“Yes, Commander,” Draven answers as he positions himself behind me, almost wrapped around me. My protector. “I was speaking with my mate, and she shared with me that she remembers her past, where she came from. With the other two aliens having no memory of how they came to be on the ship, I thought it wise to come to you with this news immediately.”
Aria, who’d been thoroughly distracted by the slumbering bundle in her arms, springs to attention at his words. “She what?”
“The female told you about this?” Breccan demands.
I press my back into Draven’s chest, but when I speak, I keep my voice even. “You can talk to me. I’m right here. Besides, I’m the one with the answers you want. Yes, I told him. And I’ll tell you what I can.”
Snap.
Draven’s neck starts cracking behind me, and I grip his hand to calm him.
Sensing the tension between the two males, Aria mirrors my movement and places a soothing hand on Breccan’s arm. I guess this is what humans and mort males have in common; if it weren’t for women, no one would ever get anything done.
“We should get Sayer to call Emery and Calix on the comms,” Aria suggests. “She may have questions or be able to fill in any blanks that Molly can’t.”
“Draven,” Breccan directs.
I squeeze his hand to let him know it’s okay, and he leaves me with the other two to go summon Sayer.
An ache settles over my chest as I watch Breccan become distracted by the cooing little form in Aria’s arms. The two of them huddle over their baby with identical smiles of contentment, smiles I recognize. I’d felt like that once. Once upon a time, the woman smiling at the baby had been me.
Aria notices me staring and lifts the baby in my direction. “Would you like to hold him?”
I clear my throat. Tears prickle. “No, thank you.” I soften my words with a smile, and begin to hum under my breath, wondering how long it’ll take Draven to return. It’s not a good sign that I can only go a few minutes without his presence before I feel like I’m coming apart at the seams. “La la, la la, la,” I hum.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” Aria insists.
I hum louder, pretending I don’t hear her. “LA LA, LA LA LAAAA.”
The two of them share looks, but I pretend I don’t notice. An eternity passes until the doors reopen and Draven strides through with Sayer, the one with the long hair. This time it’s flowing all the way down to his butt. He’s carrying a device that he immediately sets up at Aria’s bedside, pausing to coo at the bundle in Aria’s arms.
“Emery,” Sayer says into the device. “Calix, this is Sayer.”
A crackle fills the line. Sayer repeats himself several times before another voice fills the room. “This is Calix, receiving transmission. Is everything all right?”
Sayer nods to Breccan, who says, “We’ve good news, my friend. Aria delivered our mortyoung. We named him for my father, Sokko.”
“That is great news, Commander. Emery will have a thousand questions, and me as well. Did—”
“I’ll have Avrell update you with the details. I’m afraid we’re calling for a different reason. Another female has woken.”
“Oh?” Calix replies.
“She remembers where the ship came from, where it was headed. We thought Emery should be present for the conversation. Is she with you?”
“I’m here, Breccan. Aria, congratulations on your baby. We’re so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Aria says, still glowing. “Emery, I’d like to introduce you to Molly. A magnastrike caused her cryotube to malfunction. She woke up during a lot of the confusion not too long ago, so we haven’t had time to properly introduce her to everyone.”
“When do we ever have time to do anything properly?” Emery asks dryly. “Pleased to meet you, Molly. My mate, Calix, and I are at Sector 1779 across the mountains. I woke up several months ago, and we had to travel here to use their medical facilities. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and filling in the holes in my memory.”
“Why don’t you start with the shuttle?” Aria suggests when I don’t answer. The baby in her arms has quieted and so have my thoughts.
My tongue unsticks itself from the roof of my mouth. I sense Draven behind me, and my chest unclenches. “What would you like to know?”
“Anything you remember. I’m afraid my memory is a complete blank, so any information you have would be helpful.”
There’s a loud scrape of metal against floor as Draven drags a chair over, urging me to sit on his lap. The other morts watch us with keen fascination, but my thoughts are too jumbled to work out why. “Well, first, I suppose I should tell you that I’m not a perfect person. I’ve made mistakes in my past. I was on the shuttle because I killed my ex-husband, who was abusive. He used to beat me and my child, and I couldn’t take it anymore.” I say the last bit quickly, trying to gloss over the bit about Willow as fast as possible so the image of her sweet face doesn’t materialize, but it’s no use. Speaking of her so much, knowing I may never see her again, has the pain of her loss rolling over me in great waves. I hum a little, losing the thread of conversation, and Draven nuzzles his cheek against my arm.