he was sleeping.

And he was, looking peaceful. At some point after the decontamination shower, a nurse had brushed his hair. She checked his vitals displayed above the med bed and had it run a full body scan instead of using her handheld.

She pushed a button for a nurse. When one came, Maith entered the room with her. Jessa lowered her voice. “His chart isn’t in here. Has his doctor recommended physical therapy? He’s going to need it.”

The nurse hesitated. “You’re not the doctor assigned to him.”

“Do you know what Prissa disease is, that it didn’t come from Earth?”

The nurse nodded.

“Do you know who I am?”

“The A.R.S.”

“Right. Now please answer my questions. Did the doctor assign him P.T.?”

“No.”

“Add it to his chart. And pay attention.” She returned to the med bed and tapped the controls to enlarge a section of his thigh muscles, pointing out what the doctor had obviously missed. “See that?”

The nurse came closer. “Shit,” she breathed.

“Yeah. The parasites are small but they like to feed on muscle, causing pin-size damage. All his muscles will look like this. See why he’s going to need physical therapy to rebuild his strength? Tell the doctor that tremors are normal at first, so to expect that in someone who’s suffered Prissa to this degree. It’s not a sign of brain injury. That’s one part of the body the parasites avoid, for some reason. Ned will need assistance for about a week or so, when you get him out of bed for basic needs. Get him up though. The sooner he’s moving around, the better for his recovery. But always assisted. His balance will be shit and he’ll tire fast. I doubt he’d make it the bathroom without collapsing.”

“I’ll add all that information to his chart.”

Jessa met her gaze, seeing sincerity there. She read the nurse’s badge. “Thank you, Hopper.”

“No, thank you, A.R.S. Brick. Dr. Zeld didn’t see the damage to his muscles.”

“That’s because most doctors only read the bulletin points on alien-related illnesses and don’t take the time to go through all the information.”

“What about the other patient? She’s not mine, but I can get her nurse.”

“Wilma is fine. She was vaccinated before the parasites could take hold.”

Nurse Hopper lowered her voice. “I had the vaccine as well, and was told I didn’t have to suit up. Was that true? I have a child and husband at home. I don’t want to expose them.”

“You’re good, and your family is safe. Ned was only contagious while the parasites were active. He’s showing zero infection now. What you were given prevents the parasites from surviving enough to hatch.”

“Thank you.” The nurse smiled.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be back to check on him tomorrow. Have Zeld contact me if he has questions about the chart orders I’ve asked you to add.” She paused. “And please contact me if he removes them. I won’t let anyone know that you gave me a heads up, but I will demand to see the chart next time and act surprised if my orders aren’t still there. Then I’ll ream his ass.”

The nurse chuckled. “That sounds like a plan. I’ll com you if needed.”

“I really appreciate that.”

“Anything else I should add to the patient’s chart?”

“No. Was he identified? I asked the task force team to request that his DNA be checked, since he’s been unconscious since located.”

“Ned Roger Voil. Fifteen years old with two living relatives on Torid. There’s a much younger sister. His mother has been notified. Her and the sister will be flown up, since he’s a minor. That’s procedure. And he’s been preapproved for two visitors, which implies they’ll arrive soon.”

“Good.” Jessa turned off the med bed scanner and reached out, gently touching Ned’s hair. He slept deeply but it didn’t alarm her. He’d be doing a lot of that while recovering from coming so close to death. Then she picked up her med kit, addressing the nurse again. “Please take good care of Ned here…and sneak him some treats when he wakes. Those assholes down on Torid threw him inside a cage and left him there to die.”

Horror showed on the nurse’s face.

“Yeah. I’m sure you’re going to hear a lot about it when the med staff sent down there returns. It was bad, and families like his were treated like garbage.”

“I’ll spoil him,” the nurse promised.

Jessa walked to Maith. “I’m ready to go.”

They left the room and almost made their escape.

“A.R.S. Brick!”

“Fuck my life,” Jessa hissed. She turned, waiting as Cynthia Kane stormed toward them.

“The medical team said that you haven’t contacted them. I’ve been told to tell you that you need to do so now. It’s an order directly from Dr. Barns.”

Jessa passed her kit to Maith. Then she faced off against the taller woman. “Dr. Barns isn’t my doctor anymore.” She reached up and tapped her head. “Do you want to guess who made all my medical decisions when I was eight, after my parents died? I’ll give you one hint—you just said her name.”

Kane’s angry expression changed to one of shock.

Jessa lowered her voice. “If it were up to her, she’d pull me back in to personally check on her ‘experiment.’ That’s what she called me. I’m not a person to her. Fortunately, she’s denied that request anytime she makes it because I’ve worked my ass off to become important enough that her superiors won’t let her fuck with me anymore. They’re not willing to risk her damaging my brain. Please don’t help her by implying I’m not one hundred percent fine. You’re just being used by a sick bitch who thinks of kids under her care as nothing more than lab rats.”

Inexplicably, tears filled Kane’s eyes.

Jessa sighed. She disliked pity…but there it was. “She’d love to see me arrested—or worse—since I blocked her access to me after turning eighteen. Her life motto is probably ‘accidents happen’…and plenty of kids have become accidents in her lab. Tell me, Doctor, do you hate me enough to risk her getting her hands on me?”

“No,” Kane blurted.

“Then please tell her I’m completely healthy and send an official report that states the same. She’ll be forced to back off.”

Kane nodded. “I’ll do that now.”

Jessa reached out and touched her arm. Kane didn’t jerk away. “Thank you. Really. I have enough to deal with right now without having to worry about her too.”

“Jessa, you need to eat.”

Maith’s reminder gave Jessa an excuse to end the uncomfortable encounter with Kane. She released her arm and backed off. As they were leaving Med Bay, Maith took her hand.

“You’re sharing more of your secrets with humans.”

“I know. I’m already in deep shit with the fleet and United Earth. Might as well really dig that hole.”

He scowled at her as they entered a lift. No one else shared it with them but the lifts were monitored. She forced a smile for the surveillance camera. “Do you really think Abby will make a holiday feast for me? The last time I got invited for a not-really-Thanksgiving dinner was epically delicious.”

“Abby does order too much food flown in from Earth.”

“I love Abby.” Jessa was actually a bit of a fangirl. Everyone had heard about D Corp. When she’d learned who Abby was, it was during the Gorison Traveler incident. A lot of fleet personnel had talked trash about her, but research was Jessa’s thing. Abby and Vivian Goss were heroes—and they were the reason Veslors had allied with Earth.

Despite that, Jessa had expected the rich woman with so much social power to be a snob, when she’d learned Abby Thomas was on Defcon Red. She’d been wrong. Abby was kind.

“Not that I’ll admit that,” she continued. “It would probably sound weird.”

Maith gave her a questioning look.

“Human thing,” she explained.

The lift opened and they walked toward Maith’s family cabin. “I’ll add you to give you access.”

“That would be helpful, so I’m not locked out of my new digs.”

The scent of delicious food filled her nose as they entered the large family cabin. Jessa had been there before often enough to know that two of the largest cabin options available on Defcon Red had been combined. They each contained three bedrooms and two baths, with an enclosed office that could be used as a fourth bedroom. The combined space also had two side-by-side kitchens and two living rooms.

Abby, Darla, and their mates were in the kitchen. The long table had already been set. The twin cubs were playing on the floor. Jessa looked around as Maith placed her med kit down and tugged her closer to the two couples warming food.

“Where are Roth and Vera?”

Darla answered. “She’s taking a nap until the food is ready.”

Jessa instantly went on alert. “Is she okay? How is her morning sickness?”

Her friend smiled. “She’s actually feeling better. She just didn’t sleep much with our mates down on the planet. Roth ordered her to take a nap when they first got home, and now he’s probably in their bedroom, cuddling with her.”

Abby smiled at Jessa. “We haven’t said anything. It’s your news to share.”

“What news?” Darla seemed to notice for the first time that Jessa was holding Maith’s hand, and she gasped. Her gaze darted between them. “Are you two dating?”

Maith grinned. “No.”

Disappoint showed on Darla’s face before she smiled at Jessa. “We’re celebrating our mates being home. It’s Thanksgiving dinner on not that holiday. You should stay.”

“It’s Christmas dinner on not that holiday,” Abby corrected. “We’re having prime rib with lobster tails and all the fixings.”

“Wow,” Jessa muttered. “My Christmases were usually slices of ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, and some dinner rolls. That’s what the fleet serves. I like your version better.” Her stomach rumbled just thinking about eating all that.

“You’re going to stay, aren’t you, Jessa? We made plenty.”

Before Jessa could answer, one of the bedroom doors opened.

Roth walked out with his arm around Vera. She grinned when she saw Jessa and Maith. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you both.”

Roth groaned. “Apologies. I told her.”

“What am I missing?”

Maith was the one to tell Darla the news. “Jessa and I mated. She’s a part of our grouping now.”

Darla squealed and rushed forward to hug them both. It turned into a grouping hug as everyone surrounded Jessa and Maith. She accepted all their kind words as they welcomed her to the family.

It was really touching to Jessa, and she had to fight back tears. She’d always wanted to be part of a big family. The thought of the fleet tearing her away from all of them was painful to even consider. She pushed her emotions back, not wanting to ruin their dinner.

As they sat at the table, Abby pulled out a small com device. It was fleet issue. Jessa figured she’d been assigned one since she worked for Commander Bills. It was the type she’d seen administrators carry, which were more like minicomputers.

Abby finished reading and looked at Roth. “Uncle Howard said the ruling committee and the top admirals want a meeting with Jessa and Maith in two hours.”

Jessa leaned into Maith. She’d guessed they’d want to talk to her, but a meeting with the people who ruled Earth and the fleet sounded…grim.

Maith put his arm around her. “It will be fine.”

She wished she could believe that.

“Eat,” he ordered. “Then we will get ready.”

“We’ll be there,” Roth promised. “You’re a Veslor, Jessa. You belong to us.”