the point,” Sabrina said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re attracted to her or not, she won’t want you seeing her naked, even if it’s for medical purposes. Being dirty and smelly won’t kill her. Just leave her until she wakes. Trust me on this.”
“Yes, my queen,” Sigan said. “Although she may not make it through the night. The gallberry plant is working but slowly.”
“What is wrong with her?” Quill asked.
Sigan quickly filled him in. I gritted my teeth but kept quiet when he referred to her repeatedly as the thief. She was a thief, and my weird reaction to the little female didn’t negate that she had stolen juice.
When Sigan was finished, Quill glanced at Teo. Teo was typing into his vertex and he said, “I will alert Earth’s authorities that we have caught a thief and will be returning her for punishment.”
He turned to me. “What section of Earth were you visiting when she boarded the ship?”
I had the oddest urge to refuse to tell him. Which didn’t make sense. Earth had many prisons, and she could be thrown into any of them. I had taken Earth studies throughout my schooling and I was well aware of the fate that waited the little female. Stealing gallberry juice meant imprisonment of at least forty Earth years. She would be an old woman by the time she gained her freedom back.
“The province of Iowa, in a city called Des Moines,” Sigan said when I didn’t answer.
“State of Iowa,” Sabrina said. “We call them states not provinces.”
Teo made a note in his vertex. “When will she be ready for transport, Sigan?”
Sigan shrugged. “Tomorrow. If she does not die in the night.”
“What if she’s not,” Sabrina paused, “normal? Like, what if her abilities are impaired because of the flux fluid? And what if the cancer isn’t completely cured by the gallberry plant by tomorrow?”
“It will not be cured,” Sigan said. “She would need more of the plant than I can give her in a twenty-four period, even by serum. She will be dead in six moons.” He studied her prone body. “More likely three moons with her tiny and fragile body.”
His careless tone grated on my nerves and I had to work very hard not to thump my tail against the floor and betray my annoyance.
“So, she’ll die in prison,” Sabrina said.
“That is not our problem, my queen,” Teo said. “The little female has broken Earth laws. The Planetary Treaty requires she be returned for her punishment regardless of her state.”
Sabrina bit at her bottom lip, her hand stroking Jovie’s hair as she studied the sick female. Our king’s mate was soft-hearted and a part of me hoped she would convince Quill to…
To what? Not return the female to Earth? Don’t be such a froden. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. It would be a violation of the treaty.
I twitched when Quill thumped me on the back. “Galan, what troubles you?”
“Nothing, my king,” I said.
I knew Quill didn’t believe me. He was my oldest and best friend and knew me better than anyone. It was difficult if not impossible to keep anything from him.
“Come, walk with me in the garden while my mate has her scan.” Quill glanced at Sabrina. “Sadora, do you mind?”
“Not at all,” she said.
“No,” I said. “Stay with your mate. I am tired from the trip and will retire early.”
I bowed to Sabrina and left the infirmary before Quill could argue.
Chapter Three
Ellis
I woke slowly, feeling better than I had in weeks. My head no longer throbbed and the weird heaviness in my lungs and the urge to cough had disappeared. Even the ache in my back was gone. I stared up at the ceiling, blinking until my vision cleared.
Was I still on the Draax ship? My stomach tightened. I had to be. Unless the Draax had turned around and returned me to Earth. That was a definite possibility, right? I couldn’t remember much of what happened after sliding into that storage space to hide, but I had confusing images of a Draax with beautiful copper eyes and a mouth that did strange things to my insides.
And a sword, Ellis. Don’t forget about the sword he had.
I scrunched up my face, trying to remember. After a couple of seconds, I cringed. Oh God, had I … had I thrown up on the copper-eyed Draax? If the sour taste in my mouth was any indication, I had definitely vomited on him.