Blue solace complete ser.., p.38
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 38
He stuck his nose in the air and walked away. Estella followed suit, giving her own little huff.
He went to Rasha and her family first, Rune appearing at his side.
He smiled gratefully at his friend. “Rune, you did so well. Thank you for protecting us until they could get here.”
“I thought we were goners,” he said, face pale.
Dashel nodded in agreement. “Me too. Thank you, Rune. If you hadn’t held them off, we would all be dead now.”
Pela ran up with a box. “Here’s a sample of what they have. Rune and I can start moving the most critical to the shuttle, and those that can could start walking back to the village. Kiki says we need to be fast.”
“Good idea,” Wyatt said. “Pela, if you’ll tell Kiki to start directing them toward the village, Rune and I will begin getting the critical ready to move.” He looked back at Rasha, giving her a grin. “We have the stuff to make you feel really good in here,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. “Sit back and enjoy the ride, lady.”
She smiled, eyes twinkling as her two kids giggled. “You’re a sweet man, Doc.”
“He really is.” The deep voice behind him resonated up his spine, and he shivered.
Rasha watched him in fascination.
“Eep,” Wyatt managed to say, turning to his hero. Up close, the man’s brown eyes were even more fascinating then all his tattooed muscles. The man smiled at him, and Wyatt lost his mind.
He stared at the man, completely forgetting where they were as he plotted out their life together. They would have a whirlwind romance, then get married on Bella Torania in a beach-themed wedding. His mom and stepdad would love him, and of course his mom would cry at the wedding. They’d move to a nice planet and settle down. He’d get a job at a hospital, and his love could be a stay-at-home dad for their eight children.
He frowned. “Is eight children too many?”
“For what?” The man looked puzzled but kept smiling.
Rune and Dashel started laughing, and Wyatt blushed.
“Nothing,” he said gruffly and held out his hand. “Sir. Thank you for your help.”
It was time to turn on his doctor face.
The man raised an eyebrow but took his hand to shake. “My pleasure. I’m Morgan, by the way. No need for the sir.”
“Nice to meet you,” Wyatt said, face severe. “I’m Dr. Wyatt Morrick of the GACP. I’m not sure what’s wrong with those two, but we truly are thankful.”
The other two men just laughed harder, and Wyatt started to squirm.
“We should get to work here, gentlemen,” Wyatt said finally.
“Sounds good,” Morgan said. “Kiki is already on the way back with those who can walk. We’ll start loading up when you’re ready.”
“Perfect,” Wyatt said, nodding and keeping his serious doctor face in place.
“I will need my hand though,” Morgan said, lips twitching.
Wyatt looked down to where he’d laced their fingers together, holding the other man’s hand tightly in his.
“Oh, fuck,” he said, letting go. “I’m so sorry.”
Morgan grinned, and Wyatt’s heart just about beat out of his chest. “No problem, kitten. You can hold my hand anytime you want.”
Wyatt watched Morgan walk away, admiring his tight rear and the breadth of his shoulders, his long hair wrapped in a bun at the top of his head. Wyatt wondered what it would look like spread out on a bed.
Laughter broke through his thoughts, and he turned around to frown at the two men causing such a ruckus.
He propped hands on his hips and noticed Estella do it too. Smart little girl. “That’s enough out of you two,” Wyatt said. “We have work to do.”
He turned his attention to Rasha, giving her a high dose of pain medicine.
“I think eight kids is a bit much,” Rasha said as he worked on her injuries. The pain meds made her voice slur. “You should aim for four. That’s a good number.”
Wyatt blushed and hid his smile. “Was I a complete idiot?”
“No,” Rasha replied, smiling. “You were adorable. He likes you. I could see it in his eyes.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” Wyatt said, reminding his heart to be realistic. “I’m four months pregnant with another man’s child. I can’t pull anyone into that.”
“If he’s a man worth having, he won’t care about that,” Dashel said, squeezing his wife’s hand. “He’ll just care about being there for you and the baby.”
“If he’s a smart man,” Rune said, handing him a fresh bandage. “He’ll realize how dear you are and give you the eight kids you want. When I meet my fella, you can bet your ass I’ll give him whatever he wants.”
“Eight kids,” Rasha said, drifting off to sleep. “That’s too many little brats.”
Her two little brats giggled at their mom’s words, and Dashel smiled. “Is she ready to move?”
Wyatt finished with the last bandage. “Yes. You two be careful and keep a steady hand, okay?” He looked at the two little ones. “You two go with them and sit with Mama, alright? Hold her hands so they don’t get cold.”
Rune and Dashel lifted her cot and headed for the shuttle, the two little ones right behind them.
“Come on, Estella,” he said. “On to the next patient.”
Chapter 8
Wyatt looked around his old office, Luna at his side. The village’s medical rooms had been ransacked, and his belongings had clearly been checked for valuables. He knew better than to bring anything more valuable than his tablet with him, and he kept it on him at all times.
Too bad Ralen had cut their connection to the rest of the galaxy. Once they got off the planet, Wyatt imagined Gina would be able to fix it.
He looked out his window and watched the villagers gather their dead. The Tammolians burned their dead, and Kiki had decided to include Joe with them. Lolani and Ron would be brought back to their families.
Wyatt’s chest felt heavy as he watched the people he had grown close to mourn their slain family members and friends. He looked to his own little shadow.
“Estella,” he said. “Do you want to find your parents? We can take care of them together.”
The little girl held tight to his hand. She hadn’t let him go since they arrived, and Wyatt found he didn’t want her to. She nodded and tugged him back out into the rain. Wyatt had only seen the little girl around the village a few times before the attack. He and his team had focused on the wounded.
She brought him to a little house near the center of the village and opened the door. Wyatt and Luna followed her inside. She squeezed his hand tightly as they walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Her mother had been killed by the creature and now lay as a husk on the floor.
Estella buried her face against Wyatt’s belly, sobbing. Wyatt couldn’t stop his own tears even if he’d wanted to. So much death.
“Need some help?”
Wyatt’s heart lightened a bit at the sound of Morgan’s voice, and he looked behind him.
“Please. This is Estella’s mom. We need to get her properly buried. I think her dad is outside. He was one of the villagers who stayed behind to distract them while we escaped.”
“I’ll take care of it, kitten,” Morgan said softly. He knelt next to the woman and gently picked up her hand. He slid the wedding ring from her finger and unhooked a necklace from around her neck. He held them both out to Estella. The little girl watched him with watery eyes, finally reaching out to take them.
“Sweetheart, I know this is hard. Believe me. I’ve been exactly where you are. I’ll take care of your family, okay? Go pack some of your things. I don’t know when you’ll be able to come back. Pack everything you can’t go without, pictures and anything else you can think of,” Morgan said.
Estella let go of Wyatt and edged around her mother’s body. She headed farther into the house, and Wyatt went with her, leaving Morgan to take care of the woman. The two of them worked their way through the house, and Wyatt made sure to grab anything he thought she might want later.
Her mom had made several quilts, and her dad apparently liked to carve. There were little wooden figurines all over. They ended up with three boxes of items sitting in the middle of the living room, and the little girl now hugged a stuffed bear-like animal to her chest.
“Estella,” Morgan said from the door. The man was a muddy, soaked mess. “Your dad and mom are with the others now. Do you want to say goodbye?” He handed her another ring and a leather bracelet. She took them, lip trembling, and nodded.
Luckily, the rain had stopped. The sun shone through, making every puddle and drop of water gleam. As they walked to the edge of the village, Wyatt deftly slid Estella’s parents’ rings onto the chain of her mother’s necklace. He stopped her and hooked it around her neck. It hung down to her chest, but she touched it gently, sniffling, and grabbed his hand again.
Estella handed Morgan her stuffed mystery animal and took the man’s hand in her free one, startling him. Together, they found the others.
The village had a funeral pyre, but it had been extended so everyone would fit. Wyatt stopped next to Dashel. His brother and parents had both died in the attack.
Kiki stood on the man’s other side, and the Tammolian took her hand, surprising her. The woman on Kiki’s other side grabbed her other hand, and one by one, they circled the bodies, hand in hand.
They watched the eldest of the Tammolians set the line of bodies on fire. Whatever accelerant they used was good. The wet bodies burned fast.
The elder began singing a song. It was in native Tammolian, so Wyatt couldn’t understand the words, but he knew what it was about. He could hear the sorrow and pain. The others joined in, and the survivors mourned.
They were used to violence and death, but not at this scale. Not with this careless cruelty. He sobbed alongside them. He mourned Kiki’s soulmate and Estella’s parents. He mourned Lolani and Ron and what could have been. He mourned every brave villager who had stayed behind to save their loved ones.
When the bodies were ashes and bones, their song ended. One by one, the villagers said their goodbyes and melted away from the circle. Dashel squeezed Wyatt’s hand and let go, turning to go back to his wife.
Wyatt scooted closer to Kiki, Estella pressed against his side and dragging Morgan with her.
Kiki stared at the pile a long time. “Did you know Havenites can sense their soulmates?” she asked. Joe had been a Havenite.
“Yeah,” Wyatt said. “Both my mom and dad have Havenite blood. We’re true galaxy mutts. No offence, Luna,” he said, patting the dog’s head. She perched between him and Kiki.
“The night Joe and I met, he told me that I made his world pulse. That he heard the universe strum and purr to him that he’d met his soulmate.”
“Kiki,” Wyatt said, voice cracking.
“I always thought humans didn’t have life mates,” she said. “We’re plain and ordinary in all other ways. We do, Morgan. We do.” She looked at the soldier, eyes red and aching, before turning to Wyatt. “You said that when you saw Morgan, the world seemed to vibrate and hum. Right?”
“Kiki,” Wyatt said, embarrassed. “Don’t mock me.”
“He’s your mate, Wyatt,” she said softly, looking back to Morgan. “I know he is.” She turned away and strode towards the shuttle.
Luna gave him a look and he nodded. The dog trotted after her.
Wyatt couldn’t make himself look at Morgan. Fingers on his chin tipped his head up.
Morgan looked sad. “I feel bad for Kiki,” he said. “She deserves more than this. They all do.” He was quiet for a moment, fingers stroking Wyatt’s chin. “Did the world really vibrate, Wyatt?”
“Yes,” Wyatt admitted. “I saw you fighting in the rain, then the world vibrated and a hum filled my head. Now my heart’s gone. Crazy, right? It happened so fast. My parents never had soulmates. I never thought I would. Don’t worry though. I don’t expect anything. You don’t know me.”
“I feel like I do,” Morgan said. It started to rain again, and he raised his face up to meet it. “I have something to tell you and I really don’t want to.” He met Wyatt’s stare again.
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“The GACP hired us to find you, but we were already looking. Your father got caught up in some trouble and hired the Charybdis mercenary group to help.”
“That doesn’t sound like Dad at all. What trouble could he come across at his lab?”
“Apparently, the owners and management of the lab weren’t great people. They allied with the Concord mercenaries, the same people I fought today.”
“What? Why are they here?” Wyatt asked.
“The Concords have decided to set up a base, and they chose Tammol to do it. They hate any non-human species. It’s our understanding that they want to wipe them out.”
“My dad’s bosses work with them?”
“Yeah. It gets a lot more complicated though. This artifact came into your dad’s possession. He was studying it but hadn’t had much luck in figuring it out. He decided to work with Charybdis Station’s scientists to try to understand it, but his bosses didn’t like that. They had already agreed to hand it over to the Concords.”
“What does the artifact do?”
“We don’t know yet. We have people working on it, but so far, no one is sure what it is.”
“That must piss Dad off. He hates not knowing something.”
“That’s what I really don’t want to tell you,” Morgan said, stepping close. “While we were trying to get him to safety, your dad was killed. He’s dead, Wyatt.”
“No,” Wyatt said, shaking his head. His dad wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. He was always there, focused on his work. “You’re lying. Why would you do that?” He pushed Morgan away from him. “Why would you say that?”
He tried to turn and walk away, but Estella held his hand, tears streaming down her face and feet planted in the ground.
“It’ll be okay, Wyatt,” she said, voice hoarse from disuse. “I’m here with you.”
She hadn’t spoken in two months, and it broke his heart that she spoke to comfort him. Because his dad was dead. His dad died thinking Wyatt hated him.
He fell to his knees and hugged Estella to him, crying into her shoulder. She wrapped her thin arms around him, offering him the comfort that he’d given her countless times over the last two months.
The rain fell hard, and he was so damn cold. Then, he felt warm, strong arms wrap around them from behind. Morgan settled against him, murmuring nonsense against his back. Wyatt leaned back into him, pulling Estella with him, and cried.
Wyatt watched the ship come to a stop. It hadn’t been able to fly too high, but at least it flew fast. The critical patients were taken straight to the medical bay, Jane and Pela with them, and Wyatt knew he needed to follow them.
His feet seemed stuck. He didn’t want to think or feel. He didn’t want to do anything. Estella stood beside him, and together, they watched Morgan direct everyone to either the ship or the shuttle. They had to leave here quickly.
Kiki stopped next to him, grabbing his hand. He felt a shove from behind and looked over his shoulder. Rune’s sad eyes told him that they knew about his father.
“I know it hurts and you want to stop for a minute, Wyatt, but you don’t have that luxury,” Kiki said. “These people need you. Estella needs you.” She nodded toward the girl. “We all need you, Wyatt.”
“You aren’t alone,” Rune said. “We have each other, and we need you to stay with us.”
“Okay,” Wyatt said. “I need to move. I do.” He headed for the ship, then stopped. “We need to get Estella’s boxes and my bag.”
“Morgan’s already loaded them up,” Kiki said. “Your shit went in his room. So did Estella’s.”
“What?”
“That got him moving,” Rune said with a chuckle as Wyatt hurried toward the ship.
“Morgan, why is my stuff in your room?” Wyatt stopped next to the huge man and frowned up at him.
“We’re mates,” Morgan said simply, then turned back to helping the surviving villagers.
“I… What the hell?” Wyatt said, out of words.
“Well, well, well.” A tall hybrid woman with caramel-colored skin stood in front of him. A vexal newt perched on her shoulder, eyeing the four of them carefully. “Here’s our little Wyatt. Already sharing a room with pretty boy.” She shook her head, tsking at him. “First Hack, now Morgan. Our Blue Solace boys work fast. Except for Alois. He’s an idiot.”
A Dedril and a very large, homely human walked past, carrying boxes for an elderly Tammolian and his grandson. The Dedril stuck his tongue out at the woman. “Thanks, Captain.”
“Come on, Dru. Leave the boy alone.” The human bent and kissed the woman’s cheek. “You know how stressful starting a relationship can be. Don’t tease him.”
The woman pouted and stomped her foot. “I like teasing.”
The man remained unconvinced, his face serious and his eyes gentle.
“Fine,” Dru said and sighed. “I am the captain, so I should act like it.” She turned back to Wyatt and his friends. “Welcome to the Blue Sparrow. We may not be able to fly above a hundred feet, but we have running water.”
Chapter 9
Morgan piled blankets and pillows on the growing nest in the corner of his room. He’d made three more nests around the room and knew his crewmates were doing the same thing with their own quarters. The newly-rescued medical team and Tammolians needed somewhere to sleep, and each room had a bathroom.
Estella was in the shower, and Dashel and his kids were already freshly showered and dressed, ready to go and get a hot meal for the first time in months.
The Tammolian man moved nervously from foot to foot, eyes darting around the room.
“We can’t take your bed, Morgan. It seems wrong,” he finally said.
“Don’t worry about it, Dashel. Rasha will be able to leave the med-bay tonight, and she needs somewhere comfortable to sleep.”
