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“If? What do you mean if? I thought it was clear they both intend to return.”

“I’m sure Rokai will at some point. He may or may not bring her with him.”

“He has to. Tell him he has to!” Jhan insisted.

“Why does he have to?” Kol asked.

“Because, she hasn’t been thanked properly. And it’s the least we can do.”

“The very least, I think,” Kol said, nodding at Quin.

“Perhaps there’s a male among those at the palace that would be interested in her?” Quin said.

“I’ll kill him. I don’t care who he is, I’ll kill him!” Jhan snarled.

“You don’t know her, Jhan. Why are you threatening someone over a female you know nothing about?” Quin asked, clearly toying with him.

“I know she’s a Druid Warrioress Priestess. And that is all I need to know.”

Quin patted Jhan on the back just as he and Kol started laughing again.

“You are not funny. Not funny at all,” Jhan growled.

~~~

After many hours, Mirilla opened her eyes and gradually brought her vision into focus. The first thing she realized was that she was back in the palace. Though she lay in the medical unit staring at the ceiling, she had no doubt it was in the palace. The second thing she realized was that there was a shadow falling over her, and just managed to turn her head enough to identify the huge, red-skinned male standing to the left of her bed with his arms crossed behind his back. Her eyes widened and her body tensed.

Quin shook his head. “You are safe, Mirilla. Do not worry.”

She looked at him, blinking her eyes rapidly, but didn’t seem to believe him.

“I owe you an apology. Much more than that actually, I am here to beg forgiveness. In my rush to blame anyone for the attack on my family, I falsely focused on you. The things your brother did to turn focus on you are not your responsibility. And you didn’t lose your key — he stole it. Please do not fear me. Please do not fear being in the palace. You have always been a very appreciated member of this household. Do not let my rush to judgment change that. I was wrong.”

“Mir’ Ahn,” she croaked out, her throat dry and parched.

“Rokai is searching for him now. He will be brought to justice.”

She closed her eyes for the briefest moment, during which someone lay their hand on hers. Her eyes opened and she looked to her right. She tried to pull her hand away.

“Please don’t hate me,” Bart said.

She tried to swallow, ended up coughing, and trying to sit up, but failing to do so.

Bart slipped his arms beneath her to help her to sit up as Quin slipped pillows beneath her back, shoulders and head.

“I cannot speak to any happenings between you and Bart, but I can tell you that he has risked everything — his career, hisvery life, just to find you and make sure you are safe. He has called in favors from those who are more dangerous than you could imagine. He has risked all for you. Consider that he is only human while you are deciding his fate. Humans are not perfect. And as it turns out, neither are we,” Quin said. He walked to the end of her bed before turning to look at her. “I’ve given orders that you are to be treated as a member of our family. The best of care, the most attention to your needs. Nothing is to be spared in your recovery. I do hope you’ll find it in your heart to forgive all of us.”

Mirilla watched as he left her room, quietly closing the door behind himself.

“I’m so sorry, Mirilla. Instead of defending you to Quin and everyone else, I added my own questions to those you were already struggling with. I don’t deserve forgiveness. If you want me to go, I will. But know this, I will forever make sure that you are protected, that you are safe. You will never need to experience fear again.”

“What did you do?” she rasped.

“I’ve been searching for you. I activated our retrieval teams and I’ve been invading every single space port, space station, and settlement I could find. Demanding they tell me if they’d seen you. Threatening to burn them all to the ground if I found out they were lying. I managed to disrupt the trade lanes in more than a few. But I really don’t care. I couldn’t find you, and my only focus was doing just that.”

Mirilla let her eyes fall closed.

“Do you need a doctor?” Bart asked.

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