Unexpected Mates (Sons of Heaven) (34 page)

“Thank you for helping me last night.”

He smiled. “An honor and a pleasure, I assure you.”

Zave’s eyes narrowed.

“Call us if you have need again.
Kahdi
is a common complaint among our bearing women, especially in the latter half of their pregnancies.”

Sandy peeked at Zave out of the corner of her eyes and nodded solemnly. Her next question was directed at the other warrior. “I’ve heard there are movies and games in the meeting rooms?”

Zave smiled widely. “There are. Would you like to go there?”

She glanced down at herself. “If you could get me a tray of food while I shower—”

“Of course.” It was clear that Zave saw this as a step toward claiming her as his mate.

“Thank you. I won’t be long.” Sandy wiggled her fingers at Darm in parting and glided into her quarters.

Though she was going to the meeting room with Zave, Darm couldn’t help but feel there was something significant in the wave. He retired to his game of
Zuda
with an unaccountable happiness lightening his mood.

****

Sandy looked around at the sitting room, evaluating her preparations. She just hoped Darm enjoyed them. A glance at the clock showed that it was two minutes after two. She waited until ten minutes after to push the button.

“Yes, Sandy?” Darm replied.

“I was wondering if you might want to join me for a game or a movie.” Her heart pounded in apprehension.
What if he says ‘no’?

“Of course. If you wish company—”

“Only if you want to,” she hurried to add. Him spending time with her as a duty would be worse than him refusing outright.

There was a moment of potent silence. “I would enjoy spending time with you very much.”

She bounced on the balls of her feet. “See you in a few?”

“Yes.” There was something tender in that, something completely at odds with the several hundred pounds of muscle, bone, and wings that made up the man in question.

A few heartbeats later, he knocked softly on her door.

“Come in.”

He entered her room, seemingly hesitant. After a moment, Darm shut the door and offered a grin.

Chapter Thirty-One

Four days later

Sandy woke with a start, groaning at the lurching baby. Her son seemed to have a fondness for the middle of the night, that was sure.

She reached up and punched the button to summon Darm.

“Yes, Sandy?”

Damn! It’s Zave.
She peered at the clock, cursing the fact that it was nearly four in the morning.

“Sandy? Are you well? Do you need me?”

The baby lurched again.
It’s Zave or no one.
“The baby...again,” she gasped out.

“On my way.”

He came through the curtain, fully dressed. Zave knelt on the edge of the mattress and started stacking pillows. Trills and coos left his lips, but the baby wasn’t calming as he usually did.

“Try...the song,” she pleaded.

He did, and he stroked at her womb, but her son thrashed harder. Sandy went lightheaded, and spots danced before her eyes.

“Call Darm.”

Zave shot her a hard look and continued with his ministrations. Sharp pains ripped through her abdomen.

“Call Darm!”

He hit the emergency button instead.

Damn him! Why won’t he listen?

****

The alarm from the comm board next to the bed snapped Darm awake. Disoriented, he stumbled to the board and tried to identify the emergency. There was no announcement for battle stations or for fire suppression.

The comms were open.

Zave’s voice was tense...strained. “The
Kahdi
is not easing.”

In the background, he heard Sandy murmur, “I just need Darm.”

That sent him bolting her direction. Sandy looked up as he pushed through the partition. She was panting, and beads of sweat coated her face and hands. She cried out as the babe rolled again.

“Move aside,” he ordered Zave.

His competitor scowled at him.

“Darm,” Sandy pleaded.

“Move aside.” Darm added a glare that promised a fight, if it came to that.

Zave abandoned the bed with a string of foul Sakk curses. Darm settled beside her and started the calming ritual.

The babe’s struggle subsided slowly. The battering became a fluttering as the young one calmed. Still, Sandy winced with nearly every movement. A tear tracked down her cheek.

“You are in pain?” he whispered.

“Yes.” She sobbed.

The medical team rushed through the door.

Darm didn’t waste time. “The young one has been calmed, but the pain persists.”

He didn’t need to say more. Unchecked,
Kahdi
could cause bruising or tearing.

It can kill a babe if uncontrolled. It can kill or injure the mother. It can leave her unable to bear, in the worst of cases.

The healers crowded around her. At their first touch, she grasped Darm’s hand. He made soothing sounds and brushed the hair from her face.

One of the healers’ touches drew a whimper from her. Another drew a sob, and her hand tightened. “Ow. Ow.”

The babe lunged, and Sandy shot upright into Darm’s arms with a shout. He whispered soothing noises and stroked circles over her womb.

Gabin gave her an injection, and Sandy relaxed against his chest.

“Is it serious?” Darm asked.

“I think not,” the master healer replied. “Still, no good will come of letting it continue.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Captain Darm?” the healer prompted.

He stroked Sandy’s hair. “Yes?”

“The transport cart?”

“Of course.” He lifted her from the bed and settled Sandy on the transport cart, then backed away to let the healers work.

Zave’s voice was cold and clipped. “I will accompany Sandy.”

The unspoken reminder that it was Zave’s shift made his heart sink. “Of course. I should retire now.” But he knew he wouldn’t sleep. Not until he knew Sandy was well.

They guided Sandy away, and Zave bumped past him.

In the wake of their departure, Darm glanced at the timer.
After four o’clock. Nearly ten more hours until my shift.
“
Zadek bajou.
”
Damn it all!

****

Sandy shifted beneath the blankets, then winced in pain. Her groan brought a flurry of movement.

“She is in pain,” Zave complained.

She levered her eyes open and stared at the doctor hovering over her. It was the ‘master healer’ at the clinic.
Gabin
, she recalled.

“It will pass,” he assured one of them. Whether he meant to assure her or Zave was unclear. Gabin smiled. “Are you hungry?”

The ache in her lower ribs made her want to answer in the negative, but Sandy knew that would be a lie. “Starving.”

Zave chuckled. “Good sign. I will bring you food.” He rushed out the door and turned toward the kitchens.

The doctor checked the readings on the screen.

Sandy rubbed her womb, fighting for a deep breath. “Why do I still hurt?” They’d healed cuts in minutes with their technology, but she still felt like she’d been hit by a truck.

He sighed. “The young one makes using the usual methods...problematic.”

She nodded. “Is he... Is he okay?” Her hands were fisted so hard in the blankets, her knuckles ached.

“Fine. He’s strong.”

“I know,” she grumbled.

“We will be lightly sedating you both for a few days.” He pushed more buttons on the console. “I would like to see you rest in bed for at least that long.”

Her gaze strayed to the clock, and she sighed.
Nine o’clock. Five more hours until Darm comes on duty.

“I assure you it is for the best,” he continued.

“It’s not that. After last night, I trust you’re right about bed rest.”

He paused and met her eyes. “What is it then?”

Oh, hell. Why did I start this? Might as well finish it. The worst they can say is that I’m stuck with Zave.
“The company could be better.”

The doctor glanced toward the closed door, then focused on Sandy again. “You dislike Captain Zave? Has he offended you?”

Answering that was difficult. Something told her that claiming he’d offended her would cause a stir, so she aimed for something less problematic. “I certainly didn’t appreciate when he refused to call Darm for me.”

His eyes narrowed. “You asked for Darm, and Zave—Why
did
you ask for Captain Darm?” There was an intensity in his gaze that sent chills down her spine.

I said the wrong thing?
“The...Kandi...”

“
Kahdi
,” he corrected her.

“
Kahdi
.” She nodded, trying to commit the term to memory. “Zave couldn’t make it stop. It just kept getting worse and worse. Darm can always stop it.”

He sank into a chair at the bedside, seemingly deep in thought. “You asked for Darm, because you were suffering.”

Sandy hesitated a moment. “It hurts. Sure.” They knew that, since she was still here in medical.

“Zave refused your request?”

In for a penny...
“Yes.”

The doctor muttered something unintelligible.

“I don’t understand.”

“If you would excuse me?”

“Sure.”

He hurried to the clinic doors and started pressing buttons on the comm board there. When he started speaking, it was in the Sakk language.

Sandy sighed and let her eyes drift shut.

****

Two sharp trills snapped Darm awake. Given his schedule with Sandy and the night’s events, he couldn’t imagine who would hail him now. Short of an emergency—which would mean an alarm—he should be left in peace.

He fumbled for the comm button. “Yes?” There was an edge of violence in his tone, he knew.

“Sakkra wishes to see you immediately.” The reply was curt and warned of a prince who was less than pleased.

“I will dress—”

“Immediately, Captain Darm.”

“As Sakkra wishes.” If the prince wanted Darm standing before him in the
cu-wrap
, it was his choice, he supposed.

Darm pushed up from the mattress and made his way blearily to the corridor. Along the way, he finger-combed his hair feathers, trying to look presentable for the prince. By the time he reached Sakkra’s office, he was awake enough to walk straight and tall, but only just.

He knocked on the door and pushed through it at the order to enter.

His move to greet their Earth-side leader short circuited at the sight of Zave under guard. “What?” The word slipped out without decorum.

Darm comforted himself with the idea that he would have been dragged from bed by a similar group of guards if he were the one facing the prince’s anger.

“Ah...Darm,” Sakkra offered by way of greeting.

Zave glared at him, as if he blamed Darm for his incarceration.

How did I cause this? I’ve made no complaint against him.

Sakkra started speaking. “Did Zave refuse to call for you when Sandy asked for you last night?”

He replayed his memories of the alarm. “I cannot say for certain. I know she was asking for me while Zave was speaking to the healers, and I went to her, as she asked.”

Darm felt his face heat in renewed anger. “He did refuse to move aside. Sandy was clearly asking for me then.”

“I was already performing the rite,” Zave protested. “Who performs it does not matter.”

Before he could reply, Sakkra did...and with nearly the same words Darm would have blurted out.

“And yet it did.”

Zave nodded, his expression full of misery. “We were never told it could.”

“The healers were on their way,” Sakkra counseled. “Whether it would have made a
physical
difference aside, Sandy was frightened and in pain. Keeping Darm from her when she asked for him was cruel. Why did you choose to do it?”

He moved his mouth as if to speak, but nothing emerged.

“Come now. I’m certain you know why you did it.”

Zave ground his teeth, his face going deep red. “I wanted to be the one to give her ease. It had always been Darm before. I wanted...”

“Go on,” the prince drawled, as if he was speaking to an errant toddler.

“I wanted her to see it didn’t have to be Darm.”

That snapped Darm’s patience. “There was nothing underhanded in my soothing her
Kahdi
.”

“I know it,” Zave conceded.

Sakkra nodded. “Had you refused to admit you’d been selfish and short-sighted, I would have stripped your right to seek a mate for it.”

Darm swallowed a sour wave. Though the warning hadn’t been meant for him, it was the thing every male feared to hear.

Zave’s look of horror was his only reply.

“As it is...” The prince hesitated. “My mate is speaking with Sandy. No one will disregard her wishes again.”

As a nest mother would speak to a match about a claim maker’s concerns.

****

Sandy chewed the mouthful of vegetable pie, weighing Amy’s question. She swallowed. “I don’t understand.”

The princess patted her winged daughter’s back through the sling. “It’s very simple. Your guards have always been at your whims. You simply didn’t know it. So, I’ll repeat the question. Do you wish Captain Zave to be dismissed?”

“They were assigned to me.”

“You do need guards.” A smile lit her eyes. “Or...at least
one
guard. If you aren’t comfortable with one...or both, you can ask for them to be moved to another duty. Or if you care for a guard in particular—”

“Are you saying I could ask for Darm to be my only guard?” Her heart leapt in excitement.

“Is that something you’re likely to ask?” she teased.

Sandy peeked at the doctors huddled in the far corner of the clinic. She was certain they were only pretending not to hear their discussion. “Yes. It is. Should I ask Sakkra for that?”