Page 132 of Wrapped in Their Arms

“I’mSylvan,” he said, inclining his head.“Oneof the doctors here on theMotherShip.”

TheMotherShip.

The words washed over her like balm.They’dmade it.Theywere really here.

Home,she thought.Wemade it home.

“You were brought in completely drugged—as were your two companions,ShinesBrightlyandBurnsHot,”Sylvantold her.

Noelle’s heart gave a painful thud of worry.

“Oh—are they all right?”she asked quickly, trying to push herself up, only for her arms to tremble under the effort.

“Yes, they’re just sleeping off whatever cocktail the three of you all took,”Sylvanassured her, gently pressing a hand to her shoulder to keep her from rising too fast.“They’rein the beds next door.You’reall safe now.”

Safe,she thought again, relief washing through her so powerfully she could have wept.Reallysafe.

She exhaled shakily and let herself relax into the mattress again, the drowsiness tugging at her.

“Pink drink,” she murmured, her voice fading.“Itwas…the pink drink theTrolloxgave us.”

“That sounds like quite a story,”Sylvansaid, reaching for a nearby console to make a note.

He said something else—his voice calm and steady—butNoelledidn’t catch it.

The bed was too warm…too soft and her limbs too heavy.Theknowledge thatBurnandBrightwere alive and here in the room beside her was enough to let her surrender.

The last thing she saw before sleep claimed her again was the soft shimmer of stars outside the window, winking against the black velvet of space.

She was home.

72

NOELLE

The first thingNoellenoticed the next time she woke was the light.

Soft and golden, it slanted in through a nearby viewport, bathing the small medical room in a warm morning glow.Itmust be daytime—realdaytime—not that endless cycle of fluorescent nightmare lighting fromThune’slair.Thiswas gentle and natural—warm enough to make her feel like she might actually be alive again.

The second thing she noticed was the figure sitting at her bedside—Bright.

TheLightTwin’sbroad shoulders were hunched slightly, his long arms draped over his thighs, hands clasped loosely between them.Helooked like he hadn’t slept, though his sandy brown hair was brushed and neat.Theshadows beneath his eyes made his tanned skin look a shade paler than usual, and his mouth was tight with worry as he gazed down at her.

The moment she looked at him, his expression changed.

He leaned forward eagerly, a spark of desperate hope lighting his face.

“Hi, sweetheart—how do you feel?”

His voice was soft and tentative—as though he wasn’t sure how she might feel about him.

Noelle opened her mouth to respond, but her tongue felt like it had been rolled in cotton, and the moment she tried to sit up, her temples exploded with pain.

“Oooh,” she moaned, sinking back against the pillows, pressing a hand to her forehead.Herhead felt like it had been stuffed with fireworks which had all been set off at once.

“Yeah, that second pink drink he gave us has a mean after-kick,”Brightsaid, grimacing sympathetically.“Hangon whileIget a nurse.”

He rose and strode to the wall panel, pressing a glowing square.Momentslater, the door hissed open, and a woman entered the room.Shewas tall and curvy with dark hair pulled back into a neat braid, dressed inKindredmedical scrubs that shimmered faintly with embedded threads of light.