Page 169 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

Fierce

I led Hina through the Vagabond’s many corridors to the med bay.

Besides needing to get urgent care for the little fellow I’d picked up, I wanted the Doc to update Hina’s translator and check her health.

After drinking the planet’s water and eating its food, we needed to make sure neither of us would get sick.

Abby was the only one with us, but she kept a little distance and was talking into her com.

If I wasn’t mistaken, she was arranging a room for Hina.

It went against all my instincts to allow her to have her own room, but it wasn’t me who got to decide.

So, even though my skin prickled at the thought of not having her to myself, in my own quarters tonight, I kept my mouth shut.

Inside the med bay, Sunder was sitting on the edge of the medical cot next to the surgical arm hidden behind its pane of glass.

Hina paused in the doorway the moment she saw him; I couldn’t blame her, Sunder was pretty terrifying to look at.

The Tarkan was permanently stuck in his battle form, which meant his skin was like stone—gray and thick—with horns protruding from his skull and tusks from his mouth.

Large wings draped from his shoulders, and his legs were digitigrade, so he walked on his clawed toes.

His upper body was entirely swathed in bandages, which the Doc was carefully checking.

I was impressed, how had these naga managed to hurt the tough Tarkan to this extent?

I had expected Tori to be there, hovering over him with her baby in her arms, but she wasn’t present.

I placed my free hand on the small of Hina’s back and leaned in to murmur against her ear, “Hina safe.”

That made her chuckle. “Oh yeah, I know, it was just a surprise.” She squared her shoulders and met the curious looks of the Doc and Sunder, raising her hand to wave at them.

“Hi, I’m Ichika Hina. Nice to meet you.” I pointed over her shoulder at each individual and announced their names, which she listened to attentively.

Luka was the first to move. “Hello, Hina, welcome aboard the Vagabond. I’m glad to discover that Fierce managed to find you and that you survived the crash. Would you let me check your vitals?” Hina couldn’t understand what he was saying, but Abby translated quickly.

Sunder was already scooting off the cot and backing away, trying to make space and tucking his wings in tightly so he didn’t look quite so big.

Not that it helped much, but it seemed to make Hina feel calmer.

Then Abby brushed past us with a smile and headed for Sunder, engaging him in animated conversation.

It was clearly a smart tactic, because I noticed how Hina relaxed enough to let the Doc guide her onto the cot.

I informed the Doc about drinking water from the planet, urging him to make sure neither of us had consumed anything bad. He nodded, “Thanks, Fierce. Let me update her translator first, though, so we can all understand each other.”

Staying close, I pressed my free hand to Hina’s side, making sure she looked at me before I tilted my head and tapped the spot where my translator had been placed.

She caught on, tilted her own head, and closed her eyes while the Doc brought up a small device and pressed it against her skin.

She flinched and let out a low moan, which caused Fluffy to rumble cutely, her long tail lashing back and forth in warning.

“Easy there, Fluffy girl. Doc doesn’t mean our Hina any harm. ”

Dark eyes met mine, Hina’s cheeks creasing into a wide smile.

“I can understand you! Fierce! I understood what you just said!” She was elated, it was infectious, so I could only smile back like a fool, enjoying the moment.

Until she poked my chest, just below my new little friend’s fluffy butt.

“Say something else! I want to hear you talk!”

After all these thoughts I’d had about what I wanted to tell her—what I needed to say—I was lost for words now. I opened my mouth, closed it again, and shook my head with a self-deprecating smile. “I don’t even know where to start,” I offered at last, which made her laugh.

At this point, the Doc inserted himself with a gentle murmur, “If I may, can I do a health check first? The two of you can take all the time you need for talking after.”

He offered Hina a friendly smile, his black eyes eerily focused on her face. I saw how it made those little bumps break out all across her skin, but she nodded. “What do I need to do? And shouldn’t you check Fierce and his new pet first? They are hurt; I’m not.”

The Doc eyed me, his eyebrows winging up, well aware that he’d never get away with treating me first. It wasn’t as if I was hurt all that much; the scratches across my belly were already nearly healed.

Then he appraised the little rodent I was holding.

“Fierce?” he said at last, so I gestured back at Hina.

Yes, the small fellow needed help, but the Doc would have to do some research and check his species before he could do anything. Better if he checked Hina first.

She rolled her eyes but shrugged. “Okay, if you’re sure.

” She sounded dubious, but the Doc only took a short moment, scanning across her body with a small handheld device.

Then he declared her of sound health, so she hopped off the medical cot and urged me to get on it.

I liked her concern for me, but told the Doc it was the little fellow’s turn now. I didn’t need anything.

“You took a freaking spear through your shoulder, Fierce,” Hina argued.

“The Doc should check that it healed right.” But she didn’t protest further when I held out the little fellow for Luka to scan.

He was a bit scared now—he liked it much better tucked up against my body—but I rumbled a soothing purr, cupping most of his body in my palms.

“Hmm, a type of rodent. Broken paw. Young, but old enough to be on his own,” the Doc summarized as he read off his device.

“I think the tissue stimulator will be safe to use, and I can give him a little for the pain. The scans show no indication he might react badly to some of the more common substances.” A moment later, the Doc pressed an injection against the rodent’s fluffy butt cheek, and the little one instantly eased as his pain slipped away.

It also made him a little drowsy, which made it easier for the Doc to treat the bone break and get that tiny leg into a plas cast. It was going to be awkward for the fellow to get around for a week or so, but at least he now had a chance at life.

As if Hina had heard my thoughts, she said, “What does he need to eat, Doc? We need to make sure he stays in good shape.”

As the Doc made a list of dietary requirements for the little fellow, I met Sunder’s stare from across the room.

He had his arms crossed over his chest and was appraising me with a tilted head, a frown on his impressive forehead beneath the crown of horns that topped his skull.

“You were up to something on that planet, Fierce,” he rumbled.

“You knew where that female was, didn’t you?

” He kept his voice low as he spoke, allowing my sensitive ears to pick it up without Hina or Luka being able to hear.

I shrugged, unsure how to answer that, because yes, I had purposely sent Sunder and Jakar in the wrong direction so I could find her first. I had no malicious motivation other than that her scent was just so right to me that I wanted to be the first male she saw.

It was never my intention to disappear on the planet with Hina for days, at the risk of our lives.

If things had gone right, I’d have taken her back to the shuttle and up to the Vagabond that first day.

“I told Snarl to fetch you guys when we fell down that hole, but he leaped after us instead. I didn’t mean for us to be lost on the planet,” I explained, my eyes flicking to the Ferai beast that had sprawled on his side just beyond the med bay door, not quite coming in.

He didn’t respond, but Sunder gave a nod, as if that settled things for him.

I was starting to fear my brothers really did think I purposely hid Hina on the planet so I could make sure she picked me.

At least Sunder seemed to believe my explanation.

“Fierce, your turn,” Hina interrupted my thoughts, her small hand patting my forearm.

I turned to look at the expectant faces of her and the Doc, a little uneasy about how eager they seemed to get me medically checked out.

I was fine; I hadn’t gotten seriously hurt, my body would take care of things.

I couldn’t deny Hina’s request, so I tucked the now-sleepy little fellow in the crook of my elbow and jumped up on the cot.

The Doc took scans of me with a furrowed brow, lingering only briefly over the claw marks across my belly.

I barely felt them anymore, so I wasn’t surprised when Luka pulled out a piece of cleaning fabric and swiped it across my belly, only to discover that the scratches had almost completely closed up.

He made a harrumphing sound before tapping on the screen of his handheld device, reading the weird swirls and scribbles.

“Some of your hormone levels are elevated. Are you experiencing some kind of mating drive?”

My eyes flicked to Hina’s inquisitive face while I struggled to maintain my natural colors.

Her eyes widened a little, and then she tilted her head as if trying to make sense of the information.

“He in good health otherwise?” she murmured, her pink tongue darting out to wet her lips.

She seemed nervous now, and I tried to ignore the pang of pain I felt in my chest at the thought.

See, she didn’t feel that mating drive like I did.