Page 101 of Return of the Nine

“Who is it?” the voice came out of the speakers.

“Niika Baker.”

“Shuttle is on the way, clearances have been provided. The local shuttle will be with you in thirty minutes. Keep me posted.” Daphne disconnected the line, and they were stuck waiting.

“Really? You are calling a medevac for me? I am so embarrassed.” Niika hid her face in her hands.

She kept her face hidden when the shuttle arrived, but she couldn’t keep her eyes closed when they left Gaia and headed for space.

The stars glowed so brightly that she almost didn’t see the Nine mother ship until it was right in front of her, and then, she couldn’t stare at anything else.

The medical staff seemed surprised to see her walking. They had come with a stretcher and were a little dismayed at her upright status.

Cavos whispered, “Get on the stretcher.”

“No.”

“Get on. Things will move faster if you do.”

“No.”

“Fine. I am sorry.” He gently put his leg behind hers and bent his knee into the back of hers. The shift in balance caused her to collapse, and as her body went down, she screamed when it was held in place.

The medical team moved quickly and lifted her onto the stretcher, whisking her through the halls while she tried to force her body to relax.

She was stripped in moments, and the entire medical team paused in horror at the sight of the bands digging into her skin and pulling at her limbs.

A no-nonsense female physician stepped forward and said, “Haven’t you seen Tokkel bindings before?”

She unclipped the harness and the braces went limp. She unclasped them from thighs, knees and ankles and helped to ease Niika to her stomach. “I apologise for the indignity, Miss, but we need to see what we are dealing with. Oh!”

“Please call me Niika, Doctor.” She settled her upper body as comfortably as she could, shifting until her breasts no longer felt crushed.

Scanners were hoisted into position and warmth began to run across her back. Niika looked around, and everyone was staring at her ass as if fascinated.

“Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?”

The doctor came around and said with all seriousness. “You have been shot with a Tokkel blaster.”

“I am aware of that.”

“You should not have survived it. Your body has compensated by going around the injury as much as it can. We can help you regenerate the damage, but it will take a few days given the extensive nature of the injury. Do you have plans?”

Niika laughed. “No. May I have your name?”

“I am Dr. Meevin, one of the Giants of the Stone Folk. Also, Cavos’s mother.”

That almost brought Niika right off the table. “What?”

Dr. Meevin extended her hand. “Meevin vor Whyaner, pleased to meet you.”

“Niika Baker. Glad to be in capable hands.” There was no way that Cavos could have told her about their interaction. She would be recognised only as a Gaian hunter with an accidental injury.

The doctor smiled and stroked Nik’s hair. “Sleep now, we will talk when you wake up about why my son was holding you like a baby the whole way here when medical attendants were waitingto take over on Gaia.”

Blushing, she heard a hiss, a coolness to her spine and then nothing.

Meevin worked on her son’s preferred mate for hours, the cells hadn’t been destroyed by the blast, they had been swollen until pressure on the spine had caused the lack of control. Scar tissue was the greatest problem, but the enzymes that would do the most good were not tested for Gaian use.

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