Moisture welled in her eyes.
Ziv’ri’s corpse had lain atop a table beyond his brother.
But it had been a dream, she reminded herself. Just another nightmare. One of many that had dogged her ever since she and Jak’ri had fought the Gathendiens in the forest. She didn’t know why she was having them. She and Jak’ri were safe now. The Gathendiens would never find them here in the cavern. They—
She opened her eyes.
A jolt of absolute terror shook her as she sucked in a breath.
She wasn’t in the cavern with its dark sands and pretty glowing walls.
She lay on an operating table in a stark white lab.
“No,” she murmured.
Instead of the scent of the ocean, the air carried an antiseptic smell. And where dark rocks with luminescent streaks should lie above her, advanced medical technology instead clung to the ceiling.
Horror suffused her. She was back on the ship. The Gathendiens must have found them and…
She was back on the fucking ship!
Despair inundated her. “No.” Her voice rose with each denial. “No, no, no!”
A tall figure abruptly loomed over her.
Starting, she threw up her hands to defend herself.
“Ava,” a voice said. A deep voice she knew and loved.
“Jak’ri?” She blinked against the bright overhead lights.
“Yes.” His handsome face swam above her, full of concern, as he took her hands and carried them to his lips. “It’s okay,” he murmured soothingly. “You’re okay.”
Sitting up, she shook her head. “How did they find us?” Throwing her arms around him, she buried her face in his chest. “How did the Gathendiens get us back on their ship?”
“They didn’t,” a second voice said.
Ava gasped. Releasing Jak’ri, she gaped up at the man who moved to stand beside him. “Ziv’ri?”
He grinned. “Surprised to see me?”
“Yes!” Legs dangling over the side of the bed, she drew him into a hug. He was so thin! Even more so than the last time she’d seen him on the Gathendien ship. “How is this possible? We thought you died!”
“I almost did,” he admitted as he returned her embrace. “But I couldn’t. If I did, Jak’ri would get to keep my hovercycle.”
A laugh escaped her despite the grim circumstances. She was so glad to see him again. Leaning back, she swept the tears from her cheeks and stared at them both. “What happened? How did the Gathendiens recapture us?”
“They didn’t,” Jak’ri said, his manner surprisingly relaxed as he shifted closer and curled an arm around her.
Ziv’ri nodded. “We’re on a Segonian warship. The Ranasura.”
Hope rose. The Segonians were allies of the Lasarans! “We are?” She looked up at Jak’ri. “Did they receive your distress call?”
“No. Ziv’ri snuck onto their ship.”
She shook her head, completely baffled. “How?” The last time they’d seen him, the Gathendiens had been dragging Ziv’ri away.
“The, uh…” His brow furrowed. “What was that Earth term you used that I liked so much?” He thought a moment, then his features lightened. “Ah, yes. The dumbass Gathendiens sent me.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“They learned another Earth female was aboard the Ranasura and forced me to infiltrate the ship.”
“How could they force you to infiltrate a ship?”
Jak’ri pressed a kiss to her temple. “They monitored his progress and told him that every hour he delayed enacting the plan they would inflict more pain upon us. If he failed, they’d kill us both… slowly and painfully.”
Fury rose. “Those total assholes!”
Ziv’ri grinned. “It’s okay. It didn’t go the way they thought it would.”
The door to the large room they were in slid up.
“Wait. Where are we?” Ava asked, still trying to catch up. “Is this a lab?”
Her eyes widened when Eliana strode inside.
“Nope.” Her friend grinned. “You’re in the Ranasura’s med bay.”
Releasing a cry of happiness, Ava leapt off the bed and hurled herself at her friend.
Eliana caught her and hugged her so tightly she nearly cut off Ava’s breath.
Whatever pants Ava was wearing dropped to her ankles. She swore. “Please tell me this isn’t one of those hospital gowns that shows your bare ass in back.”
Eliana laughed. “I said the same thing when that happened to me. It isn’t.” She stepped back. “And it’s actually not a gown. It’s a shirt I cut the sleeves off. Segonians are drekking tall.”
Ava glanced down. She did indeed appear to be wearing a large shirt that fell almost to her knees. And the man who stepped through the doorway behind Eliana was definitely tall. Standing well over six feet, he had broad shoulders, a muscular build, and skin that bore enough of a bronze hue to identify him as someone not from Earth.
He was also handsome as hell.
But not as handsome as Jak’ri, she thought as she glanced at the Purveli brothers.
He smiled, likely picking up her thoughts, and strolled over to join them, Ziv’ri at his side.
Feeling weird standing there with oversized pants pooled around her ankles, she stepped out of them and surreptitiously kicked them aside.
Eliana jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “This is Dagon. He’s Commander of the Ranasura.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Ava said.
Commander Dagon performed a slight bow. “Good to meet you, Ava.”
Eliana leaned forward as though imparting a confidence and whispered loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear, “I’m totally smitten with him.”
Commander Dagon grinned.
Ava did, too. Her friend did indeed look smitten… and very happy as she leaned into the imposing man’s side and curled an arm around him.
Ava motioned to the Purveli men who now stood protectively on either side of her. “Have you met Jak’ri and Ziv’ri?”
Eliana nodded. “They insisted on watching over you while you slept.” She sent Jak’ri a sweet smile. “I don’t think Jak’ri has left your side for more than a minute. He must be exhausted.”
Ava studied them all. Eliana made it sound like Ava had slept for quite a while. “How long was I out?”
“A couple of days,” she said.
Ava’s jaw dropped. She looked up at Jak’ri. “I was?”
Nodding, he rested a hand on her back and gave it a caress. She said such is normal, that the virus causes those infected with it to sleep deeply while they heal. But I admit I began to fear you wouldn’t awaken.
And the dark shadows she now noticed beneath his silvery eyes testified to his fatigue.
Sorry to have worried him, Ava leaned into his side.
“How do you feel?” Eliana asked, her expression sobering.
Ava shrugged. “Okay.” Surprise coursed through her as it dawned on her she really did. Glancing down, she inspected her arms and discovered that all of her wounds were gone. Every cut. Every bruise. Every gash. So was the annoying weakness and dizziness that had bedeviled her in recent days. “Actually, I feel better than okay. I feel pretty great.” She sent Ava a wry smile. “Especially now that I know I’m not back on the Gathendien ship.”