“Are you injured?” He rolled onto his side, his back to the shouts, protecting me with his body as his eyes drifted over me from head to toe. Fierce, intense, concerned. Gone was the gentle lover.
“I’m okay.”
“What is O-K? Letters? You speak to me in letters?” His gaze intensified and he lifted his chin, never taking his eyes from me. “Doctor!”
His roar hurt my ears but I lifted my hand to his cheek to soothe him. Obviously, the translator thing implanted behind our ears didn’t translate American slang. “I’m fine, Roark. I’m not hurt. Just shaken up a bit.”
He lowered his head to mine for a quick kiss as the doctor he’d summoned appeared, her sandals a few inches from my head on the sand. “Councilor?” she asked.
Roark rose to his feet, pulling me with him. The chain swung beneath my loose dress. “Take my mate to the transport station and protect her with your life.”
“Roark, no…” I didn’t want the woman killing herself to protect me. We were in this together now, the two of us. It was Roark and me against the world, against the Drovers. “Give me one of those gun things. I can fight.”
His warriors surrounded us in a loose circle, swords in one hand and guns in the other. He shook his head. “No, mate. You will go with the doctor.”
“What? Why? Where are you going?”
He turned, his scowl fierce and frightening. I would not want to be one of those Drovers right now. “I must make sure my parents transported back to Xalia. If not, I need to ensure they are protected. Once they are secure, I will kill the Drovers.”
So, parents. Drovers. Then me. Okay. Fine. I could deal. I nodded. “Make sure you come back to me.”
“I give you my word, Natalie. I will come to you immediately once the battle is over. But first I must ensure my parents left yesterday, as planned.” Roark placed a small dagger in my hand, pressing the handle tightly to my palm until I wrapped shaking fingers around the hilt. It was small, not much longer than my fingers, and the blade was a bright, brilliant gold. “Take this. Keep it with you at all times.”
I nod as the doctor tugged on my arm and I took a step in her direction. I had a bad feeling about this. Roark turned from me and ordered two of his men to accompany us to the transport station. The two warriors grabbed each of us by the arm and began to run as a second explosion sounded.
I turned back to watch my mate bellow orders into the chaos. He was a mountain among his men, fierce and strong, and completely focused on finding his parents and securing the camp. He turned, scanning the site with a predator’s gaze. That scrutiny flitted over me, through me, past me, is if I were already forgotten.
“Don’t be a baby,” I scolded myself as I ran with the doctor. She was half a head taller than me, and strong. I was running, but she dragged me about every third step because I couldn’t keep up with her in the sand. She may have been used to running on a beach, but I wasn’t. The transport station wasn’t far, but I was winded and scared by the time the doctor and I ducked under the tent flap. The two warriors with us stood at the entrance, weapons out and ready. The noises outside the tent were nothing like when I first arrived. Calmness ensued then. Now, without even being able to see, I knew something was wrong. Fear, panic, death could be heard through the thin walls.
The doctor closed the flap and wrapped me in a quick hug, girl to girl, and I really needed it. “Tell me everything’s going to be fine, even if you have to lie.”
The doctor pulled back and smiled. “Everything’s going to be fine. And I’m not lying. Councilor Roark wouldn’t have sent you here otherwise.” She released me, pointed to the transport platform. “But I’m also cautious.”
“What do you mean?”
She pointed. “Get up there. I’m going to get the transport codes ready, just in case.”
“Just in case?” I knew what she was saying, but I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to leave Roark behind.
“Your mate asked me to protect you and this is what I’m doing.” She was a doctor and seemed to remain cool under pressure, but I could see her eyes were slightly wild, her hands quick. “This is the only way out of here with the Drovers everywhere.”
“Where are you going to send me?”
“It takes a couple minutes to power up, then a few more to enter new coordinates. Right now, this thing is still set to Earth.” She waved at me again, but didn’t look up from what she was doing at the transport controls. I felt like I was on a Star Trek episode waiting to say, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
I stood and wiped the sand off my skin. I was covered, the fine grains coating my arms and chest and clinging like glitter to the soft fabric of my dress. It fell, spreading in a random mess all over the transport pad.
“Hurry. Hurry.” The doctor muttered under her breath and I stopped with my hands on my thighs, rubbing at the sand. A loud clattering of metal, of sword striking sword, sounded from the entrance of the tent. The doctor cursed in her native tongue and I jumped, screaming as one of our guards flew backward through the entrance, a knife sticking out of his left eye socket.
“Go! Now!” Our remaining guard roared the order as he backed into the entrance. He fought three men that I could see. These Drovers were smaller than he, but fast and vicious. They were covered, head to toe in a dark brown robe and scarves that reminded me of desert nomads I’d seen on National Geographic. Their smaller swords flashing through the air so quickly I had trouble tracking the battle with my eyes.
“No!” I screamed. “What about Roark? Where’s Roark?”
The doctor shook her head, shouting even as she worked the controls. “He’s dead. I’m sorry. If they’re here, he’s already dead. I have to get you away from here.”
“Dead? No!”
No. He couldn’t be dead.