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Nadzia

She had a feeling the overgrown alien ostriches were dangerous, but she hadn’t realized just how deadly until they attacked Aculus. Her hands fluttered over his injured shoulder as he held her close with his good arm. He was losing too much blood, he’d already soaked through her shirt.

“Why didn’t you go get help for your shoulder?!” She didn’t hide the panic in her voice.

Aculus’ brow arched and she knew what the answer was. But she could tell he was in a lot of pain from the way his jaw was clenched.

“Agreed. Where’s the medic?” Tellar barked to the guards.

“On his way, Patrem Tellar,” Romion replied.

“Come on, let’s sit.” She walked with Aculus to the bed.

“Clearly it wasn’t the Jurou Biljana, so are you going to tell me now how you got a hole in you?” Tellar followed them with several of the guards and began looking around her suite.

“They’re gone,” Aculus informed Tellar.

“Thanks,” she said to Romion, who brought them a clean towel from the bathroom. She took it and applied pressure to Aculus’ wound.

“Who’s gone?” Tellar asked as he righted a chair that had been knocked over.

“A pair of Xerocle,” Aculus replied.

“Xerocle? The injury’s made you delusional.” Tellar’s brow furrowed.

“I promise he’s not lost his mind.” She backed Aculus up.

“Why was the medic hailed?” Axilla demanded as she pushed past the guards at the door.

“Weakness, we’ve not cleared the room,” Tellar said sternly to Axilla.

“You’ve been injured.” Axilla cried to Aculus. “My young was injured!” she screeched at Tellar as she rushed toward the bed.

Oh Jesus!Nadzia eye’s widened and she got out of the way before she was crushed by the massive woman.

“Matron, I’m fine,” Aculus said, taking over holding the towel to his shoulder.

“You aren’t fine,” his mother snapped then frowned at the bloody shirt lying on the bed.

It was the first time she saw something close to softness in Axilla’s eyes.

“I am. I’ve been worse, believe me,” he insisted.

“When?!” the riled woman demanded, forcing Aculus’ hand aside so she could hold the towel against his wound.

“He’s commander of the Paladin,” Tellar reminded her. “Axilla, they were just about to tell me what happened when you stormed in.”

“We already told you. It was a pair of Xerocle,” Aculus reiterated.

“Xerocle wouldn’t come here, where people are.” Axilla gaped at them.

“The hole in my shell says otherwise,” Aculus countered.

“Why won’t anyone believe us?” she asked him.

“I don’t know.” Aculus looked to the ceiling in exasperation. “But they certainly won’t believe you were petting the beasts and kept them from killing me. I can hardly believe it.”

“What are you talking about?” Axilla asked, frowning in confusion at their conversation.