Page 49 of Victoria's Embrace

As though he could read her mind, or maybe he was just as worried about Thegan as she was, Thorn stroked a hand over her curls and murmured, “To the labs?”

Letting out a breath, she nodded and scooped up a still-sleeping Snitch, cradling him in her arms and anxiously stroking a finger down his back.

Chapter 29

To Victoria’s guilty relief, Thegan, along with everyone else who’d been dosed with Salesh’s venom, was being kept unconscious while the Gaelli worked to produce an antidote.

She was already going to have nightmares about that empty look in his eyes so, as much as she wished she could’ve spoken with him, assured him he’d be okay, and told him she loved him, she was relieved she didn’t have to see it twice.

Cloud assured her they should have something viable by the next day and then Kix could work to weed out the willing traitors from the mind-controlled.

With a final glance back at her handsome giant, Victoria, Thorn, and Vi’kail all filed back out of the lab, but once they were in the hallway, they all just stood there. She didn’t know what to do, where to go. She didn’t want to leave Thegan. What if something happened while they were gone? What if he needed her?

She was tired down to her bones and wanted nothing more than to fall into her bed, but she couldn’t stomach the idea of leaving him down there. Would her presence make any difference? Doubtful. Did that matter? No. Worry wasn’t logical.

A glance at her guys showed a similar reluctance on their faces. That decided it for her.

“Let’s just sit here for a while, okay?” she murmured.

Thorn and Vi’kail both nodded, looking relieved.

Settling on the floor side by side, they all leaned back against the wall and stretched their legs out. Setting Snitch in her lap, she blew out a breath and let her head fall back.

“He’ll be okay,” she whispered.

“He is strong,” Thorn agreed.

“And stubborn,” Vi’kail added.

As the minutes ticked by, their positions slowly shifted from sitting to leaning until they all ended up lying on the floor, her sandwiched between Vi’kail and Thorn, with Snitch curled up under her hair at the nape of her neck.

When they fell asleep, she didn’t know. One minute she was staring sightlessly at Vi’kail’s shirt and the next she was being gently shaken awake.

Blinking her eyes open, she found Cloud bent over her.

“What? What’s wrong?” she gasped, struggling to sit up and waking her guys in the process.

Jerking awake, Thorn demanded, his voice gruff with sleep, “Is he well?”

Taking her hand, Cloud soothed,“All is well, my friend. We have administered the antivenom. I thought you might wish to be present when we bring Thegan out of sedation.”

After quickly relaying what she’d said, they all pushed to their feet and followed Cloud into the lab then over to the stasis tube holding Thegan.

Slipping her hands into Vi’kail’s and Thorn’s, she waited tensely as Cloud tapped on the transparent front of the tube, causing the front to disappear.

Victoria watched, barely breathing, as Thegan groaned and reached up to rub his horned forehead. Cracking his eyes open to slits, his gaze landed on her and a sleepy smile immediately curled his lips.

“Good morn, my mate,” he murmured.

Letting out a huge breath that ended on a sob, Victoria rushed forward, Vi’kail and Thorn moving with her.

“Oh, thank god! You’re okay? How are you feeling? Do you feel like you?”

He looked confused for a second before his eyes widened. Expression twisting, he gasped, “Gods, Vee. I- I was going to… ”

He trailed off, looking horrified.

Shaking her head, she stepped into the tube so she could reach up to cup his cheeks, making him look at her.

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