Katieran Prime 4 - Kiljorn Prime (13 page)

KadEN knew that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be others out there, but hopefully, help would arrive. He headed back to check on Lindsey. He didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to her. In, such a short time she had become his whole life.

*****

Lindsey heard her name being called from a distance. She struggled to move but it hurt too much. She hurt everywhere. She slowly opened her eyes. “KadEN?”

“Thank the Goddess you’re awake. I was so worried.” He was bent down next to her and he kissed her gently on her lips.

“What happened?”

“We were shot down by a Morin warship.”

“What?” Panic entered her eyes and she tried to lift her head.

“We are safe for now. The Morin warship crashed into some rocks. I managed to repair communications on the shuttle. Our retrieval team will be arriving any minute.”

“How bad am I?” Lindsey closed her eyes because it just hurt too much to keep them open.

He gently touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “You have quite a few bruises and bumps. The one on your head is the one that worries me. And I don’t know what internal damages there may be. I am so sorry, I failed to protect you.”

Lindsey opened her eyes and looked at him. “You didn’t fail. You landed the ship the best you could and you have taken care of me. It wasn’t your fault that we were attacked.”

“Rest for now. I will wake you periodically to make sure you are okay,” he told her. Even though she reassured him that he protected her, he wasn’t convinced. If he wanted to prove he was a capable mate, he would have to do a lot more than this. He would not allow his mate to be attacked again.

He made his way over to the console. He hit the communications button. “This is Prime Leader KadEN. What is the estimated time of arrival of the retrieval team?”

“Prime Leader, it will be ten minutes.”

“Good. Is there a medic on board?”

“Yes, sir. Are you hurt?”

They had asked him that before, they must not think he was telling the truth. “No, but my … Miss Carreli is.”

“We will notify the medic on route that Miss Carreli needs immediate attention.”

He ended communications with a growl. He wanted his mate taken care of right away. To have to wait ten minutes more was too long. Was there something else going on that they had not informed him of?

“Don’t give them a hard time. They’re just doing their job,” Lindsey’s shaky voice called out to him.

He grunted. “They need to do their job faster.” He made his way back over to her. “Why aren’t you resting?”

Lindsey opened her eyes and tried to smile. “You woke me. You were really loud.”

“I was not. I spoke at a normal volume,” he denied vehemently.

Lindsey laughed but it turned into a groan of pain. “Everything sounds really loud to me. Even the sound of breathing hurts my head.”

“I will try to hold my breath for you.”

Lindsey laughed again, which caused another round of groaning. “You have got to stop making me laugh.”

He turned serious, “I’m sorry.”

She reached out her hand to clasp his. She squeezed it. “Don’t be. I love your sense of humor. I need a distraction. Tell me what it was like growing up on Kiljor.”

KadEN brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. He smiled, “I had the best time when my parents were still with me. We traveled several times a year to our coastal beach home. My mother said that I was always getting into trouble.”

Lindsey smiled listening to him tell her stories of things he used to do when he was younger. He had such a carefree childhood. She closed her eyes picturing him as a little boy. He was probably the most adorable child. She wondered what their child would look like. Would he have light brown hair like her or would he have KadEN’s dark locks?

“Lindsey?” KadEN deep voice broke into her thoughts.

“What did you say?”

“I was asking what your childhood was like.”

Lindsey’s smile faded. “It was okay.”

He frowned. “Did your father not take care of you?” KadEN would seek her father out and beat him if he harmed Lindsey in any way.

“No. My father did the best he could after my mother left us.”

“You’re mother died?”

“No, she left us.”

“Why?”

Lindsey laughed a bitter laugh. “I have asked myself that same question every day over the last eight years.” He didn’t push her, just waited to let her tell him at her own pace.

“I had gotten sick at school. They called her to come and pick me up. She never did. They couldn’t reach my father at his job either. There was no one else they could call. I had to stay with the school nurse and then ride the bus home sick. When I got there, I went searching for her. I heard my baby sister screaming so I went to her room. No one was there except Lisa. She was only a few months old. She had been left in her crib the whole day. I picked her up but she was inconsolable.

“I called and called for my mom. I looked in every room. I panicked and called 911. When the authorities arrived, they found a note on the kitchen table. I read it when no one was looking. It said that she just wasn’t ready to be a mom or a wife. She had dreams she wanted to pursue and that we were holding her back. The police had sent some officers to track my father down at his job. He had been doing business in the next town and did not have a phone to reach him with. I will never forget the devastated look on his face after he read the note.”

KadEN brushed hair out of her face gently. “I am sorry.”

“I hated her for a long time. But I soon realized it was a pointless emotion that wasted my energy. My dad did his best. He was there when we needed him. But he depended on me to help with Lisa. I had to grow up fast. So I kind of became her mother figure.”

“But you were so young.”

“Life happens whether you are ready for it or not.”

“True enough.”

Chapter Fifteen

The rescue team finally arrived with the Medic. KadEN growled at the male because he wanted to examine KadEN first instead of Lindsey.

“You will take care of Lindsey first. She is hurt.”

“But Prime Leader …”

“No! She comes first!” KadEN felt himself losing control. He was going into protective mode. If he hadn’t already figured out that Lindsey was his bond mate, he knew it now.

“Yes, sir.” The medic quickly went inside the damaged shuttle. He knelt beside the barely conscious female and used his medical scope to scan her vitals. He asked her some questions and then administered a pain injection.

“How is she?” KadEN was standing over the shoulder of the Medic watching his every move.

“She has a slight concussion. I gave her a pain injection to help the pain and to stabilize her while we move her.”

“Should we be moving her? Will it cause her more pain?” KadEN pushed the medic to the side so that he could squat down next to Lindsey. He brushed his fingers across her cheek gently.

The tender touch was not missed by the medic—he cleared his throat. “We need to get her back to the City of Kiljor to the Medic Wing. She needs nanos implanted that will help with some internal tears that I detected. I will get the lieutenant to help me get her to the rescue shuttle.”

“No, I’ll carry her.” KadEN carefully lifted Lindsey up into his arms and held her close to his chest. She was so light, so fragile. He carried her into the rescue shuttle. He felt the eyes of the lieutenants watching him the whole time. He didn’t care. Lindsey was his mate and as soon as possible, he would announce it to the world. Whatever of their world was left.

He settled in a seat with Lindsey in his arms. He could stabilize her better if he held her. That and he just did not want to let her go yet. He looked at Lieutenant JacOBi. “Report, Lieutenant.”

“Sir, we had sent most of our Transport ships and warships to escort the Katieran Transport from Earth. Several Morin Transports had escaped detection and used our distraction to break through our defenses.”

“Damages?”

“Half our warships that had been on the outer landing fields were destroyed. Five city buildings were completely demolished, but the Prime Building held true.”

“Are we still under attack?”

“No sir, we were able to retake our city with outside assistance.”

“The Katierans?”

“No sir, the Colonists. They were already on route to come here and heard our communications regarding the attack. They sent their own warships and helped us flush out the remaining Morins that were on the planet.”

“What about casualties?”

“Reports are still coming in. We have over 300 injured and 50 reported deaths so far.” The lieutenant paused before he went on. “The Morins that breached and landed took hostages.”

“Who?” KadEN felt uneasy.

“At least ten of the Earth females that were unloading from the shuttles. Security Liaison TarAK, the female warrior Second Lieutenant Daniels, and Prima AriELa.”

“Kitana!”

Lindsey wiggled in his arms reacting to his anger. “Shhh … sorry, beautiful. Rest, I have you.” Lindsey sighed and snuggled against him. He looked up to find the pilot, his lieutenant, and the medic all watching him intently. He ignored them. He remained quiet the rest of the trip back to the City of Kiljor.

KadEN wasn’t quite ready for what met his eyes. It was painful to see. There were buildings, shops, homes that were just … gone. Smoke rose from places that had caught on fire. As they got closer, he noticed that his people were already working together to clean up the debris.

The shuttle landed on the top landing pad. The medic tried to take Lindsey from him but he growled. He lifted her up and carried her off the shuttle. Commander TylOR was there waiting for him along with TylOR’s half—brother AshOR. AshOR had bruises on his face.

KadEN acknowledged them as he continued carrying Lindsey to the lift to go down to the Medical Wing. The medic from the shuttle followed. “What’s the latest report?”

“Reports say that there are 400 injured citizens of Kiljor and 75 deaths. Half of our warships have been taken out. The small southwest region was completely decimated.”

AshOR stepped up to KadEN’s side. “Prime Leader, do you need me to take her from you?”

“No! She is mine. I will care for her.”

AshOR and Commander TylOR looked at him oddly. He kept hold of Lindsey until he arrived at the Medic Wing. The medic from the shuttle stepped up and ordered the other medics to get the nanos ready to be implanted. KadEN reluctantly laid Lindsey down on the soft cot. He knew that she was safe now, but he couldn’t help the overwhelming protective feelings he felt for her.

She stirred awake. “KadEN?”

“Easy, beautiful. You are safe.”

“Where are we?” Lindsey tried to lift her head but it felt weighted down. Her whole body felt that way. She looked around at the unfamiliar room.

“We’re in the Medic Wing at the Prime Building.”

She looked over his shoulder at the concerned face of Commander TylOR. “Are you okay?”

He smiled as warmth filled him for her concern over him. “Yes, I am fine. Unfortunately, I need to leave to go assess the damages done to my planet and people. I wish I didn’t have to leave you.”

Lindsey smiled as she closed her eyes. “Go, I’m safe and am being treated. There’s nothing else that you can do for me right now. Besides, I’m really sleepy.”

KadEN leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. When he stood, he addressed the medics in the room. “You will care for her as if she was me. Do you understand?” The medics nodded their understanding.

KadEN left the Medic Wing with Commander TylOR and AshOR following him. He knew they were all confused over his behavior toward Lindsey. “Is there something bothering you, Commander?”

“Prime Leader, you are acting like a fully mated male.”

“She is my bond mate. We are not fully mated yet, but it will happen and there will be a mating ceremony to celebrate it. Do you have a problem with my mate?” He dared the Commander to say anything negative.

“No sir, but others, especially in the High Council may question your choice. AriELa was the intended mate. Now that she is missing, it may not look good that you mate with another right away.” TylOR had to be honest with not only his leader, but also his friend.

KadEN knew what TylOR said was true and that the High Council was going to give him a hard time. He sighed, “Has Prime Leader RendEL been notified of AriELa being taken prisoner?”

“Yes. Prime Commander KydEL is on his way here. They were both understandably upset.”

“Call all the commanders to the Operations Room. I want to go over every security breach we had and fortify it so that this can never happen again.”

“Yes, sir.” Commander TylOR got on his communications as they walked to the operations room.

*****

Lindsey was disoriented when she woke and it took her a few minutes to remember where she was and what had happened. She wasn’t sure how long she had been in the Medic Wing. Maybe hours or days. She was grateful she wasn’t in as much pain. She just had a few aches here and there. She was able to sit up on her own. The need to go to the bathroom hit her hard.

“Miss Carreli, let me help you. If you get up too fast you could get dizzy and fall down.” A medic with dark brown hair and dark green eyes said.

“Who are you?” Lindsey asked him as he helped her to a standing position.

“I am Medic KorsET. Prime Leader KadEN asked me to make sure that you were well taken care of.” He helped her walk to the bathroom and was prepared to wait for her there.

“Uh … I can take it from here.” Lindsey blushed. She had never used the bathroom in front of anyone before.

“I do not understand. You can take what from here?” He gave her a strange look.

Lindsey tried not to laugh in fear she would lose her bladder. “I can use the bathroom without assistance.”

He gave her a questioning look. “But you could slip and fall.”