“Oh, shit,” I murmured. “I’m gonna pass out.”
Vorah’s eyes widened, and he said, “My prince, she is losing consciousness. Permission to carry her to the med bay?”
I heard the door to the room slide open.
“Permission denied.”
I cried out when arms slid under my knees and neck and lifted me into the air. My ribs throbbed in protest, and I was pretty sure I was going to get sick.
“I have you, shiva,” the shipmaster’s voice whispered seconds before I blacked out. “I have you.”
I found more comfort in those words than I should have.
I awoke with a start.
Unlike the times before when I suddenly awoke from a dreamless sleep, I wasn’t confused. I was aware of where I was, whose company I kept, and what had happened to me. I sprung into an upright position and instantly brought my hands to my ribs. I waited for the bone-crushing pain to consume me, but I felt nothing, not even a twinge of discomfort. I softly pressed on my ribs before rolling up my gown and examining my bruise-free skin. No trace of my ribs ever being injured existed, and I knew who I had to thank for that. I lowered the gown, that I knew she had dressed me in, back down and exhaled a deep breath.
“Surkah.”
“Yes?”
I screamed and instinctively covered my head with my arms to protect it.
“I’m sorry,” Surkah blurted. “You said my name.”
I lowered my hands and pressed them against my chest as Surkah stood a couple of metres away from me, mirroring my frightened stance.
“It’s okay,” I said, trying to calm my rapid breathing. “I wasn’t calling for you. I was thinking of you when I noticed my ribs were healed, and I guess I just said your name out loud without realising it.”
Surkah lowered her hands to her side. “I healed you quickly. You had three nasty breaks and a couple of cracked ribs too. The inside of your mouth had a large gash, you bled a lot. You broke a finger, too.”
“Yeah.” I grumbled. “I felt pretty messed up.”
“You harmed the human female greater if it helps your pride?” Surkah offered. “Her left eye socket was shattered, and her jaw was broken. It took longer to heal her.”
That didn’t make me feel better at all.
“I didn’t want to fight her, but she attacked me.”
Surkah nodded. “Kol informed me of the incident. It is why we have separated you from the other humans. You don’t have to share quarters with them anymore.”
“Where is your brother?”
“The bridge.” Surkah shrugged like that was an obvious place to find him.
“Can you call him for me?” I asked politely. “I need to speak to him.”
I needed to find out why he attacked poor Vorah, and if he would kick me off his ship for attacking Echo when he gave me a direct order to leave her and her sister alone.
“I have already hailed him,” Surkah said, blushing. “He ordered me to do so when you awoke.”
I nodded but said nothing. Surkah wrung her hands together, and after a minute of silence, she said, “Will you be my friend again?”
I wanted to correct her and tell her we weren’t true friends in the first place, but I didn’t.
“Why?” I asked with my shoulders slumped. “I’m not exactly good company.”
I was miserable to be around if I was being honest with myself.
“I care for you greatly,” Surkah said. “I have bonded with you very fast.”
She said that to me the last time we spoke, too.
“Would you have lied to me if Kol hadn’t ordered you to do so?”
“No,” Surkah said instantly. “I would not have.”
Surkah’s face was too expressive for me not to see the truth in her words.
“I believe you,” I said. “And I do want to be your friend, but I just don’t know how to be a good one. I’m not very good with others … as you already know. I’ll try my best, though, so yes, if you want me as your friend, you’ve got me as your friend.”
Surkah let out a little cry as she quickly crossed the room and gathered me in her arms.
“I am so glad, Nova.”
I was a little hesitant, but when I put my arms around Surkah, it felt right.
“I am too,” I told her, and I meant the words. “I’m very sorry for upsetting you.”
“It was I who upset you, so I deserved your anger.”
We only separated when the door to the room opened. When my eyes landed on Kol, I narrowed them almost instantly. “You’re a huge bully; do you know that?”
Kol looked over his shoulder to—surprise—Mikoh and said, “What did I do now?”
“To annoy that female, breathing would surely do it.”
I scowled at Mikoh, and so did Surkah. He wasn’t bothered.
“Why are you upset with me?” Kol asked, regaining my attention.
“Do you want the list?”
He raised his eyebrows. “There is a list?”
I rolled my eyes. “You beat up Vorah, who is only a kid and was doing your bidding by searching for an intended. You shouted at me on the bridge and that both upset and scared me, and then you put me back in a room with Echo—who attacked me by the way. I wasn’t exactly innocent in the build-up, but I didn’t throw the first punch either.”
“Why do you care what happens to Vorah?” Kol growled. “He is not your intended.”
I gaped at him.
“Out of everything I just said, you focus on that?”
Kol growled at me once more, and I fought off the urge to throttle him.
“You’re the most trying person … being … Maji I have ever met!”
“Do you care for Vorah?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You’re unbelievable, Kol.”
“Answer me!”
“I care for him as I would a new friend!” I angrily shouted, dropping my hand. “I don’t know him at all, but he seems very sweet, and he didn’t do anything wrong, but you still hurt him. It’s not right, Kol. You can’t just hurt someone because their motives don’t suit yours!”
Kol stared at me, his expression hard.
“It is the Maji way to challenge a male for the intention of a female.”
I sucked in a breath. “Excuse me?”
He was not saying what I thought he was saying!
“You gave your verbal consent to test a bond with Vorah, and I had to challenge him, and beat him, to break that consent and restore your status.”
“My status?” I repeated. “My status as what?”
“A single female.”
“Hold on a second,” I said and held my hand in the air as I stood from the medical bay bed. “You beat up Vorah to break my consent to possibly marry him? Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s exactly what he’s saying,” Surkah murmured from my side.
“How can that be legal?” I shouted. “It’s up to me who I pick as a husband, right?”
“Yes.” Kol nodded. “But if another male challenges your intended male and wins, then the challenger wins your intention.”