Page 248 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

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I had always found the Sune a little bizarre, with their three different forms—one so very different from the other that it turned them into something that looked almost exactly like a giant fox.

I was rapidly learning that Kitan, the Vagabond’s pilot, was something else entirely.

As he calmly flew us all back to the ship, he made the boys laugh by shaking his head into one strange animal shape after another.

Jett would eagerly call out options, testing to see if Kitan was up to the challenge, and the pilot always was. I stared at him with an open mouth.

Chloe was sitting next to me on the jumpseats, not flying with her mate, having given up her seat for Jett.

“So, he’s Ulinial, huh?” the young woman asked.

“I’ve seen a few of their kind out on the fringes before.

Did they make you his family?” Surprised that she knew of their customs, I nodded, my hand going to my long—now very messy—braid of hair.

I didn’t think I’d ever cut my hair again, just to remember Amar’s true family by, to help him honor the traditions of his species.

“Yes,” I said, and stuck out my wrist to show her the familial mark that Amar had instinctively made on my skin when his mother had asked him if he wanted me in his family.

The boy was curled in my lap, watching Kitan up front and laughing uproariously with each shift.

I hadn’t heard belly laughs like that in so long that I was struggling to hold back my tears.

Chloe’s eyes were a pretty blue, her blonde hair styled in a pixie cut around her face.

She seemed to prefer wearing voluminous clothing that hinted at her figure but mostly concealed it.

She was very pretty, and if I hadn’t seen Kitan openly ask her about the color of that bit of fabric, I never would have guessed that she had issues with her vision.

She looked me straight in the face as she spoke, but now that I knew, it was easier to tell that she wasn’t focusing correctly on my eyes.

If I had to guess, she could see blurs and vague shapes, but no detail.

She seemed quiet but confident in her own skin, and I liked how she seemed to have this calmness about her that balanced out her mate’s loud exuberance.

“Good,” she said. “You were so very brave, from what I’ve heard!

I can’t believe you came after him all by yourself.

” She smiled. “And I’m very glad you’re there for Sunder.

You can distract him from trying to boss all of us around as if we’re either his trainees or his kids.

” The statement was followed by a chuckle and a head tilt in Sunder’s direction.

He was sprawled in his seat across from me, his eyes on his son, a soft but tired smile on his rugged face. He showed that he’d heard her by nudging her booted foot with his bare clawed one. “I’m not so bad, am I?”

She laughed again. “In that case, I’m sure you’re going to be totally fine about the fact that Eoin is mooning after Tori.” There was a taunt in her voice, and she laughed harder when her words made Sunder sit up straighter and rumble a growl.

“Don’t remind me!” he said. I knew about Tori—the youngest member of the Vagabond, excluding her small baby—was someone Sunder had talked about from time to time.

He’d taken her under his wing, offered her a safe harbor, and, as he’d told me, he felt like a bit of a father figure to her.

This Eoin, however… I didn’t really know who that was, but Sunder sure didn’t seem to like that he was chasing Tori’s skirts, so to speak.

I leaned over and put my hand on his knee. “Sssh, I’m pretty sure you’ve taught Tori to fend for herself.” He shot me a surly look, so I poked out my tongue at him, which made Amar do the same, and that made him laugh.

Inside the Vagabond, Jett held onto Sunder’s hand as he led the way to the med bay.

He was insisting that their Doc check me and the kids out before we settled into quarters.

He didn’t mention the pain-collars hanging from the kids’ necks, but I knew that was a reason, too, to go to the Doc, who knew how to remove them.

I was happy that he was walking into that med bay himself, because I was darn well going to make sure he didn’t leave it until he’d been patched up, too.

There was a bit of a surprise inside the bright white medical room: Uron was lying on a cot in the corner, bandages wrapped around his torso. One arm in a plas-film cast, he was out cold, probably dosed up with pain relief.

More beds were filled, one with a silver-skinned young male, his shoulders wide enough that they almost stuck out over the edges of the cot.

He was awake and talking with a blonde woman who cradled a pink and blue baby in her arms. As soon as we walked in, the woman—a new face to me—turned to look at us.

She recognized Sunder and jogged over to hug him tight, a radiant smile on her delicate face.

“I am so happy you’re back!” she said. “Look at Novalee. Isn’t she growing more gorgeous every day?

” Sunder made cooing noises at the baby, then picked up his son and introduced him to Tori.

I was starting to feel a little awkward watching the reunion, but I shouldn’t have worried.

His wing had the greater reach, and he used it to cup me behind my back, urging me to join their little meeting.

“Tori, this is Aggy, my mate,” Sunder said as he introduced me, and he didn’t forget about Amar, whom I held cradled in my arms. “And that little tyke is Amar. Told you you didn’t need to worry about your kid growing up without any friends.

” He gave the young woman a warm smile, and in response, Tori seemed to falter for words.

I saw how pink tinged her cheeks, but she still reached out with her free arm and pulled me into a hug.

“I’m happy to meet you,” I said inanely, “Sunder’s told me a little about you.” She beamed at me, but her cheeks only turned redder, and still, no more words came out. Interesting, it seemed Tori was incredibly shy.

The Doc was the Aderian I’d briefly seen out in the battle zone.

He had been working on a Kertinal male I hadn’t been introduced to yet, while also monitoring the vitals of a male lying face down on a cot.

A human girl, who had been introduced to me as Camila, was fussing over that guy.

I was pretty sure she was the badass I’d seen out on the battlefield with the gladiators.

I heard him advise the Kertinal—a male named Da’vi—to take it easy for a couple of days, but while the male gave him a nod, he stalked from the med bay without another word.

I had a feeling that one didn’t know the meaning of the word “rest.” Looked like Doc knew it too, because he was shaking his head after him with a worried frown on his face.

“Come on in here. Why don’t you boys have a seat, and I’ll take care of those ugly necklaces, huh?

” the Doc said, waving us over. Pretty soon, Jett and Amar were sitting side by side on a medical cot while the Aderian male, Luka, talked Jett through what he was doing.

The pain-collar slipped from his small neck with a clicking noise.

I squeezed Sunder’s hand tightly as it happened.

I was pretty sure my big, stony guy was about to start crying on the spot—and that was okay.

I understood how emotional this moment was for them: to see this brave boy, born in captivity, finally be free.

For Amar, it was more of an annoyance that the Doc fussed at his neck, but he was happy when the pain-collar dropped away.

In all my time at the palace, I had never seen those collars used on them.

I wasn’t sure if Amar even knew what it could do, for which I was incredibly grateful.

Checkups followed after that, but the Doc was quick and kind.

He even made them laugh a few times, and when it was my turn, he was polite and efficient.

With Sunder, he fussed a little over the crater-like wound sites, but there was nothing he could do, apparently, except give him something for the pain.

No one seemed to say anything about Sunder’s tail.