But if it was Anatole, he’d make sure that footage was deleted. Bastard!
Never in her life had she wanted anyone’s throat so badly.
Erix pulled her into a hug. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll get us some coffee.”
“Thank you.”
As Felicia took her seat, a tall, gorgeous female who didn’t appear much older than her came in wearing a commander’s formal uniform. The commander swept her gaze around the occupants before she headed straight to the empty nurses’ station. Impatiently, she pressed and held the buzzer.
The nurse glared at her as she came forward from a back room. “May I help you?”
“I’m Deputy Commander Batur. My son, Major Talyn Batur, was brought in and I need to know where he is and his condition. Immediately.”
Felicia held her breath as she waited for the update.
The nurse pulled up something on her monitor. “He’s still in surgery, Commander. That’s all I have. Sorry.”
The anguished expression on his mother’s face brought tears to Felicia’s own eyes. “What was his condition when he was brought in? My parents are Doctors Garaint and Nila Batur.” The nurse’s eyes widened at those prestigious names that literally everyone in the medical profession knew. “Please, tell me what you have about my son. I have to know.”
The nurse read from her screen. “Critical One. He took several direct hits that exploded his ship, and was ejected into space. It appears he slammed into shrapnel or debris and was coding when they hauled him into a medpod.”
“No!” His mother fell to her knees and sobbed.
Felicia was grateful she was sitting because she had the same reaction. It felt as if all the air had been violently sucked out of her lungs.
But as she saw his mother’s agonized grief, she went to her and pulled her into her arms.
The commander wept against her shoulder and shook so hard that Felicia feared she’d pass out. Her own tears blinded her as she prayed with everything she had.
A shadow fell over them. She looked up to see Erix’s pale face.
“What happened?” he asked.
Patting Galene’s back, Felicia forced herself to stop crying long enough to answer. “Talyn’s still in surgery, but he was coding when they brought him in.”
Only then did his mother pull back to frown at her. “Who are you?”
“Felicia.”
Her brow furrowed by confusion, she looked up at Erix. “Who is she?”
“Talyn’s female.”
She blinked as she scowled even more. “Since when?”
Erix arched a brow. “For weeks now, that I know. Didn’t he tell you?”
Shaking her head, the commander raked a less-than-flattering stare over Felicia. At least that was what she assumed until Galene lovingly cupped her face in her hand. “You take care of my baby?”
“As best I can.”
Galene pulled her in for a crushing embrace and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”
Completely confounded, Felicia wasn’t sure what to think. With a ragged breath, Galene finally stood and allowed Erix to help her into a chair.
This wasn’t the callous Andarion mother Felicia had expected. For one thing, the commander was really young. She couldn’t be more than her mid-thirties, if that.
Since the commander refused to attend his matches, Felicia had assumed Galene would be uncaring and cold – something that wasn’t unusual for their mothers. But as the hours went by, and his mother tearfully regaled her with hundreds of pictures, and story after story of Talyn’s childhood antics, she learned exactly how much his mother loved and adored him.
Scarily so.
Galene even had copies of his elementary and primary school transcripts and grades on her link, as well as the stats for every fight he’d ever been in.
Most of all, Felicia learned that Talyn kept everything about himself bottled up. Felicia wasn’t the only one he was reserved around. He really didn’t talk about anything with anyone.
Not even his own mother.
In fact, he told Felicia more about himself than he did anyone else. And given how little that was, it was truly frightening.
When Felicia briefly mentioned med school to his mother, Galene had no idea that Talyn had ever applied. Never mind been turned down. Repeatedly. Felicia had barely caught herself before she outed something he must have kept from his mother for a reason.
Galene got up to pace again. Like her son, she was a fierce, intense beast. A force to be reckoned with. She checked the time and cursed.
“He’ll be okay,” Felicia reassured her.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because if he’s not, I’m going on a killing spree, and I’m sure the gods don’t want me