Page 93 of Guardian's Destiny

"Don't mind him." Lady Silla waved her hand and embraced me like a long lost friend. "I, for one, am happy that so many are finding their true mates."

She let go of me and took Sloane in. "Although, I must confess, I didn't think it would be you."

"Thanks, Silla," Sloane replied with a grin I had come to miss. The entire journey had been stressful, so it was good to see that her old self was still there. "It's nice to see you again, too."

The women embraced and kissed each other on the cheek. "I missed you," Silla said, threading her arm through Sloane's.

"How's Ashley?" Sloane asked.

"I haven't heard from her since she and Xandros took off to Cronack." Silla's expression darkened; clear worry was written all over her pretty features.

"You know Ashley. Nothing can kill her." Sloane's voice was firm and reassuring and seemed to have the desired effect on Lady Silla.

"Did they send you as a replacement Space Guardian or…" Lord Protector Garth fished, turning my attention to him.

"I'm afraid I wasn't involved in the original mission, Lord Protector, but I did bring you some refugees." That took some of the tension off his body, and I hated that my next words would bring it right back. "Unfortunately, they're in a rather delicate condition."

"What do you mean?" Silla's concern was evident.

"It's a long story, but for now, you need to know that Vraax and I were on a different mission when we found them. They were captives of the Ohrurs." Sloane explained.

"Ohrurs?" Lord Protector Garth's forehead creased.

I nodded. "That's not all; they experimented on them, and several of them are pregnant."

"What?" Lord Protector Garth exploded.

Silla placed a pacifying hand on his arm. "Tell us everything."

"It's not only human females. There are some Pandraxians, too."

"Where are they?" Lord Protector Garth's jaw clenched, and fury radiated from him.

"They are in their quarters for the moment. We thought it wiser to prepare you first." I filled them in.

"Of course. Thank you," Lady Silla nodded, her eyes anxiously moved up the ramp as she stepped from one toe to the other, ready to enter and take charge. "Why don't you take our guests inside while I go talk to them?"

"As you wish." The Lord Protector didn't look happy about his mate's suggestion, most likely as unhappy to see her leave his presence as I was whenever Sloane and I were separated. "If you would follow me," he waved his arm in an inviting gesture.

"I'm sorry, something else happened, and we need to get to Darlam as soon as possible. If we could take two of your ships… We'll pay, of course." I stopped him.

"It's alright, Vraax, we can take a few minutes." Sloane surprised me.

Zapharos and Ella were staying on the ship until we had one available for them. They would board it when nobody would notice, to prevent Zapharos from being seen. They were as eager to leave as I thought we were.

"There is something I need to discuss with Silla," Sloane said. "I'm sorry, it won't take long, I promise."

"Tucker?" I asked. She had told me about the soldier she had served with and whom she suspected to be Nova's long lost brother. Sloane nodded, and I understood. I wanted nothing more than to finally be on my way to Darlam, but she was right; a few hours more wouldn't make any difference. Zapharos had assured me that the others had received his message, and there was a good chance that talking with Lord Protector Garth might shed some more light on our situation.

"So you're going to be our guests?" He looked confused.

"I'm sorry, Lord Protector. Yes. If you will still have us." I replied.

"My mate would bite my head off if I let our guests slip away," he grinned, while he led us toward a large rootrock.

I had heard about them but had never seen them in person. They were actually quite amazing. They dotted the entire landscape, some bigger, some smaller, like long, twisted, arched roots. But they weren't roots. They were actually rocks. Rocks that kept growing and were hollow inside, making perfect housing for Astrionis' population.

We chatted about humans and the other Space Guardians on the way—nothing important, just something to stop any awkward silence. We walked over a bridge, covering a moatfilled with something thick and bubbling. The heat from it emanated all the way up to the bridge. Astonishingly, small kinds of animals were hopping over it.

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