flying, but before he could regain his stance, Varga was on him. He threw the guard to the ground and put his boot over Baahy’s throat.
“You will never lay a hand on my female, and you will never injure another slave again.”
Baahy gasped, his eyes bugging out, and clawed frantically at the ground. Varga looked down and saw that Baahy’s leg was swelling, blisters already covering the area where George had bitten him.
Varga lifted his foot and stepped back as Baahy continued to thrash, a high-pitched moan coming from his throat as blisters covered more of his skin. He was obviously in agony, but Varga had no sympathy. The male deserved everything he received.
Keeping one eye on the writhing body of the guard, Varga looked around for George. The lizard was hobbling back in his direction, one leg dragging and obviously broken. Varga went to retrieve him, carefully lifting him into his arms.
“You did very well, my friend,” he said softly, and George gave a weak little chirp.
There was a final terrible burbling sound from Baahy’s direction, but Varga only checked to make sure that the body wasn’t moving before hurrying back to Joan.
She was still lying where he’d left her, her cheeks flushed and her head turning restlessly. He put George on her stomach and lifted them both together, then quickly unlocked the ship and carried them through to the medical bed. It had been part of the equipment when he purchased the ship, and he’d never used it but knew the basic principles.
He placed her on the soft surface and picked up George again. After lowering the clear plastic canopy over the bed, he chose the setting for diagnosis. Bands of colored light traveled along the canopy from her head to her feet, accompanied by a low humming. Readings flashed up on the screen and disappeared almost as quickly while he stood holding George and praying that the machine could accommodate her human physiology.
After what seemed to be an interminable time, but was probably no more than a few minutes, the machine gave him the results. She had been poisoned, but the antivenom had been received in time. Her body was burning through the remnants of the poison, but she was dehydrated and that had exacerbated her condition. The diagnosis recommended a short temporary period of unconsciousness while the bed administered fluids and nutrition. He approved the treatment plan and sagged against the wall in relief.
She would be fine. He hadn’t lost her due to his foolish mistakes.
George chirped inquisitively.
“She’ll be fine,” he promised, stroking the lizard’s small head. “And as soon as her treatment is complete, we’ll see what it can do about your leg.”
He hated to leave her, but now that his fears had been put to rest, his thoughts went back to the rest of the party.
“I have to go back and help the others,” he said, before he remembered that he was talking to an animal. But George bobbed his head as if he understood. “I’m going to leave you here with her and lock the ship behind me. You will both be safe.”
Once again, George seemed to bob his head in agreement, and Varga wondered just how much the animal really understood. He placed George carefully on a padded chair where he could keep watch on the medical bed and hurried back to the entrance. He only paused long enough to grab a couple of traveling cloaks—they would be too big, but they would provide some protection—before returning to the hangar.
Baahy’s body was where he’d left it, starting to emit an unpleasant smell, but he ignored it as he headed back to the entrance. Just as he reached it, he caught sight of a tall, dark figure rounding the spur of rock. Issar. Taliane was still in his arms, and the others were huddled around him like lost infants.
Varga reached them just as Polly swayed and started to crumple to the ground. He reached for her, but despite her exhaustion, she started to struggle. After a quick exchange of glances with Issar, Varga gave her a careful blow under her ear. Her body immediately went still, and he wrapped her in one of the cloaks as Issar nodded approvingly.
“What did you do?” Rummel demanded.
“I knocked her out. She’s too exhausted to walk but too terrified to let me carry her.”
“You can carry me,” Saka purred, but despite the provocative words, he could hear her exhaustion and simply ignored the suggestion, handing her another