Free Not Quite Terran Part 5 (Scifi Alien Romance Serial) by Erin Tate

Part Five
     
    Even after healing, the skin on Karru’s chest still held a deeper hue than the rest of his body. It now appeared as a bruise and always would. But Rebecca knew the truth. She’d held her hands over the gaping hole, cried as she ran beside the hovo-stretcher into the transport and spat curses at anyone who even thought of denying her access to him. She may resent her position at the moment, but she was not against leveraging it to its fullest potential. That meant she had every specialist on station rolled out of bed and rushed to Karru’s side.
    Nothing else mattered. Only him. Her thoughts, her very reason for living, lay in a medical bed. Pale. Unconscious.
    They assured her he would recover. His body was merely resting after sustaining such an injury. The physical damage was healed, but the body needed time to catch up.
    Time. Fucking time.
    One of Rebecca’s guards carefully came into the room and drew near. She rubbed her eyes, brushing away the sleep that attempted to overcome her. Zentri. His name was Zentri. The oldest of the guards Karru brought back from Palia. He’d been an immovable rock of protection from the moment of her first scream. Rasu hadn’t ousted him which was enough of a vote of confidence for her. Between Rasu and Zentri, they’d run interference with every station official, and even some of their own. Nothing mattered—not negotiations or the status of Palia itself—while Karru remained unconscious. Right now, she lived and breathed for him and damn everything else.
    “Jhoari G’Zeri,” he kept his voice low.
    “Rebecca, Zentri. You held a handkerchief while I snotted all over it. I think we’re a little beyond calling me Jhoari G’Zeri.”
    He pressed his lips together in a sign she’d come to recognize as his pure stubborn streak coming forward. “Jhoari G’Zeri—”
    “In private then. When no one else is around, you can call me Rebecca. Normalcy, Zentri. That’s all I’m looking for.” She was so very, very tired, but this small argument kept her going. It allowed her to think of something other than Karru.
    Zentri opened his mouth to reply, but it was another’s voice—another’s growls—who overrode the guards. “You shall never be alone with her.”
    Rebecca immediately swung her attention to Karru and her gaze collided with his. He looked so tired, so exhausted from his injuries. His normally bright eyes were dull and muted with pain, but he was still the most gorgeous male she’d ever seen.
    “Karru,” she whispered and rose to her feet, stepping nearer. “You’re…”
    “Listening to you get too familiar with one of your guards. Tell him to run fast before I challenge him on the field.” The teasing smile on his lips told her he was kidding.
    “You would have to quit crying and climb from your bed first, old man. I have heard the elderly get lazy,” Zentri tsk’ed. “But I had never realized just how lazy.”
    “I will destroy you while blinded and with a single weapon in hand.” New lines of tension marred Karru’s features. “Choose the field and time.”
    Men.
    She ignored them and reached for Karru, carefully sliding her hand beneath his and gently squeezing his fingers. The move drew his attention and when he gazed upon her, a healthier glow filled his face and his eyes brightened slightly. “Hey.”
    “Hello, my sweet one.”
    Two words she didn’t think she’d ever hear again. “I was—”
    Zentri coughed and interrupted her. “Jhoari G’ze—” she shot him a glare and he cleared his throat. “ Rebecca , there is the matter of Takkol to discuss.”
    “It’s too much to hope the men handled the problem for me, isn’t it?” She didn’t care she was whining.
    “Takkol?” Karru groaned and repositioned himself, scooting higher on the bed until he sat up.
    She entwined her fingers with his. “Do you remember what happened?” He furrowed his brow and then finally shook his head. “I ordered him to stay away