Hera’s heart broke for Damon. She’d never seen anyone in so much agony. Or at least she didn’t think so. God, she hated not remembering.

For the last couple of hours, while Damon was gone, she’d tried to figure out what the images of adobe homes, roasting chiles, rocky ravines that were all so familiar, especially the beautiful yellow, gold, and red mountains. It was as if she’d been to the mountains and knew where each trail would lead. She could actually feel her feet crunching on the pebbled paths but couldn’t come up with an exact location. Was it her imagination, or was it real? Each time she pondered, her reward was a pounding headache.

This time was no different. Pain boomeranged between her temples, nearly making her ill.

Damon moaned. She shoved the pain and her problems away then concentrated on him. Still unconscious, sweat drenched his face. He turned back and forth, as if he were in some kind of battle. She wanted to wipe the perspiration off his brow, but both Taog and Tryker’s large frames crowded her away.

“Doctor, can you help him?” She tried to peer between them, but it was like trying to squeeze in between two stubborn bulls.

Tryker ignored her. He opened Damon’s eye and flashed a pocketscope. “Taog, his pupil’s aren’t dilated, so he’s not suffering from a concussion.”

He glanced up at a blinking board with a dozen buttons overhead that seemed to be measuring Damon’s body functions. It was something right out of Star Trek, but much more sophisticated.

He pressed a button. “He’s unconscious, Captain, but look at the pain magnification. It jumps up to over a hundred. No wonder the poor devil went mad.”

“Do you think that’s what happened to Ualan?” Taog asked.

“My hunch is yes, Captain.”

“I need to know what’s going on inside, Damon,” the captain said.

“I do, too, but don’t get your hopes up that I’ll be able to do anything.” He stared directly at Hera.

Her hopes died.

“I think this is going to be beyond my ability.”

The captain gripped Tryker’s shoulder. “Do what you can.” He released him. “I’ll be on the bridge.”

“I’ll prepare him for surgery. I’ll let you know what I find.”

“Doctor, can I stay with him awhile?”

“It will take me a few minutes, but then you’ll have to wait outside.”

“Of course.” Hera moved along Damon’s bedside and cradled his twitching hand in hers. He moaned softly. She gently released his hand, afraid she might have hurt him. His brow was thick with sweat. She picked up a towel and gently dabbed his hot skin. He stopped moaning, and the tension in his stricken face lessened.

“The doctor’s going to help you, Damon,” she said, as if he could hear her. “You’ll be well soon and will be able to save your queen.”

Then you can take me home.

She uttered this last part silently to herself. He didn’t need to be chided for kidnapping her and needing to mate with her, despite being in love with another woman. She might not be a queen, but she had no intention of playing second fiddle.

His hand flinched. She squeezed it gingerly. “Rest, Damon. You need to relax.”

“What are you doing?”

She jumped at Tryker’s harsh voice.

“He was sweating and looked uncomfortable, so I wiped his brow.”

“For a minute there, the pain indicator had fallen. I need to know what else you did.” He ran over to the other side of Damon’s bed and checked his vital signs.

“I, uh, was holding his hand and talking to him.”

He looked up at the monitor. “Touch him again.”

Hera hesitated.

“Now!”

His golden eyes burned fierce, and his deep scowl made her toes curl. She reluctantly did as she was told, afraid of what might happen.

“Amazing,” he said. “When you touch him, the pain indicator goes down, while my sedatives barely made a dip.”

She blinked. “Really? Why?”

“I don’t know, but it might be because you’re his designated mate. Somehow, your touch has the power to ease whatever’s inside him.”

“How?”

“Do you possess any abilities?”

She laughed. “No, not unless determination to survive is an ability.”

“You must have something.”

“Well, I don’t.” Hera avoided his intense look and thought about what happened on the bridge with Ualan’s ship, but that had been a coincidence. She’d never done anything like that. If she possessed a power, it should have revealed itself in the last three months–especially after Desmond and his thugs had attacked her.

Two more men came into the room, dressed like Tryker in blue shirts and pants. Zalarains had very similar patterns to humans, which is probably why they were seeking human women to repopulate their race.

“Think, Hera. Damon’s life could depend on it.”

Her breath quickened at the thought, and her hands turned clammy. She shook her head. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m nothing special. Just a struggling waitress, trying to survive.”

She hurried for the door, but Tryker grabbed her arm.

“Hera, I’m sorry. I have to operate to see if there is anything to do.” He sighed. “I just want to help him. If you think of anything, will you tell me? It could mean the difference between life and death.”

“I will.” She hesitated. She stuck out her thumb. “I’ll just wait outside.”

She hurried out of sickbay. There was no place to sit, but she didn’t want to leave. Despite him kidnapping her, she needed to know that Damon was going to be okay. The halls were empty, and she decided to sit on the floor opposite the sickbay door. Now, there was nothing to do but wait.

A couple of crewmen passed her in the hallway and acknowledged her, but none stopped and talked with her. She glanced at her watch. It had been over an hour, and there was no word. Even back on Earth, surgeries could go on for hours, so why would this be any different?

Her legs cramped. She slowly got off the floor and paced back and forth, wishing Tryker would come out and give her an update, but no such luck.

She turned around, and Anonghos headed toward her.

“Any word yet?” he asked.

“No. Nothing. Is this normal for your species?”

He raised his eyebrow. “Species?”

“Great balls of fire, you’re not from Earth.”

“And you’re not from Zalara, but species wouldn’t be the word I would use to describe you. Maybe Amazon, beauty, or sexy, but definitely not species.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. Heat washed over her. She didn’t believe him since she wasn’t looking her best in jeans and a sweater. But then, according to Damon, they’d been without females for a long time. So far, they’d not acted like a bunch of horny escaped convicts and took turns raping her.

“Would you like to get something to eat? I fear Tryker will be in there for some time.”

She bit her lip. Her stomach growled in eager anticipation, but she wasn’t sure she should leave. “I don’t know if I should go.”

“Tryker will notify us. You look a little pale and won’t be much good to Damon if you pass out from hunger and thirst.” He stretched out his arm. “We will be back in less than one of your Earth hours.”

Her stomach released another angry growl. She’d only taken one bite of her hamburger earlier when Taog had sounded the red alert. She’d been too nervous, worrying about Damon and the others when they left to investigate Zalara, to think about eating.

“Okay, but if Tryker calls…”

“I promise we will return. You’re not the only one worried about him. He’s my best friend.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Of course.”

They walked in silence to the lounge. A couple of crewmen were there and murmured greetings to Anonghos. Some of them gave her curious glances, as if she wasn’t supposed to be with him.

“What would you like to eat?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you have?”

“The food synthesizer is designed to make food for any species except for Kamtrinians.”

“Why not the Kamtrinians?”

“They find humanoids a delicacy.”

She shuddered. “How horrible.”

“The Kamtrinians will not be happy until we are all wiped out. The Confederation is the only thing that stands in their way.”

“Do they only eat humanoids?”

“No. I think they do it just to terrify us.”

“It’s working.” She rubbed her hands over the goose bumps breaking out on her trembling arms.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, Hera, but I think you need to know about the enemy.”

“I think I’m losing my appetite. I should go back and wait for Tryker.”

“No, you need to eat.” He cast his gaze over her. “How about I order your favorite comfort food?”

She grinned. “I bet you can’t guess.”

“Try me.” He pushed several buttons on the wall that had magically appeared. A small door opened, and a tray popped open with the most delicious smelling creamy macaroni and cheese.

“Was I right?”

Her eyes widened. “Great horny toads, how did you know?”

He laughed. “I can’t lie. I put your profile in the database, and it popped out the information.”

“You have a database on me?”

He hit some more buttons, and another small door opened, but this time, it looked like steak and potatoes except the potatoes were bright purple. “Not just you, but all the people on Earth. It’s the way the Confederation can keep track of people to make sure that they don’t fall into enemy hands.”

She put her hand over her tightened chest. “You mean the Kamtrinians have been on Earth?”

“Unfortunately, yes, but it was hundreds of years ago. They landed on an island and took all the inhabitants prisoner, and they were never seen again. It was before your country’s revolution.”

She took the tray and followed Anonghos to a table for two. She’d heard of this. It was a legend. “You mean the Roanoke Colony, don’t you?”

“Yes, I think that’s what it was called. Padean would know for sure. The Confederation wasn’t able to get there in time to save them.”

“What did the Confederation do?”

“We have been guarding your planet since then, and no Kamtrinian has been allowed to harm one hair on a human’s head.”

“You’re very loyal.”

“We took an oath to the Confederation. We live and die by it.”

She stirred her steamy macaroni. “I can see that. You remind me of the medieval knights that fought for chivalry and honor.”

“Try it,” he urged as he cut his steak.

She took a bite. The creamiest, cheesiest macaroni slid down her throat. Her rumbling stomach screamed for more. She ate three more big bites, then Anonghos’s teleicator buzzed.

“Anonghos,” he answered.

“This is Tryker. Is Damon’s mate with you?”

Hera dropped her spoon as guilt lumped in her throat.

“Yes, why?”

“Get her down here immediately.”

Hera jumped out of her seat and raced to sickbay, her heart pounding against her ribs like an out of control jackhammer. Tryker was waiting for her. Anonghos was right behind her, his hot breath on the back of her neck.

“Hurry, you need to touch him.”

She skidded to stop, gasping for breath. “What?”

“Tryker, what the devil are you talking about?”

“Watch!” Tryker grabbed Hera’s hand and hauled her into sickbay with Anonghos trailing behind her.

“Tryker, it was a coincidence!” She struggled to pull her hand back but nearly fell over when she reached Damon’s bed.

The same men who had walked in wearing the blue shirts stood back, concern and frustration filling their eyes. Spatters of blood were on their shirts.

Damon lay on his stomach, and although restrained, he was twisting and turning as if trying to break free. His back was cut open, and blood trickled down his side.

“I can’t close him. None of the sedatives are working,” Tryker said. “Touch him!”

Hera couldn’t move.

“Hera!” Anonghos yelled. “Touch him, or he’ll die.”

Blood leaked into a pool around his back, but it was the thing inside him that turned her stomach into a bubbling cauldron. The thing looked like a skinny octopus with a million legs that wound all through Damon’s body.

“What’s inside him?” She asked.

“It’s some kind of creature.” Tryker shook his head. “It’s so intertwined within him that it’s impossible to cut it out away.”

His arms and legs wiggled violently, pulling against the straps. Ignoring the terror pinching off her air and the tears blurring her eyes, she forced her shaking hand to move and touched the back of Damon’s calf.

He hissed, but the violent convulsions lessened, and he trembled as if he were cold.

“Don’t let go,” Tryker warned, as he hurried to the side of his bed. The other two men followed suit.

Hera refused to let go and waited for them to surgically remove the thing inside him, but they started to close him up.

“Great balls of fire, what are you doing?” She gasped. “You haven’t removed it.”

Tryker jerked his head. “Don’t you think I know that? The thing is wound around every major organ, nerve, and vein. It’s so intricate if I remove it, I’ll certainly either kill or maim Damon for life. Is that what you want?”

She cowed back, but still hung on to Damon. “No, but what do we do?”

“Hell if I know,” Tryker grumbled.

He and the two men quickly sewed Damon back together. Long, thick stitches marred Damon’s flesh. This time, Tryker brought her a chair. She held on to Damon’s cold hand as he lay twitching from pain.

A few minutes later, Anonghos came in with her yummy macaroni and cheese.

“I heated it up for you.” He glanced at Damon. “Thanks for trying to help him. He’s like a brother to me.”

His voice surprisingly choked. He turned on his heels and quickly exited the room.

She stared at her bowl. Hunger was the last thing on her mind. The Zalarians were all depending on her to save Damon, but his face was so pale, and he kept moaning in agony. Tryker had given him another sedative, but it didn’t seem to be working. He swore her touch was more effective than any sedative he possessed. They were all banking their buck on a nag. What would happen if he died?

Nevertheless, she had to try and save him. She held on to his hand, then on impulse, she lifted it to her lips and kissed his white knuckles. Unfortunately, nothing happened. This was ridiculous. Great Zeus, despite what happened on the bridge, she didn’t possess an ounce of healing power.