He looked over at Barus, who studied them with the same concern coupled with astonishment as the rest of the crew. “You have the bridge.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Jostling Eliana as little as possible, Dagon headed for the med bay.
Eliana tried not to cry out again when Dagon gently lowered her to sit on the edge of a bed in the ship’s high-tech infirmary.
Adaos was stretched out on the bed beside hers, eyes closed, face pale. The man she had told Dagon to punch hovered beside him, one temple discolored.
When he met her gaze, she extended a hand to him. “Hi, I’m Eliana.” She glanced at her hand, realized it was covered in blood, and hastily offered the left instead. “I’m sorry I made Dagon hit you. I didn’t remember who you all were.”
The man glanced at Dagon, then leaned across Adaos. Instead of clasping her hand, he clasped her forearm just above her wrist. “I’m Maarev. It’s an honor to meet you, Eliana.”
Her eyebrows flew up. An honor?
She glanced at Dagon as Maarev released her.
Dagon shrugged. “We admire strength and courage. You’ve demonstrated a great deal of both.” He glanced around. “Where are the other medics?”
“Joral has been testing another new weapon.”
Dagon grimaced. “How many were injured?”
“Only three this time.”
Grunting, he picked up an electronic tablet about the size of an iPad.
A metal wand descended from the ceiling and hovered above Adaos’s head. Slowly it moved down toward his feet, casting a bluish band of light over his body.
It reminded her a bit of Max’s document scanner back home. “What’s that?”
Dagon stared at the screen as the wand retracted. “A comprehensive diagnostic scanner. It will determine what’s wrong with Adaos.”
“He needs blood,” Eliana told him.
Dagon looked up. “What?”
“He needs a blood transfusion.”
The calm, female computer voice she had heard upon waking said something in Segonian.
Dagon frowned.
“What did she say?” Eliana asked.
“CC, render results into Earth’s English language.”
“Blood volume low,” the computer said in English. “A transfusion is required.”
Dagon looked at Adaos’s body.
Maarev frowned. “I see no wounds beyond some odd markings on his neck.”
“Are they bleeding?” Dagon asked.
“No.”
Eliana bit her lip.
Stepping back, Dagon studied the floor. “Then why is his blood volume low? Where did it go?”
Crap.
Both men turned to Eliana.
She really didn’t want to get into the whole I need blood to survive thing. That had never gone over well on Earth, so she had little hope that it would here. The Lasarans had been okay with it, or had at least pretended they were okay with it, but that was because Immortal Guardians like Eliana had rescued their princess and kept her safe.
Damn it. These guys had saved her life and been so great about everything. She really didn’t want them to start looking at her like she was a freak.
Nibbling her lower lip, she studied Dagon. “Any chance we could speak privately?”
He turned to Maarev and jerked his head toward the doorway.
Maarev issued a half bow, then left.
The door slid closed behind him.
Dagon set the tablet aside. “CC, proceed with blood transfusion.”
Eliana gawked a little as another mechanical arm lowered from the ceiling, bearing a needle connected to a tube. A clear liquid sprayed from a hole beneath the needle. Light formed a grid pattern on the bend of Adaos’s arm. Then the needle unerringly found his vein and began to transfuse him. “That is so cool.”
Dagon returned his attention to her. “Tell me what happened.”
Dread coiled in her empty stomach. She had wondered what the Segonian commander would look like, if his face would be as appealing as his voice. Now she knew he was freaking gorgeous. Almost as tall as Seth—who stood six feet eight—he had broad shoulders and a muscled chest outlined by a sleeveless black shirt. The rest of his body was just as fit and packed with muscle. But his face…
She loved his face. Not too soft or pretty-boyish. Not too hard or fierce either. Just perfect, with a chiseled jaw, hazel eyes, and short raven hair.
Those handsome features reflected no hatred, anger, or distrust. She hoped that wouldn’t change.
“Eliana?” he prompted.
She sighed. “I took it.”
Confusion flitted across his face. “His blood?”
“Yes. I needed a transfusion.”
Alarm entered his gaze. “You transfused yourself with his blood?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. But when I woke up—”
“You don’t know if our blood is compatible with yours. Lie back.” He reached for the tablet again.
“What?”
Moving to stand beside her, he rested a hand on her left shoulder and tried to ease her down. “Lie back. If our blood isn’t compatible with yours, you could—”
She held up a hand and steadfastly remained upright. “It is.”
He shook his head. “You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do,” she insisted. “The Lasarans gave me several transfusions while I was aboard their ship and told me both Yona and Segonian blood is compatible. Apparently they had some on hand from the last war games… battle… group-practice thingy the Aldebarian Alliance did.”
He released her with a frown. “You required multiple transfusions?”
“Yes. The only blood that I have to steer clear of—as far as I know—is Lasaran. If I’m ever injured badly enough to be rendered unconscious, don’t ever transfuse me with Lasaran blood. Okay?” The Lasaran medics had seemed quite confident that such would kill her.
“Okay.”
Good. Hopefully that would be the end of it.
“Why did you require so many transfusions?” he asked. “Were you injured?”
“No.” She worried her lower lip. “I’d prefer to keep what I’m about to tell you between you and me if possible. Some tend to not react well to it.”
“All right.”
She drew in a deep breath, or as deep a breath as her damaged rib cage would permit. “There are two species of mankind on Earth.”
He held up a hand. “Will this be a long explanation?”
“Yes.”
“Then lie back and let CC scan you while you tell it.”
“Is CC a computer?”
“A computer program.”
“Why do you call her CC?”
“Those are the initials of the engineer who installed the program. Lie back, please.”
Eliana started to swing her legs up on the bed but stopped when pain shot up her side.
Dagon moved forward and gently eased her legs up for her, then helped her recline.
“Thank you.”
He nodded, his face full of concern, and tapped the tablet. Another wand descended from the ceiling and began to sweep over her.
“All I need is another transfusion,” Eliana told him. “If you give me that, I’ll be fine.”