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  “So you spend resources on more war, more protection.” She lifted her chin. “And your medics have to do without. I’ve been in that situation.” She pressed her small fists against his stomach. “It forced me to amputate a child’s leg using a dagger and no pain inhibitors. I inflicted the most horrific pain on him, to prevent his death, knowing if I had the right equipment, I could have saved his limb.”

  He winced, his views of medics shifting. Few warriors would assume that task.

  “I won’t do that again, barbarian.” She met his gaze, the resolve in her eyes firm.

  His gerel wouldn’t agree to relocate to Chamele 2 unless he convinced her medics were valued and the medic bays had the same resources as she was now accustomed to working with.

  “I won’t ask you to do it—”

  The main viewscreens flashed light and dark. “Be silent.” She warned him as she hurried to the device.

  He quashed the impulse to follow her, to restore their physical connection.

  She placed her palm on the surface of the viewscreen. “Lead Medic.” She answered with her role, not her name…because that was a big part of who his female was.

  “The Palavians are back.” The being contacting her was female, sounded young and scared. Oghul’s claws pricked his skin, his body responding to the possible threat. “They’re pounding on their brother’s door, trying to get in.”

  His gerel’s shoulders squared, as though she was bracing for battle. “Where are you?”

  “I’m hiding in a chamber three doors away,” the female whispered. “I know I should have approached them but—”

  “Do not approach them,” Gisella barked, her tone straightening Oghul’s spine. “Stay in the chamber. I will deal with the Palavians.”

  “Thank you.” The female’s relief was palpable.

  The communication ended. His gerel stepped back from the viewscreen.

  “We will deal with the Palavians.” He stood, prepared to follow his gerel. Palavians had a reputation for being violent and foul tempered. He wouldn’t allow them to harm his little medic.

  “I can handle this.” She extracted her tiny gun from her pocket. “This is what I do.”

  “Then I’ll watch you handle it.” He wasn’t leaving her side.

  “Don’t touch me in public.” She reiterated that rule of hers. “And stay behind me.”

  His gerel strode through the doors like a warrior heading to battle. Oghul followed, extremely turned on by her strength and determination.

  As soon as they entered the corridor, they heard the bellowing, the smacking of flesh against metal, the cursing.

  Two Palavians beat against a door with their fists, their ugly faces flushed, blades and guns strapped to their forms. They spotted Gisella and their color darkened, their rage appearing to escalate.

  Oghul didn’t want her anywhere near them.

  He didn’t have a choice about that, however. She was determined to tackle the situation head-on.

  “What have you done with our brother?” The tallest Palavian waved all four of his arms. “He should have returned to our domicile by now.”

  “As I have explained to your other brother.” Her gaze slid to the shorter one. “Egor has to regain his strength before I extract the growth from his body. He requires at least two more planet rotations of rest.”

  “He’s a Palavian.” The tall one spat on the immaculately clean floor tiles. “Palavians don’t require rest.” He stepped forward, his posture menacing. “Heal him now.”

  Oghul extended his claws, standing behind his gerel.

  The male looked at him, at his natural weapons, and backed away from them. “This isn’t your fight, Chamele.”

  “This isn’t anyone’s fight.” Gisella raised her gun.

  The Palavian glanced at it and flinched. “Heal our brother now and we won’t hurt you.”

  “You’ll hurt Egor by rushing the procedure.” Oghul’s gerel stood her ground, looking powerful. “If I extract the growth now, he could die. None of us wants that.”

  “We want our brother back.” The taller male yelled that demand, spittle flying out of his mouth. “That’s what we want, you stupid bovine.”

  Oghul growled. No one insulted his gerel.

  “This stupid bovine is holding your brother’s life in her hands.” His gerel’s voice was calm. “Speak to me with respect or I’ll ban you from my medic bay.”

  The male’s lips curled. The shorter Palavian elbowed him in the gut with one of his upper arms. The male glared at his brother. His brother tilted his head toward the closed door.

  The male exhaled noisily. “Do what you have to do, Medic, but if he dies—”

  “I die too.” Oghul’s gerel rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s the third time you’ve mentioned it.”

  The Palavian was serious about that threat. Oghul could see it in the male’s expression.

  “You can visit with your brother if you vow not to wake him.” She placed her hand on the control panel attached to the wall. The doors opened.

  The two males poked their heads inside the chamber. They took a quick look around the space and withdrew.

  The tall one shuddered.

  “Palavians don’t rest,” the shorter one mumbled.

  “We’ll return in two planet rotations.” His brother warned. “We expect him to be healed.”

  The Palavians turned around and stomped away from Oghul and his gerel, their boots leaving dirty tread marks on the floor.

  “He might be healed but he won’t be leaving the medic bay.” Gisella glared at their backs. “I will be holding him for observation.” She rubbed her wrist.

  That was the wrist that sported the bruises.

  Red-hot rage rushed up Oghul’s body. “Was that the male who hurt you?” His claws spread. He would remove a couple of the Palavian’s hands.

  “I handled it.” She slid her gun back into her pocket.

  Being zapped wasn’t a harsh enough reprimand. The male continued to threaten his gerel.

  Oghul would deal with him. Now. “I’ll be back before the end of the second shift.”

  “If you wound him, I’ll be forced to heal him.” She lowered her voice to a murmur. “I don’t want to do that.”

  He didn’t want her to do that either. “Don’t heal any male patients.” He spoke as softly as she did. “Not until I find a solution for you.”

  First, he would deal with the Palavian. He stalked along the corridor, passing a Tau Cetian girl in a white medic’s jacket. She was standing on the threshold to a chamber. Her eyes widened as she saw him.

  He ignored her, his focus on his prey. The Palavian brothers exited the medic bay, sauntered along one of the main pathways in the settlement.

  Either they were arrogant or unobservant. They gave no indication they noticed he was trailing them.

  The two Palavians stopped across from the beverage outlet where Oghul had first seen his gerel. Ariq and Qulpa were talking outside of the structure. They must have gone there directly after training.

  “Fuck.” The tall Palavian spat on the pathway. “The Chameles are everywhere.”

  “They’re not invincible.” His brother folded all four of his arms in front of his chest. “The one in the medic bay was wounded.”

  “That’s why he interfered with that bovine of a medic. He—”

  “That isn’t why I defended her.” Oghul pressed one set of his claws against the tall one’s neck, aimed the other set at the short Palavian.

  The males squawked and stiffened, their eyes widening.

  “Touch her again and I will remove all of your arms, your feet, your ears.” His gaze lowered to the tall male’s groin. “And other nonessential body parts. The rumors are true. Chameles excel at killing.”

  “Can’t. Kill. In the. Refuge.” The short one’s breathing grew ragged.

  “What you don’t realize”—Oghul waved all of his claws, tapping their deadly tips against the males’ skin—“is we also
excel at inflicting torment. If you harm a hair on the medic’s head, I will shave the skin off your forms bit by bit, make you both wish you were dead. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” The short male agreed quickly.

  The other brother said nothing, his jaw jutting.

  “Do you understand?” Oghul pierced the top layers of the male’s skin.

  “I understand.” The taller Palavian capitulated, the pitch of his voice high.

  “Are we fighting, Second?” Ariq joined him.

  “This isn’t anyone’s fight.” Oghul utilized his gerel’s words. “We were clearing up a misunderstanding.” He lowered his claws. “Now that we understand each other, these males will be leaving.”

  “We’re going.” The shorter Palavian dragged the taller one away.

  Oghul watched them retreat. That hadn’t been much of a confrontation.

  He was disappointed, the need to avenge his little Medic drumming at him.

  “I thought Palavians were supposed to be tough.” Ariq sounded disgusted with the males.

  “They’re only tough when facing tiny human females.” Oghul’s lips flattened. “I require a beverage.”

  Ariq walked with him toward the structure.

  “If you’re referring to the medic we encountered last planet rotation.” His friend’s forehead furrowed. “She isn’t defenseless, Second.”

  She wasn’t defenseless but she shouldn’t have to repel attacks. Protecting her was his task. “He bruised her wrist.” That angered Oghul.

  They entered the beverage outlet. Some of their males were inside the structure. They cheered, raising their containers as they spotted Oghul.

  “I’m certain the Palavian has bruised many females’ wrists.” Ariq didn’t understand the situation.

  “Those females aren’t my gerel.” Oghul claimed a seat.

  “You have found your gerel?” Ariq sat beside him.

  Oghul nodded, a smug smile curling his lips. Not every Chamele found his genetic match. And no one had ever found a female like his Gisella.

  “You’re a fortunate warrior.” His friend beamed, smacking Oghul’s shoulder. “The medic is a strong female, worthy of a Chamele.”

  “The medic is your gerel?” Yesun commandeered the chair on the other side of him. “I didn’t mean to disrespect her, Second.” The youth winced. “I was mimicking the human males. They touch the females they are trying to impress.” He rubbed his bare knees. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

  The males around them laughed. They had been teasing Yesun all planet rotation, ridiculing his response to being zapped.

  Oghul was glad the male didn’t hold hard feelings toward Gisella. “Medics on Carinae E treat both males and females. She has to be strong when facing wounded warriors.”

  “If she can face warriors in the medic bay, she can face warriors on the battlefield.” Ariq nodded, appearing suitably impressed. “Will you train her to fight by your side?”

  “She’s a medic.” He accepted his gerel’s role. “She’ll heal others, not wield swords.”

  Ariq stared at him. “You’re staying on Carinae E with your brother?”

  “No.” Oghul had fought hard for his place as their Warlord’s number-one warrior and there was no reason to give that role up. “She’ll heal others on Chamele 2.”

  “But-but she’s human.” Yesun gaped at him. “There are no humans to heal on our planet.”

  “She can heal Chameles.” Their forms were similar. “She’s accustomed to treating various species.”

  “Chameles aren’t accustomed to being treated by various species.” Ariq beckoned a server. “I wouldn’t want a human medic tending to me.”

  The other males nodded.

  “She treated me and I survived.” Oghul rolled his shoulders. His wound no longer bothered him.

  “We see she’s treated you.” Ariq’s gaze lowered to the vivid white gauze wrapped around the injury and his lips twitched. “You’re her warrior. You have to trust her skills. You have no choice.” He looked around them. “The rest of us have choices and we wouldn’t choose a human to heal us.”

  “My sister is a Chamele and the best medic in the universe.” Yesun puffed out his chest. “I wouldn’t even trust her to heal me.” He paused. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

  The warriors laughed. The young warrior was acutely afraid of all three of his older sisters.

  The server delivered containers of fermented beverage. The males drank and chattered. Oghul thought about their input.

  His warriors, having ventured outside of the Chamele system, were more widely traveled than most of their kind. They had exposure to various species, appreciated their differences, weren’t as judgmental as others would be.

  If his males wouldn’t allow his gerel to treat them, the odds another Chamele would accept her as their medic was zero. His kind would view her with suspicion, see her as an outsider. They wouldn’t trust her to heal them.

  His gerel couldn’t hold her role on Chamele 2.

  And he couldn’t hold his role on Carinae E.

  Being his Warlord’s Second meant staying by his side. Carinae E and Chamele 2 were a sixty-two planet-rotation voyage apart. That was too far to be feasible.

  Son of a Gechii. Oghul silently cursed. Either he or his gerel would have to give up the role they loved.

  One of them was destined to be unhappy.

  Chapter Seven

  Gisella immediately transferred many of her male patients to her most experienced medics. The extremely dangerous males she kept. She would never put another in peril to save herself a bit of pain.

  That left her with a huge gap in her schedule. She evaluated incoming patients, claiming all of the females for herself, spent more time than was necessary on treating those beings, and she was currently walking the corridors, feeling a bit lost.

  Accustomed to being busy every moment of her shifts, often running between tasks, she didn’t like having nothing critical to do.

  “Which patient are we treating next?” Pono caught up to her.

  “We are not treating anyone.” Gisella frowned at her former protégé. “You’ve been assigned permanently to Medic Shaushka.”

  Medic Shaushka was the second-best healer in the Refuge. She was more than qualified to train the girl, was the safer option for a mentor.

  The situation with the Palavian brothers was too dangerous for Pono. Gisella wouldn’t risk the girl’s lifespan by prolonging her exposure to the violent males.

  There was also a selfish reason for the reassignment. She wouldn’t be able to hide her affliction from the medic-in-training’s observant gaze. Her hands were once again shaking, her need to touch her barbarian warrior intense.

  “I’m free to help, Lead Medic.” Pono walked beside her, matching her stride. “We’re on a break.”

  Breaks weren’t long in duration. The girl would soon return to shadowing the medic she was supposed to be learning from, a being who wouldn’t put her in peril.

  “I told Medic Shaushka I was going to help you over the break and she said that was a great idea.” Pono chattered. “She said you’re the best medic she’s ever encountered and she was proud you’re our Lead Medic.”

  Those words buoyed Gisella’s confidence. Medic Shaushka wanted a lead medic role, had the skills to fulfill it, yet was limited to healing only in the Refuge due to her mate’s ambitions. Gisella was an obstacle between the other medic and what she wanted.

  Instead of being bitter, however, the female supported Gisella in her role.

  They stopped outside a chamber. She placed her hand on the control panel outside the doors, reviewed the patient’s information.

  A small smile curled her lips. Ada-758 had returned.

  The elderly clone female was a regular visitor to the medic bay. She often overextended herself in the hot Carinae E climate.

  Gisella also suspected she was lonely. The female’s mate had died four solar cycles ago. Their illic
it relationship had caused her to be expelled from her clone community. They had no offspring.

  The female was the perfect first patient for a young medic. She was kind and understanding, as chatty as Pono was. And unlike Gisella’s first patient, she wouldn’t soon die. It would be a positive healing experience.

  “You and Medic Shaushka were the receiving medics for this patient.” The female had been admitted while Gisella had been occupied with a certain barbarian. “What do you know about her?”

  “Ada-758 is a clone with ninety-six solar cycles.” Pono recited those pertinent facts. “She has a history of suffering from dehydration and has no caregivers at home. She also exhibits a keen interest in the medic bay activities.” The girl’s eyes sparkled. “We had a good gossip.”

  That was one of the things Ada-758 was known for enjoying. Gisella forced her stern expression. “Patient information is confidential.”

  Pono’s face flushed. “We talked about you.”

  Oh, fuck. Gisella swallowed a groan. “Gossiping about your Lead Medic isn’t recommended.”

  They entered Ada-758’s chamber. The elderly clone female was reclining on the sleeping support, looking much the same as she had the last time she was admitted to the medic bay.

  Her purple eyes glowed as she saw them. Her lips lifted into a smile. “I heard you have one of those hunky Chamele warriors protecting you, you lucky female.”

  How had she found that out? Gisella shifted her gaze to her protégé.

  Pono feigned interest in her handheld.

  “My mate was a warrior.” The clone’s face softened. “When other males bothered me, he’d glare at them, his mere presence scaring them away.” She shuddered. “It was very exciting.”

  She had found it thrilling when Oghul came to her defense, threatening the Palavian brothers. “I won’t be leading your examination this planet rotation.” She tried to distract the female.

  “Y-you won’t be?” Pono’s eyes widened.

  “You’ll be in the role of medic.” Gisella gave her an encouraging smile. “You’re ready for this.”

  “I’m ready for this.” The girl straightened with pride. “I’m leading the examination.” She turned to their patient. “How are you feeling, Ada-758?” She scanned the female with a handheld.