Page 26 of Krin (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #3)

Riley

I WOKE TO FIND KRIN was no longer on the bed with me. Sitting up I noted how rested I felt considering I’d been in a coma for two days.

My stomach rumbled, a reminder that I hadn’t eaten in a while either.

Remarkably, I was steady on my feet when I stood.

It was hard to know how long I’d been asleep, but first things first.

I had to seek out Krin and find out how things were going with the rescue.

The shuttle had a single main corridor that ran from the front to the back. I followed the sounds of a multitude of voices, predominantly male, until I reached the cockpit.

Several women walked into the shuttle, joined by warriors carrying more women. They looked like they had been through a lot.

Grateful to be safe, I stepped aside to take in my handsome mate for a moment.

Krin and Captain Lex were speaking in hushed tones.

I noticed Lex looked a lot like Aza, so I assumed he was also part Alaran and part Tulian. Though he wore thicker chest straps and did not carry a sword like most of the other Protectorate warriors.

Thankfully he seemed friendly, and I appreciated him letting me rest on his shuttle.

Krin suddenly turned and looked in my direction before beaming at me.

I hurried to his side.

He put an arm around me. “How are you feeling?”

“Great. I feel great.”

I motioned with my head toward the stream of women still entering the shuttle.

“Is it over? Are all the women rescued?” I asked, hopeful.

“The Voletti on the planet are dead. It is over.” He frowned. “Some females did not make it. They were too badly injured or already deceased before we arrived.”

I winced. “That’s so sad.”

Lex cleared his throat, drawing our eyes to him. “We will be leaving as soon as the females are settled. All available shuttles will carry some of the rescued females. It will be a little crowded until we reach my ship, the Tempest.”

Hearing the women cry made me feel awful. I knew what it was like to be abducted. But I couldn't even picture what the Voletti put them through. I felt a rage burning inside me towards the vile creatures.

Krin must have sensed my dismay because he kissed the top of my head and gave my waist a squeeze.

I looked up at him. “I want to help.”

Lex spoke first. “I am sure the females would appreciate that. Many are so frightened that they have refused medical care.”

I smoothed down my hair and stood tall.

“Tell me where I am needed.” I side glanced Krin to see him grinning proudly.

I heard his voice in my head. ‘I am glad you are here.’

Stepping to one side, I grinned at him. “Me too, big guy. Me too.”

IN THE REAR OF THE compact shuttle, there was a small medical space with two beds suitable for Alaran sized people.

A medic was trying to bandage wounds and attend to the most severely injured women.

Some were holding each other, crying, while huddled in groups, while others stood staring into space, in shock.

A few were covered in blood, and I wondered what I could possibly do to make things better for them.

What could I say?

They’d been taken from their homes, used for experimentation and in some cases, as incubators for Voletti clones.

As some of them wailed in distress, I took a step forward. My eyes caught on a blond woman with dirty, straggly hair.

She was wearing what appeared to be a night gown, clutching it with both hands.

I gave her a polite smile.

“I’m Riley. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

She shook her head and took a step back.

I wanted to reach out to give her hand a supportive squeeze, but I doubted that was the right thing to do. Maybe they wouldn’t want to be touched, after all they’d been through.

If Grace was here, she would know exactly what to do.

Instead, I clenched my hands and tried again.

“Where are you from?” I asked hesitantly.

Her voice came out a whisper. “Terax 2.”

“I’m so sorry.” My voice caught, realizing it was a human colony she’d been taken from.

I was curious if all the other victims were from colonies, or if there were others like Grace, Olivia, and myself, who originated from the Sol system.

“I’m Iris.” The woman tucked hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t with the... they only took me a couple of galactic days ago. The Krilex and Voletti attacked the colony.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.”

She glanced around at the dozen women filling the room.

“There are some who were taken months ago. I am one of the lucky ones.” She pursed her lips into a frown and closed her eyes. “If you could call it lucky.”

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for us to dock on the Tempest and leave the small shuttle.

More medics were waiting for us when we arrived. They joined the one medic who had been doing his best to help the victims of the Voletti.

Krin found me while the women were being led away.

I looked up at him, still stunned by the situation. “Did you know Terax 2 was attacked?”

He nodded and chewed the inside of his cheek.

“Yes. I was going to mention it once we were back on Alara. Captain Stusa sent out a message asking for available Protectorate ships to report to Terax 2 to assist them. We were already too far away to respond.”

I hugged Krin tight while he smoothed a large hand down my head. “Thank you for letting me stay on the ship.”

He pulled back and took my face in his hands.

“You were never going to be dropped off on a colony. You know that, right?”

I shrugged.

“I guess... These poor women though, Krin. They are traumatized.”

He smoothed the back of his hand along my cheek. “They will be safe now. They are being taken to Alara and other Alliance planets to be relocated and to heal.”

His sensitive eyes met mine as I let go of him.

“The emotional and mental damage has already been done. They will never be fully healed,” I said sadly.

Some wounds were internal, and no amount of medicine or medical tech would change that.

Krin surprised me with his response. “Time heals many things, my K’sha. Human females are strong. They will get through this.”

I sighed. “I hope so.”