Amelia lay a gentle hand on Crimson’s arm. “It’s okay. I can see fear in your eyes, but you are safe.”

  “How’s our patient doing?” A large male came into Crimson’s sight and stood beside Amelia. He stooped a little and began running some kind of device over Crimson’s body.

  Luke! Memories began to surface. Luke! He’d been the reason she’d been in the sea. Where was he now? He’d been looking for her. Crimson pushed Amelia’s hand aside and sat up. She wavered against the dizziness that rocked her body with that single motion.

  “Hey now, careful,” Amelia crooned.

  “Do I call security?” the man asked.

  “No, Hover. She’s just scared. Give her a moment. She’s been through a lot.”

  “By her injuries, I can tell,” he replied, disgust filling his voice.

  Injuries? Oh God, yes. Luke had found her. He’d beaten the crap out of her and…

  “Crimson? Can you tell me what you remember? Who’s after you? And don’t deny it, I’ve seen injuries such as the ones you had before.”

  Crimson looked around, seeking some kind of escape if she had to run. She was in a small, white room with a few strange pieces of furniture with even stranger equipment on them. Otherwise, nothing else was in the room bar the bed she was sitting on and the female and male.

  It was then she noticed the man’s eyes as he stared at her. They were strange. Weird. The orbs swirled. Crimson quickly turned to Amelia, seeking hers out. But she had normal human eyes. Human eyes? Shit! Maybe I hit my head?

  “Where am I?” Crimson asked. “Was there anyone else with me?” she asked with dread. Who gave a shit what the man’s eyes were like? At that precise moment all she cared about was if Luke was around or not.

  “Was there someone else with you in the water, Crimson? Do we need to send out a search party?”

  Crimson shook her head, causing another wave of dizziness that made her feel nauseous. “No. Just tell me where I am so I can get out of here. I need to go.” She pushed the blanket off her and shuffled toward the edge of the bed. Shoving her legs over the side of the bed, she pushed herself and discovered it was a lot higher than she’d imagined, and although she landed on her feet, she crumpled to the floor with a curse.

  “Hover!” Amelia cried out, reaching for Crimson.

  When the large male reached for Crimson and touched her, she pushed against his hands, only to discover how weak she felt. All she wanted to do was get out of this damn room and start running. Luke would find her!

  The man picked her up without a problem and lay her back on the bed. Why hadn’t it hurt when he’d touched her? The last memory Crimson had was Luke beating two shades of shit out of her. How long had she been in this hospital, or wherever she was? She glanced down her body to see what kind of injuries she had left; that would at least give her a clue as to roughly how long she’d been there. But as she gazed over her arms and legs, she discovered no bruises anywhere.

  She lifted the top of the gown near her neck and looked between it and her body to gaze down at her skin. Nothing! No marks, no bruises. Nothing. Releasing the top, she fingered her face next. Again, no pain, no sign of swelling. Luke didn’t normally beat on places that could be seen, but this time his anger had been palpable, and she couldn’t remember a place he hadn’t beat on.

  “Was I in a coma? Why don’t I have bruises? How long have I been here?” Crimson asked, turning toward Amelia, fear gripping her heart. The longer she’d been in one spot, the more time Luke would have to find her.

  Amelia glanced at the man she’d called Hover then looked back at Crimson. “Only a short time. You were found very close to death in the sea. It was lucky you were found when you were.”

  Crimson was getting annoyed now. She wasn’t getting any of the answers that she needed. “How long have I been here? How much time?” she demanded.

  “You’ve been unconscious for just over twenty-four hours.”

  Crimson again raised her arms and raked her eyes over them. “No, that can’t be. Not unless I’m fucking dead and this is some kind of afterlife!” she snorted.

  “I will inform the captain she is awake while you tell her of her circumstances, Amelia. I will also let Teclis and Coil know she is aware. I am sure they too will want to see her,” the man said in a tone that indicated he was sharing a secret about this Teclis and Coil that she wasn’t to know about.

  He stepped up to what looked like a white archway before a door opened in it with a slight whoosh. It closed again after he’d stepped through it, leaving Amelia and her alone.

  “Where am I?” Crimson asked once more as her anxiety rose.

  “I know you’re feeling like freaking right now, but you’re in a safe place, please believe me,” Amelia urged calmly. “You are in medical, aboard an alien ship called the Gemorph. My mate is the captain.”

  Crimson sat up. Alien ship? Gemorph? Mate? Luke must have really hit me hard to send me to la-la land.

  “You were found by two of our warriors, Teclis and Coil, after you crossed the sensor line around the island they’re currently inhabiting. They are an alien species known as Gracians, and their advanced technology is the only reason you’re alive now.”

  “You shouldn’t have bothered,” Crimson muttered. “Once Luke finds me again—and he will—he will kill me for sure this time.”

  Crimson couldn’t help the depression that hit her hard and fast. Tears gathered and fell down her cheeks. She closed her eyes so she couldn’t see the pity in Amelia’s eyes, but she felt the bed dip and Amelia shuffling at her side.

  “Shit!” Amelia swore.

  Crimson opened her eyes and looked to her right to see Amelia struggling to get on the bed. Eventually, the woman managed to accomplish the task and then sat huffing and puffing beside her. They both looked at each other, one stunned and one pissed off, until Amelia started to laugh. Crimson joined her.

  “What’s your height?” Crimson chuckled, forgetting her tears.

  “About the same as yours, and these guys are so fucking tall, and everything is made for them. I had to have a small step installed next to my bed for crying out loud, just to get in it comfortably. It’s so annoying. It was worse when I was pregnant.”

  Crimson knew how the woman felt, not the pregnant bit, but the short bit. She herself was a tiny four-foot-nine. She felt like a midget compared to everyone around her.

  “Isn’t it annoying having to look up at everybody all the time?”

  “You mean besides the little people.” Amelia chuckled. “They have even more challenges than we do.”

  “Yeah, I suppose so.”

  “Tell me about this Luke,” Amelia said.

  Crimson looked into Amelia’s eyes, wondering if she should share, but then she’d already half-done it, so why not continue? Crimson started with the day she met Luke and ended with what she could remember of the recent events.

  “So, you don’t remember why you were in the water?” Amelia asked, stunned.

  “Not really. It’s like a film with half of it missing. I remember him finding me quicker than I thought he would. But after he punched me out in the hotel where I was staying…nothing, besides feeling so damn cold and tired.”

  Amelia wrapped her arms around Crimson’s waist and pulled her in tight, and without warning, Crimson’s tears began to flow. When her sobs finally abated, leaving her feeling tired, Amelia spoke.

  “How about we sit here for a bit and you can tell me what your life was like before Luke? I promise you, Crimson, you are safe. Nobody but you was found, and you’re in space, away from anyone who might want to hurt you. In fact, you’re surrounded by huge Gracian warriors who wouldn’t harm a female of any species.”

  Crimson didn’t know what to say. She wanted to believe Amelia. She searched the woman’s eyes for any sign of deceit but didn’t see any. Perhaps it was time to trust someone? The woman had just held her while she cried.

  “I want to believe.” Crimson frowned as a thought gathered in her foggy mind. “Umm, if I’m in space and these alien warriors…men…Gracian people…they speak English? Because I can understand them perfectly.”

  “While you were unconscious, Hover inserted a small translator behind your ear so you would be able to understand them.”

  Crimson quickly raised both of her hands and touched behind each ear but didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Before she could question why she couldn’t feel anything, Amelia smiled and explained more about the translator. But still, doubt about her situation lingered in Crimson’s mind.

  “I don’t know.” Crimson shook her head. “Besides this room that looks a wee bit strange and that man—Hover—it all seems…”

  “Hold that thought. Watch this,” Amelia said with a twinkle in her eye. She pressed a button on a small leather bracelet on her wrist. “Hover, could you zap in here a moment please and bring me a chrono screen?”

  All of a sudden, the tall male that had been in the room before appeared out of thin air. Crimson was so shocked she nearly fell off the bed. If it wasn’t for Amelia grabbing hold of her, she’d probably be a crumbled mess on the floor.

  “Why are you on the bed, Amelia? Actually, forget that, what I should ask after seeing you struggle before is how did you get on the bed?”

  “Har de har, Hover.” Amelia chuckled, looking at the man before turning back to Crimson. “Gracians are a little different from us. They’re able to transport themselves to places they’ve seen before. Where we have blood running through our bodies, they have energy.”

  Crimson nodded, still shocked that the man had just appeared out of nowhere in the room. She was beginning to put together everything that Amelia had told her so far. She hadn’t really taken anything in, being she was far more worried about Luke finding her, but after seeing this Hover suddenly appear, she was stringing things together.

  “Do you have the chrono screen?” Amelia asked, holding a hand out to Hover.

  He reached out and gave Amelia a small device. Amelia sat up a little and ran her fingers over the screen of the device. Crimson watched as an image of a circular spaceship appeared on it.

  “This is the Gemorph. There are currently five other cloaked ships like this patrolling the space around Earth, although I must brag, the Gemorph is the largest one so far.”

  “But you’re human?” Crimson asked, looking between the woman and the man again.

  “Yes. I was kidnapped, along with several other women, a few months back by another species called the Lesh. The Gracians rescued us.” Amelia’s face showed a pride that Crimson heard in her voice.

  “You said one was your mate—is that like a husband or something?” Crimson asked as questions began slowly forming.

  “Yes.” Amelia beamed. “But first, let me show you where you are. And then, once you’ve settled in and eaten and maybe slept, I’ll answer any questions you have.” Amelia’s fingers again darted across the strange-looking screen. “What I’m going to show you now is a live image that’s coming from the bridge of the ship.” Amelia shared the screen with Crimson. It showed the planet Earth from space.

  Crimson frowned. “How am I supposed to believe all this? You could be making it up.” After seeing Hover zap into the room there was little doubt what he was—that and his eyes. But still…

  Crimson crawled off the bed, this time landing on the floor on her feet and a little more graceful than last time. She had no idea where she was going; she just needed to stand on her feet and think for a second.

  “Wait,” Amelia called out. “Let me take you to the other room. There are huge windows you can see out of.”

  Hover was next to Amelia within seconds. He placed his huge hands around the young woman’s waist and helped her from the bed. “Amelia, it might be unwise for her to leave this room at this time. Teclis and Coil are outside, eagerly waiting news. One of them may be her spark. It is another reason why the female took so long to become aware, being we weren’t sure whose mate she is and that he couldn’t share his energy with her. Although, after speaking to the captain, we have our suspicions. She will also be going into mating heat soon.”

  Crimson had no idea what this Hover was talking about, but whatever it was, it didn’t sound good.

  Amelia looked up at the large man. “Let them wait. She needs to know, Hover.” Amelia turned back to Crimson and held her hand out to her. “Please, let me show you.”

  Crimson frowned. She had so many questions that needed answering and so much fear that Luke could be behind this whole façade for fun! She had to think rationally. But she had to trust someone, right? It had been so long since she’d been around anyone but him.

  Crimson sighed. Fuck it. She stared at the archway that had opened up before when this Hover had walked through it. It was either a lifeline, or something that would kill her. She hoped for the former as she nodded toward Amelia.

  Chapter 4

  Teclis sat with Coil just inside the medical bay, where they had waited anxiously since bringing the female aboard the ship. As Tec watched the medics run around helping the female they’d zapped aboard, he understood exactly what the humans meant when they said they felt like a fish out of water. He felt so useless. So utterly helpless. He had never felt this way in his entire life.

  When Tec had refused to leave the medical bay Hover had moaned about the water on his floor and encouraged Teclis to use the replicator to acquire a clean, dry uniform.

  Teclis’s mind kept returning to when he’d finally reached the top of the cliff and saw the female’s small, pale, prone body laid out on the tall grass with Jikel waving the healing wand over her. She didn’t look alive. From what Hover had said, the wand had been the only thing that had kept her alive long enough to get her aboard the Gemorph and into the healing tank. When Jikel couldn’t do much with the wand Coil had called the ship, informing them what had occurred. Trian had ordered them to bring the female aboard, frinx the consequences.

  Teclis had flown the small pod while Coil had kept the healing wand going over her fragile body until they were close enough for Coil to zap her aboard the ship. It wasn’t until a little later, after Hover had scanned the young woman in the healing tank, that more surprising news had come back. She not only had an iungo growing, she had two!

  Since hearing that news, Teclis had gone over every iota of memory since swimming and holding the female. The only thing he could come up with was when Coil had asked him if he felt that? Felt what? He could only conclude this human was Coil’s spark. But then why did she have two iungos? It had to be some kind of biological anomaly. Or could it have something to do with the fact that he and Coil were lovers?

  Time seemed to slow down the longer the pair of warriors waited to receive any additional news about the woman. After learning that one of them might be her mate Trian had allowed them to remain on the ship. But they weren’t allowed in the room with her to supply her with their energy—not even when she was out of the healing tank—because Hover wasn’t sure if he or Coil was hers.

  “I can’t give you up, Tec.” Coil held his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees as he sat beside him.

  “If she is yours, you will have to,” Teclis replied with sadness in his heart. They had gone over this subject so many times. Repeating those words hurt more each time.

  Coil raised his head and glowered at him. “So, you are willing t—”

  Suddenly the door of the room the female was in whooshed open, interrupting Coil from whatever he was about to say. Teclis was glad in a way that he wouldn’t have to hear Coil ask if Teclis could give him up for her.

  The two warriors were immediately on their feet when the tiny beauty they’d rescued from the sea walked out of the room with Amelia beside her and Hover following behind them. She glanced around the room, her eyes and body language wary of everything and everybody. The few medics roaming around doing various bits and pieces stopped and stared for a moment, taking her in before continuing about their business.

  “Everybody, this is Crimson,” Amelia announced to the room.

  Crimson. Teclis thought the name suited her, right down to her fiery red hair. And to his surprise she did indeed have a pair of bright green eyes, just as he had imagined she would.

  As she looked around, her eyes glazed over with surprise at her surroundings. They roamed over everything from the males, to the equipment, beds, and then finally stopped on the huge windows that showed the vast amount of space outside the ship. Seemingly as if she didn’t realize what she was doing, she ran over to one of the windows and pressed her face against it, her hands touching the glass either side of her head.

  “It’s true. Oh God, I’m in space!”

  Teclis expected Crimson to freak out as many of the other females had done when they’d been brought aboard the Gemorph. But the tiny female’s voice held awe in it. Teclis glanced over Crimson’s body again, only this time it was pink and healthy-looking, with no bruises, swelling, cuts, or grazes. She was tiny; she’d barely come up to his chest, or Coil’s. Her skin was still so very pale that her red hair flowing down her back seemed brighter in color.

  Tec glanced at Coil to see admiration on his face along with both love and fear. Their eyes met and locked before sadness filled Coil’s eyes, which had Teclis looking away and back toward Crimson. She was Coil’s spark; Teclis knew it. A physical pain shot through his heart. It felt like it was bursting into thousands of pieces inside his chest.

  Teclis watched and waited for Crimson to turn around. He wanted to see her eyes, to have them look at him. Although, he couldn’t understand why. Was is because she was Coil’s?

  It made Teclis evaluate his feelings once again. He didn’t feel angry that this small female might take his friend and lover away from him. No, he felt happy for both of them. Coil would treasure her for the rest of her days, he had no doubt about that. So why did he want to see her eyes, for her to gaze upon him as he would do her? If he wasn’t a warrior who had learned patience and had yarns of endurance, he’d have Crimson in his arms and turned around while cupping her chin just so she’d look up into his eyes.