Page 379 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

Tori

Holding a tiny bundle of shimmering anthracite baby in my arms was a bit like flashing back to that day I’d given birth to my beautiful Novalee.

“He’s gorgeous,” I said to Noa, who was lying in her own bed in the quarters she shared with Luka.

She looked exhausted after the long hours of labor, but she was beaming with happiness.

Luka was perched on the edge of the bed, his hand holding his mate’s.

He wore a peaceful expression as he gazed at his son in my arms, though his appearance was anything but his normal slick, put-together look.

His long black hair was in complete disarray, his doctor’s coat was buttoned askew, and I was pretty sure he already had at least two baby spew stains on one shoulder.

“He is,” Eoin agreed from over my shoulder, peering down into the tiny sleeping face of the little boy.

“And Teralyn is a beautiful name.” A name crafted to fit the conventional naming scheme the Aderians adhered to, but also a nod to Earth and Noa’s roots, too, because it was going to be Terry for short.

I really hoped this wasn’t making Eoin think I was ready for another baby.

Nova was just starting to walk and was such a handful right now.

I hadn’t realized how many dangerous places there were on this ship for her to get into trouble.

He could wait until I was good and ready.

Not that he’d even hinted at wanting another kid; he adored Nova and treated her as if she were his own flesh and blood.

“Thank you,” Noa said. Terry started making faces and fussing, and I knew what that meant.

Leaning over, I handed the tiny infant to his mom so she could feed him.

That did give me a little pang of envy. Novalee still took a feeding in the morning and evening, but she was otherwise almost entirely eating solids.

I missed that very intimate moment with my baby, where it was just me and her sitting quietly; nowadays, she couldn’t sit still unless she was sleeping.

“We’ll leave you guys to get some rest,” Eoin said, patting Luka on the shoulder.

“And if you need someone to watch him for a couple of hours, we’re only a few doors down the hall!

” I loved how eagerly he offered his assistance, even if it meant sacrificing a little of his own sleep.

I was also certain that the entire ship had made the same offer during each of the carefully scheduled visits.

Luka was taking no chances with Noa’s current need for peace and quiet.

“Thank you,” he said as he led us to the door.

Baby things were scattered all over the place, from the small crib to a changing table and diaper cleanser.

A table was covered with all the gifts our friends had brought them so far, including our set of silver charms for above the crib, which Eoin had crafted himself.

Once we were out the door, Jakar nearly ran over us in his rush.

“There’s a lead! There’s a lead on Akri again!

” he exclaimed, waving his upper set of hands around and pointing at the bridge with the lower pair.

Meena was behind him, a wriggling Novalee in her arms, since the pair had been watching her while we visited little Terry.

I shared a bemused look with the beautiful woman as I took my daughter from her arms. Jakar was adorably excited about everything, but when it came to the well-being of his friends, he took things to a whole new level.

Eoin shared the excitement and clapped Jakar on the shoulder. “What is it? Tell me!”

They stuck their heads together as they spoke in excited tones; Jakar, a mop of black curls, and Eoin, gleaming silver and copper bristles.

“Drameil went down to the surface in a shuttle. He’s been spotted talking to some government official.

Sunder says it’s got to do with a secret research facility! He might have the coordinates for us.”

So, not a direct lead on Akri, but by following Drameil’s movements… that was clever, and I hoped we could get to them before the terrifying crimelord could get his hands on our friend. The sound of Sunder’s voice over the intercom made us all pause in our tracks and lift our heads.

“We just received a huge data transmission. I believe it’s from Akri. Meet in the ready room, everyone.”