Page 41 of Healing His Mate

“Okay, so Tibik was the lead Hexrin here, but not really. Jo let him pretend to be in charge so she could run things in peace behind the scenes. Anyway, Jo and I have been spending more time together lately. She’s helping me hone my powers. I’m a witch, by the way, yada, yada, yada.” She tells the story so quickly that it is a wonder she is able to breathe. “I noticed her starting to come out of her shell. During the battle, she tried to cast a spell that wasn’t part of Bruvix’s plan. She knew she could do it and take the rest of Bzzsil’s guards out, but Tibik tried to stop her. You saw him put his hands on her and you tackled him.”

Wait. What? “I tackled a Hexrin? To protect another Hexrin?” That does not sound like me. I still do not know how I feel about Cruvo, Ekoya’s mate, and he saved her life.

“Yeah! I didn’t see it, but Jo has told me the story at least a hundred times. She’s so grateful you intervened.” Then Kay-teh’s expression grows tight. “Unfortunately, while you were restraining Tibik, you got caught in the crossfire of her magic. She was trying to hit Bzzsil and the guards with her orb, but Tibik grabbed her at the last second, and the orb hit you instead. You went flying against a tree and smacked your head on a rock when you landed.”

I nod as I lift a hand to feel along the edges of the wound on my head. “Right.”

“Jo still feels terrible for the pain you suffered, and your memory loss,” Kay-teh says, pulling something from the pocket of her long, flowing blue dress. “She wanted you to have this.” She presents me with a thin black band with a golden clasp on the back. In the center of the band is a bronze wire fashioned into a hexagon shape. Inside the hexagon are four gemstones in various shades of purple, separated by an x in the center. “To protect you.”

“This is supposed to protect me?” I say, my tone thick with skepticism, as she places it in my palm. It is a beautiful necklace, I must say. But I do not believe in magic. I believe in science. If there is no proof that this necklace can keep the wearer out of harm’s way, then it is nothing more than a piece of jewelry.

“Oh yeah,” Kay-teh says, nodding emphatically. “Jo worked really hard on making it herself, then finding the right spell to use.”

“Shall I?” Waldric offers, taking the necklace from me.

It would be rude to say no. I smile in response as he steps behind me and secures the band around my neck. It is just the right size to rest comfortably around my throat without feeling too tight.

“Beautiful,” Waldric whispers as he stands next to Kay-teh, admiring my new gift. “You look beautiful, Nalba.”

Compliments referring to my beauty are not common. I have always been complimented on my mind, my skills, my creativity––no one was ever hesitant to shower me with kind words in that regard. But my beauty? No.

It has never bothered me that much. Beauty fades. Brilliance remains . . . unless you lose your memories, of course.

I have also never found myself to be unattractive. When I see my reflection, I am not overly pleased by what I see, but I am not disgusted by it either. I do not see flaws. Nor do I see features that are particularly striking. I see the face I was given, the body that has been formed by genetics, and the life I have lived. I just see me.

But when Waldric calls me “pretty one” or tells me I am beautiful, I cannot ignore the flutter in my stomach, or the sweat coating my palms. I am even tempted to preen under his gaze.

Running my fingers over the gemstones, I smile. Waldric seems to like it. I suppose I shall keep it for now.

“We are done,” I say with the most confidence I have felt since waking in the med room. “We are, indeed, done.”

“For real?” Cloh-ee asks, peering over my shoulder to look at my work.

Cloh-ee arrived this morning not long after Kay-teh and her draxilio mate left, and ever since, we have been hard at work on perfecting the sticky bomb’s design. I have not tried to fire it yet. The testing stage happens at the very end of the design stage, especially if it is a weapon. You must be certain that it is safe to use. Or as certain as you can be without actually practicing with it.

Because of the endless hours I spent working alongside Yignnuf on weapons for Varrek’s crew on Trovilia, I have a wealth of knowledge on how to safely create bombs, pistols, and swords with innovative features attached. And this might be my best work yet.

“Send a comm to Varrek and Ahlvo to let them know it is ready for field-testing,” I tell Cloh-ee. I cannot wait to show Ekoya the finished product.

“Woo-hoo!” she cheers, reaching for her screen pad.

“First meal is almost ready,” Waldric says as he takes a break from slicing the tree fruit and filling a bowl with berries.

“Would you like to come see my masterpiece in action?” I ask, sauntering over to his side and pressing a kiss to his neck.

“You want me to be there?” he replies, surprised by my request.

“Of course, I do.”

Cloh-ee hops off her stool and wraps her cloak around her shoulders. “Varrek said they just finished with a training session, so we can head over there now.”

I carefully grab the sticky bomb as Waldric and I follow her out the door.

Varrek and Ahlvo are the only warriors remaining on the training grounds. They are standing in the center, a short distance from a wooden slab propped up on a flat boulder.

Cloh-ee runs into Varrek’s arms as if they have not seen each other in eons, and he lifts her into the air, spinning her around in a way that does not annoy me. I find it quite charming to see the two of them laughing and clearly so very in love.

Varrek’s gaze lands on me and he gives me a friendly nod. “Nalba, I am eager to see this new device in action.”

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