Brida Pact (29 page)

“Follow me,” Raz ordered.

They started hurrying down the hallway again, this time with
Raz leading the way.

“I just docked my shuttle from a run to Squadron One. It
should still be available,” Raz informed them.

As they reached the docking bay, the men tried to shield the
women as much as they could from curious glances. Poppy saw a large hangar with
small shuttles that were either being fueled or stocked with cargo. She stopped
in her tracks when she caught a glimpse of Demascus. Poppy’s first instinct was
to attack on sight―her fingers itched to get hold of him again. Slipping from
the grasp that Dathrow had on her arm, Poppy hurtled forward. Dathrow grabbed
her shirt fast. Bringing her up short and pulling her back into place, he
ignored her attempts to maneuver away from the group.

The scuffle drew Demascus’s attention to them. When he
spotted Poppy, he shifted to get behind his guards, relaxing only when Dathrow
stopped Poppy’s advance. As they made eye contact, Demascus nodded mockingly to
Poppy and then slipped aboard a shuttle, all the while surrounded by six
warriors.

As they reached their destination, Raz ran up the shuttle
ramp and the others ushered the women quickly onto the ship.

“Strap down fast. I will run through flight check quickly.
Dathrow, secure the door.” Raz rushed out instructions as he moved to the
cockpit.

As Poppy was buckling her belt and making sure the others
were ready to go, she caught Dathrow’s eye.

“I saw Demascus in the bay,” she whispered.

“Is that why you tried to break from the group?” Dathrow
hurried to the glass on the side of the ship and peered through, quickly
scanning the open space. “Was he getting on a shuttle?”

Poppy nodded as she tried to calm her breathing. The fast
walk from the closet to the docking bay had been so quick and nerve-racking and
she didn’t think she’d taken a breath the entire time. “He was getting into one
with six other warriors. And for your information, if you’d let me go, I would
have kicked major ass.”

“He cannot stop us from leaving now. The shuttle is locked.
We are almost ready to take off.” Buckling his belt, he gave Poppy and the
women a grim smile. “Knowing what I do, I can tell you that he would not have
fought fair. If he knows what is good for him, then he will disappear. The
husbands of those women are going to seek vengeance for what he has done.”

Poppy leaned her head back against the seat and closed her
eyes. “I still would have kicked his ass.”

“Poppy, are you all right?” Val had taken the seat next to
her and appeared as frazzled as Poppy felt.

“Yeah, I’m just overwhelmed and I think I might have a
mini-breakdown,” Poppy let out on a cross between a laugh and a cry.

“We’re going to be okay.” She clutched Poppy’s hand,
squeezing hard.

The women all sat in silence as if they were afraid to jinx
themselves while the shuttle engines fired up. As they flew to Squadron One,
Poppy tried to calm herself down. Raz had called ahead to the docking bay to
request medical units prepared when Poppy’s ears pricked up. That was Wheaton’s
voice coming through over the intercom. Tears immediately flooded her eyes.
This whole ordeal was almost over.

“Yes, I have them all. Three are in need of serious medical
attention,” Raz repeated.

The static from the speaker and the roar of the shuttle
engines made it hard for Poppy to hear what was being said from the other end.
She could hear panic in Wheaton’s voice even though she was unable to make out
the words. Raz was obviously unable to hear him very well either, since he kept
repeating the same sentence over and over.

“They need a doctor! Did you hear me? They need a doctor!”
he shouted.

Poppy glanced back at the women strapped into the seats
behind her. She knew one was Staci but hadn’t been able to find out the others’
names. All three were somewhat conscious. The awareness they showed reminded
Poppy of someone who’d been heavily sedated but was awake at the same time.
They were unable to sit up on their own and the only thing keeping them in
their seats were the five-point harness safety belts. Unable to watch the woman
any longer without losing it, she had to stare straight ahead.

From the large windshield in front of her, she soon spotted
Squadron One as they approached it at a high speed. Quickly maneuvering through
a tunnel that opened on the side of the ship, they coasted into what Poppy
assumed was the docking bay. Her hands were shaking. They were almost home.
They were safe.

Landing was quick and as soon as Raz unbelted himself, she
did the same. The other warriors had unbuckled themselves and were assisting
the sick brides. Before she knew it, they were carrying the limp women out of
the opening and down the ramp of the shuttle. From her place at the top of the
ramp, she could see the booted feet of warriors running toward the craft.

Scurrying down the ramp after the others, Poppy couldn’t
make out the voices of those shouting. Time seemed to slow. The noise from the
docking bay and the angry shouts of warriors were covered by the sound of her
blood rushing through her ears. As she stumbled the rest of the way clear of
the ramp, she could see Wheaton running toward the ship in front of Tamin and
Rodin. She tried to run to meet him but felt her legs grow weak. The last thing
she remembered was seeing black spots and hearing Wheaton’s voice yelling at
her through a closing tunnel.

As Poppy came to, she was first aware of voices whispering
and a bright light shining behind her eyelids. Feeling as though she was waking
from a deep nap, she wiggled her fingers and toes. Tingles raced through her extremities,
as if they were still asleep. The voices around her got closer as she opened
her eyes.

“Poppy?” Recognizing Tamin’s voice, she blinked a couple
times to clear her vision. Why were the lights in the exam room so fucking
bright?

“Where’s Wheaton?” Her voice came out husky with sleep.

Feeling a hand grip her own, she turned to the other side of
the bed and her breath caught in her throat. Smiling through her tears, she
reached up to touch the strong jaw of the man who was leaning over her. Poppy had
to admit she’d never witnessed a more beautiful sight than her big, strong
warrior gazing at her with love in his eyes. Cupping his cheek, she pulled him
down for a kiss. Wheaton’s lips touched hers so softly that the kiss could have
been her imagination. Not being one to settle for half efforts, she took her
other hand and cupped his neck to pull him tighter into her embrace.

Poppy let the tears she had been trying to hold back drift
down her cheeks. “Wheaton, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.” Licking
her lips to preserve his taste, she smiled against his neck. Poppy breathed in
his unique scent.

“Poppy…do not ever do that again,” he whispered as he
peppered kisses across her forehead.

They were both silent for a moment. Out of the corner of her
eye, she could see Tamin moving around the exam room.

“Tamin? Are the other brides okay?” she asked as Wheaton
helped her to carefully sit up. She tried to read the doctor’s face for clues
of their condition.

Walking back to the bed where she was now sitting, he patted
her shoulder with a grim look on his handsome face.

“The brides are fine, Poppy. You did a great job getting
them here safely.”

Wheaton had shifted his position to sit on the bed beside
Poppy and folded his arm across her shoulders to pull her into a hug. Knowing
he needed her touch as much as she needed his, she leaned into his embrace.

“What about…” Unable to finish the question, she hoped that
he understood what she was asking.

“Their babies did not make it.” The news was delivered with such
sadness, she knew Tamin was struggling with the fact that he’d been unable to
save them.

Allowing more tears to fall, she turned into the safety of
Wheaton’s hold. Having already assumed the worst didn’t make it any easier for
Poppy to swallow. She thanked whatever good juju that was out in the universe
for the fact she and Val had not taken the pills.

“I do have a question though,” Tamin continued. “How did you
and Valerie not suffer from the same problem?”

“When they gave us the pills, we weren’t sure if they were
good for the babies or not. We put them in Val’s bag to ask you or Rodin when
we saw you next.” At her words, Wheaton cursed under his breath and squeezed
her hard.

“I almost lost you.” Rubbing his hand over her stomach, he
whispered, “Both of you.”

Tamin gave her a sad smile and squeezed her free shoulder.
“You amaze me, Poppy.” Moving to leave the room, Tamin said, “I need to check
the other brides. The regen beds should be finished soon and their husbands are
anxious to see if we repaired the damage done.”

“Damage?” Poppy asked. Stopping at the door, Tamin turned to
her.

“The Hefnon 12 came very close to killing them. We were
unable to save the fetuses and are unsure if the regen beds were able to repair
the damage left behind.” Shaking his head in anger, he gritted his teeth. “All
of this…those women…the pain…I never realized how heartless someone could be.”

As the door closed behind Tamin, Poppy gazed up at her
silent warrior. Once she turned her head to him, he leaned his forehead against
hers and breathed out roughly.

“I almost lost you.” He repeated his earlier words in a
broken voice.

“But you didn’t.” Kissing him softly at first, and then with
more ferocity, she trailed her mouth to his ear as she hugged him hard.

“Wheaton?” When she heard his chest rumble, indicating he
was listening to her, she smiled against his skin. “I love you.”

The rumble between them got louder as he hugged her tighter.
“I love you too.”

She looked up at him with a question in her eyes. “Where’s
Dath at?”

“‘Dath’, is it?” Wheaton did not seem pleased at her
familiarity with the other warrior, but as he smoothed the hair out of her face
he seemed to decide now was not a time to be mad.

“He received some trouble for abandoning his post on
Squadron Two, but we smoothed that over with their commander. When they found
out what he had done, they were pleased with his actions. He may actually
receive a commendation for his bravery today. Many a warrior would not have
questioned such a senior Council member as Demascus.”

“But where is he? I feel awful that he had to leave his home
here because of me. I actually wanted to talk to you about that…” Unsure how
she needed to broach the subject, she stalled.

“Poppy, he will eventually come back, but right now he has
missions that he will need to complete on Squadron Two before that happens. He
left shortly after we received medical reports on all of the brides. He wanted
to make sure that you were okay before he went back to his post.” Giving her an
understanding smile, he tapped her chin. “You cannot help but be lovable, can
you?”

“I’m sorry, Wheaton. The last thing I ever wanted to do was
come between you and a friend.”

“It is not your fault. If our situations were reversed, I
can safely say that I would have done everything in my power to make you mine.
He is a good friend and came to me with his concerns before making any
inappropriate advances and for that he has my respect and friendship.” He
cupped her face and leaned down for a kiss that soon turned too hot to stop. Pulling
back reluctantly, Wheaton said, “Now, we just need to figure out a way to get
him a bride so he will leave mine alone.”

They were lost in a string of kisses when they heard the
noise of a throat clearing at the door. Raz stood in the opening, waiting for
them to acknowledge his presence. Once they turned to him, he stepped farther
into the room.

“Council Member Wheaton, he was able to successfully launch
from Squadron Two.”

Feeling Wheaton’s whole body tense, Poppy knew immediately
who “he” was.

“So Demascus got away?” This question wasn’t really directed
at anyone. Poppy was voicing what she already seemed to know.

“Unfortunately, yes. From our intel reports we learned the
shuttle he stole has docked on a Verge Battalion ship.” Nodding to Wheaton, he
continued, “Council has been informed of his location. We have been advised
that no action will be taken until we complete an investigation and determine
the condition of the damaged brides.”

That sentence raised the hairs on Poppy’s arms. “Damaged
brides?” Turning angrily to Wheaton, she couldn’t control what was spewing out.
“Those women are not damaged! They’ve been brutalized by Demascus, and he needs
to pay for what he’s done!”

“I know, Poppy, and I agree,” Wheaton said in a calming
voice. He informed Raz, “You can let the Council know that I agree with the
need for caution but he must be held accountable for his crimes and I expect a
formal Council meeting to discuss his charges as soon as all members can
attend.”

Raz bowed stiffly to the couple as he left the room. Poppy
let out a tired sigh. She knew that she’d just woken up but felt as if she
could sleep for a couple days at least. Give her a warm bed with Wheaton in it
and she would have to be bribed out of it with either chocolate or pizza.

“I’m so tired, Wheaton.”

“I can take you back to our apartments now but first someone
wants to see you.” He walked to the door and stuck his head out. “She is awake
now and you may talk to her for a short amount of time. Then we will head to
our apartment, where I expect no interruptions.”

Unsure who he was talking to, Poppy was happy and surprised
to see Val peek around his shoulder.

Standing up carefully, Poppy crossed the room and threw her
arms around the other woman.

“Val!”

Hugging her back just as hard, Valerie laughed for a minute,
overcome with emotion. It seemed like the better option than crying.

“Poppy, did you hear about the other brides?” Letting go of
Poppy long enough to reach behind her and tug Thorne into the room, she gave
her a sad questioning glance.

“Yes I did. Right now I’m just glad they survived.” Poppy
let out a relieved sigh and noted that Val had changed clothes.

Turning to Wheaton, she raised her eyebrow. “How long was I
out?”

He took a moment to brush some hair out of Poppy’s face. “A
few hours. Rodin was monitoring you and everything seemed fine so we didn’t
want to rush you to wake.”

Poppy turned as more entered the room, hoping to see some of
her new bride friends. She was surprised to see Behyr tug Hannah into the room.

“Poppy, it is so good to see you awake and on your feet,”
Behyr said. Giving her a hug, he didn’t flinch when Wheaton rumbled.

Scanning her group of friends, she remembered something.
“Hey, where were you and Hannah this morning if you weren’t at the Council
meetings?”

Everyone grew silent and looked at the pair in question.

“Well—” Wheaton started, only to have Hannah interrupt him.

“Wheaton and I made it official this morning.”

When Val gasped and Behyr smiled, Poppy was even more
confused.

“Huh?”
Somebody better start talking now
, she
thought.

“Hannah and I officially dissolved our trial period this
morning,” Wheaton said while he tugged on one of the curls that had escaped
Poppy’s messy bun.

“Thank god!” she shouted and flung herself into his arms.

Making a scene by peppering kisses all over Wheaton’s
blushing face, she eventually let go of him and scooted around to a very happy
Behyr, who was holding Hannah’s hand.

“And I can see I’m not the only one happy.”

“Hannah, I don’t really know what to say other than thank
you…and I’m sorry for calling you a twatwaffle.”

Val let out a burst of laughter behind her and Poppy turned
to her.

“No really. I’m sorry,” Poppy repeated as Val covered her
mouth to try to hold in her laughter while the men were trying to figure out what
a “twatwaffle” was.

“Um, Poppy? You never called me that,” Hannah said with
embarrassment clear on her face.

Smiling widely and winking at the red-faced woman, Poppy
said, “Well, not out loud I didn’t. I’m apologizing for all the things I called
you in my head…except for when I found out you kissed Wheaton.” When she tacked
that on, Behyr tugged Hannah closer to his side and flashed his teeth at
Wheaton.

Val walked toward everyone with shooing motions. “Okay,
okay, everyone is best friends forever and blah blah blah. Why don’t we get out
of the med center and give Rodin and Tamin some time to focus on the others
without us taking up space?” Valerie had resorted to using her “liaison” voice
to usher them out of the room.

"Just a moment.” Wheaton stopped everyone as they were
walking toward the door. “With all of our friends here, I believe now may be
the best time to do this.” Standing in front of Poppy, he dropped to one knee.

“What are you doing, Wheaton?” Poppy was sure she was either
still slightly loopy from their ordeal or not totally awake yet.

“I have watched many movies with you that have had this
particular scene in them.” Clearing his throat, he grinned up at her.

“Poppy, you are my perfect match. I almost lost you today
and I did not realize until that happened how you have become more important to
me. More than anything else in the universe. You are constantly in my thoughts
when we are apart. You are the first thing I think of in the morning and are my
last thought before I fall asleep. I cannot imagine my life without you. You
are my little flower and I would be the luckiest warrior in the galaxy if you
would marry me.”

Finishing his speech, he pulled a ring out of his pocket and
held it up to her finger, preparing to slip it on.

“Oh, Wheaton…yes. Yes!” Helping him slide the ring on her
finger, Poppy leaned down to kiss him while he was on his knees. They continued
to kiss as their friends cheered. The steady rumble in his chest indicated that
they needed to stop before things got out of hand. When they parted, everyone
came forward to hug Poppy and exchange slaps on the back between the men.

Wheaton kept a tight grip on Poppy’s hand as they walked
back to their original apartment. Poppy yawned when they reached their door.

“I know I slept for a while but I can’t seem to stay awake.”

“You have had a very busy day,” Wheaton pointed out as they
walked into their rooms.

Poppy kicked off her shoes and raced toward the bedroom. She
tossed a sassy grin at Wheaton over her shoulder and said, “But I’m never too
tired to have some attention from a particular warrior.” She giggled when she
was lifted and bounced in his arms. “So, you and Hannah dissolved your trial
period?” Kissing his neck, she felt him nod.

“Why didn’t you tell me that’s what you were doing this
morning?” she asked.

She caught him smiling.

“We wanted to surprise both you and Behyr.” With a grim
look, he added, “If I had known what Demascus had planned, then we would have
done things differently.”

“Hey now, don’t think like that. I’m safe and the baby is
safe. There’s no point in thinking of how we could have changed things.”
Tapping her finger against his chin, she caught her breath when Wheaton nipped
her fingers.