Even so… she put her hand on Covak’s arm, and he looked down at her.
“Thank you for the assist.”
He gazed down into her eyes for a moment as if he was searching for something and then nodded and offered a small smile.
Davis cleared his throat.
“Right, about our cover story,” he began, his voice tight with discomfort. “My brother—who I would like to point out is a complete and utter asshole—has arranged for us to pose as a couple at the clinic. For a prenatal scan.”
The words hung in the air for a moment.
“I beg your pardon?” she asked, her voice higher than she’d have liked. “Prenatal? As in… pregnant?”
He nodded. “Full body scan and all. It was the only way to get us in without raising suspicions.”
Covak’s growl filled through the shuttle again. “You better keep your hands to yourself,human,” he warned, his fangs bared again.
She shook her head.
“That’s not going to work. I don’t even know if I have the right equipment to be pregnant. What if they scan me and realize I’m lying?”
The question silenced the group.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Davis said.
“No, it’s fine,” Covak growled. “Tell them we bought our own medic and I’ll scan her. I’m not having any of the humans do it.”
“From a security point of view, that makes more sense,” Anson agreed. “We need to control the data from the scan and delete it from their system anyway. If Covak operates the scanner, he can assure the data is not being duplicated and saved in a secondary location.”
The shuttle touched down with a gentle thud, and Rann twisted to say over his shoulder, “We’re here. Good luck in there.”
Jesh stepped off the shuttle, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. A sleek, modern landing pad stretched before her, contrasting sharply with the wild landscape beyond. In the distance, light from the planet’s twin suns glinted off the colony’s biodomes. The Reapers fanned out around her and Davis, moving with practiced efficiency to secure defensive positions that somehow looked like a group of people ambling along rather than a combat group.
They’re good,the voice in her head commented.Each of them only needs to take a step to tighten the formation up. However, the current movement should not cause concern for anyone watching.
Covak reluctantly shifted to the rear of the group, ceding his place beside her to Davis. She watched the tall human from the corner of her eye, noting his fluid movements and alert posture. Despite his unassuming appearance, he moved with a predator’s grace. His eyes moved constantly, scanning their surroundings and missing nothing.
“Heads up,” Anson murmured. “Incoming. Humans. Not armed.” She looked around to see medical staff approaching, their crisp uniforms a bright white against the muted grey tones of the landing pad.
“Mr. and Mrs. Peters?” One of the staff members stepped forward with a polite smile. “If you’ll follow me, please.”
“Come on, darling,” Davis put his hand on her lower back, the gesture of a loving husband, and she suppressed both the urge to flinch and the second, more violent, urge to break all the bones in his hand for touching her. Behind them, she could sense Covak’s low growl just on the edge of hearing. The last thing they needed was the humans to hear it and wonder how he could make such a sound, so she threw him a warning look over her shoulder. He just grinned and shot her a wink.
Walking into the clinic was like walking into a luxury hotel. The corridors were wide and well-lit with plush carpeting that muffled their footsteps. The air was crisp and clean, carrying the faintest hint of antiseptic.
“This is more like a hotel than a hospital,” she murmured to Davis.
He nodded, keeping his voice low. “Discreet high-end private clinic. Caters to the rich and secretive.”
Something stirred in her memory. She knew, with a certainty that surprised her, that she’d been in many medical facilities, but never one like this. The luxury felt all wrong somehow.
As they walked, she caught the staff’s curious glances their way. To be fair, she couldn’t blame them. Finally, they reachedthe examination room. The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a doctor waiting inside. Her heart pounded as she stepped through, the men fanning out behind her. Each moment stretched out like an eternity. She was sure they were going to be caught. That the doctor would know what she was as soon as he saw her.
The doctor behind the desk looked up, and his professional mask slipped for a split second as he took in the group.
“Welcome,” he said, setting down the datafile he was reading. “I’m Dr. Rettnor. Which one of you is my patient?”
Since she was the only person in the group who could be pregnant, she stepped forward and met the doctor’s gaze. “That would be me.”