Page 59 of Homecoming

“The peacekeepers weren’t aware that you weren’t on the boat when they seized it. They thought that you were just hiddenbelowdecks at first.” Ligo sat back. “The moment that your escape was figured out, it was an emergency.”

“I couldn’t see very well. My eye was swollen shut, and my other was trying to clear blood. I tried to aim for the islands but could have been heading for a cloud. Then, the fucking shark took out my outboard, and I was drifting.”

“I had been looking for you in the channels, and then I found you, so I wrapped around you and kept other predators away while I notified Sohar.”

“Thank you.”

“The yacht arrived within the hour. They weren’t too far away. I had pulled you toward them, but your sister plucked you out of the boat as soon as we got within her operating distance. The medical team was waiting to stabilize you and assess your injuries. The helicopter showed up after that.”

She nodded. “And you jumped in with me. That freaked the medics out.”

“You saw it?”

“Heard it. Felt your hand on mine, too.”

Ligo sighed. “It was the only part of you that wasn’t cut.”

“Yeah. I should request those photos for my album.”

He paused. “Photos?”

Iro said, “The sexual assault team always takes photos so that the marks are recorded for prosecution. Many victims don’t want to testify, so the images do it for them. They did it while you were talking to her sister, letting her know that Orla was damaged but stable.”

“Oh, yes. She was... upset.” Ligo recalled.

“Yeah. Aeryn emotes. I told you. Anyway, after the photos, they went into full work mode on me, patching holes and stopping blood.”

“That part I was there for.”

Iro smiled. “So was I. So, now, we are all on the same timeline.”

“You won’t get in trouble for fraternizing with a patient?”

“After the emergency room, you were not my patient, and when we end up as a linked triad, there will be no issue at all. Alphas don’t mess with bonded mates.”

“The administration won’t have an issue?”

“The king has an alpha and a beta. He understands a link, and he is on the board.”

“Oh, right. I am not on the mainland.”

Iro chuckled. “Different laws out here. Finding families for our wave of alphas is a priority. Our decreasing population has become a major island chain concern.”

Orla nodded. “That is why Violet is moving her research and development here. A lot of her team is specialized betas, so that might help. Of course, Serin has to find her mate for this all to be possible, but I think we can find him for her if we look hard.”

Ligo asked, “Why does Serin have to find her match?”

“It has to do with why she left the islands. Her sister tried to kill Aeryn, actually. I have no idea where Serin’s ex-fiancé is.”

Ligo frowned. “What’s his name?”

“Ulo. Do you know him? The house he lived in used to be near the town on Wonder.”

“Used to?”

She chuckled. “Serin had Aeryn destroy it.”

Ligo said, “I thought you only just reconnected with your sister. How did you learn all this?”

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