Myka lay on his back on the bench, patiently—or more accurately, impatiently—waiting.

He’d already counted the air vent holes in the ceiling—twice. Now there was nothing to do but wait for the protocol to be followed so he’d be sprung.

The click of steps outside the door put him on alert, and he remained still when the large metal door retracted into the wall.

Myka barely breathed.

“Your dinner.” Tink, a third-class Protector, announced.

A metal tray with a mixture of greens was slid onto the small table, if you could call the steel jutting out from the wall a table.

Myka swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Take it away. I don’t want it.”

Tink hesitated. “It’s hijiki.”

Seaweed salad was his favorite, and the smell made his stomach growl, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted, not when his mate was being held captive.

“I don’t want it.”

Tink shrugged and reached for the tray. Myka eased the glass knife, undetectable by the scanners, from under the bed and placed the tip below Tink’s gills. “Don’t move.” Myka reached for Tink’s com and security pass. “Have a seat.”

Tink reluctantly did what he asked, a jab to the ribs hastening his cooperation. Myka then backed to the door. “Have a nice dinner. And Tink? Think about returning to your unit. You need more training.”

Myka closed the door, locking the junior Protector in.

He crept along the corridor, staying close to the wall. In the middle of the section, he grabbed one of the ladder rungs and climbed into the ship’s ventilation system.

There was one thing about boredom. A soldier found all sorts of creative ways to keep his body fit and his mind occupied when in the middle of nowhere. Maneuvering through the interior of the ship without being seen was one of them.

He crawled along the shaft and weaved his way up to the science level. In the ducts above the bio-lab, he hesitated. He couldn’t see inside the lab, nor could he hear over extraction vents.

Raine was close. He could sense her presence. But he wouldn’t put her at risk. He crawled to the next vent and removed the cover to drop into the storage room, landing in a crouched position.

A gasp of surprise made him grab for his knife. “Raine?” he whispered, his eyes still adjusting.

“Myka.”

Joy eased back his urgency. “I see you’ve been practicing my name.” He extended a hand to help her to her feet, needing to feel her skin against his. “I thought you couldn’t manipulate electronics. How did you escape?”

“I can’t, but the twins sent along a surprise.” A mouse’s head popped out of her shirt pocket, then disappeared back inside.

“I see.” His chuckle sounded more like a sign of relief. “We need to get you on a transport ship and back home.” He grabbed her hand, intending to help her up, but she twisted out of his grasp.

“I’m not leaving until Beck is healed.” She shifted her son in her arms. “Tila says his blood is too tainted, but she had an idea and went to test a blood sample. I’m not sure I know what she’s planning. Do you?”

Images of the massive bio-containers filled with thousands of vials surfaced. For months he’d monitored people coming and going from the lab. Too bad the lab had its own contained ventilation system. Otherwise he would have taken a peek inside.

“I’m guessing Fathom has been experimenting on different species, trying to figure out why our race is not producing females, and why, when born, the girl has a high probability of being either defective or incapable of long-term regeneration.”

“The cause may have something to do with the genomes.”

His forehead wrinkled. “Those little guys running around your garden?”

She huffed a chuckle devoid of humor. “Those are gnomes. I’m talking about genetics and genes and molecular structures which determine whether we are female or male.”

“Ohhhh.”

“You don’t have a clue what I’m talking, about do you?”

“Not really.” Maybe he shouldn’t have ditched his mother’s science lessons.

Raine rubbed her head. “As far as I can tell, the rejuvenation pods work on the molecular base structure of blood cells collected when you were a child. The machines synthesize the regeneration of those cells, replacing the older cells throughout the body. Based on the type of machine, a person can rejuvenate and do a partial cell replacement, sort of like a face-lift, or do a regeneration, which is a full-body overhaul. If I’m right, even if Beck’s cells are damaged, if his cells are replaced with healthy cells, he will live. The challenge is finding compatible cells.”

Myka tried to remember if he’d seen any vials of red blood, versus the more purple tones of his race.

Raine tapped on his arm. “Time is running out.”

“I know. I’m thinking.”

“What if we use your blood? You’re male. Our patterns match. And you said both our species originated from the same lineage.”

“I’m glad you noticed I’m male,” he sensed her blush, followed closely by irritation, “but there are differences. I have a second set of lungs, for one.”

“Lungs you don’t use. So what?” She shrugged. “If he grows an extra set of lungs, that might not be the end of the world.”

He slid his glass knife into the sheath in his suit and clasped her hand to feel the connection. All the things that had been known to go wrong with regeneration swirled through his head. The mangled bodies, the odd growths, even suffocation. He studied the determination on her face. Her son was dying, and there were few options. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure if we do nothing, Beck will die.”

Myka nodded. “Then I will be the donor. There’s only one more hurdle.”

“I was hoping you’d volunteer. What’s the last hurdle?” The exasperation in her voice almost curled his toes.

“I don’t know how to program the pods. We need to convince someone to help us.”

“What about—”

The storage room door opened and the light flipped on. “Come on, you two. I’ve got the room set up.” Tila glanced over her shoulder toward the hall, then waved at them to follow.

“How did you know we were here?” Raine asked as Myka lifted Beck from her arms.

“A tracker.” She retrieved a small, round disc from Beck’s pocket. “I figured if you got free you wouldn’t leave without healing your son first. And Myka wouldn’t leave without you. The probability of you three eventually ending up in the same place was pretty high.”

“She has a point.” Myka shrugged.

Raine put a hand on Myka’s arm to stall him and turned back to Tila. “What’s in this for you?”

“Proof that my scientific theory is accurate.”

She studied the woman for a long time, then surrendered a breath. “What choice do I have? Lead the way.”

Tila stepped into the hall. “All clear.” She waved them past her, then closed the door. “Third door on the left.”

He raced down the hall, entered the rejuvenation suite, and lowered Beck into the medical structure. The room was round, the ambient light a pale blue, while gauges and monitors glowed softly from stainless steel walls.

Tila stopped by the nearest control panel, pressed a few buttons, and waited for the unit’s lid to close.

Myka keyed in a lock command and waited until the door lock turned red. “We don’t have much time. If the bridge is paying attention, someone will know this door has been locked and send security.”

Raine pressed her fingers to the glass lid of the pod. “How will we make this work?”

“I’ve found a sample of human blood that might work.” Tila held up a vial. But she didn’t appear convinced. “But it’s only a sample. I’m not sure there’s enough to triangulate the cell structure.”

Raine placed her hand on Myka’s forearm, but she remained silent. She was giving him a choice.

“Tila.” Myka waited until he had her attention. “You’ve been doing this type of research for a long time. I’ve been through your research records. This ship has been harvesting humans for test subjects and experiments for years. Can we use my blood?”

If Tila was upset that he’d seen her secure research files, the shock didn’t show. “Based on my research, I believe your blood will work, but you should know we haven’t run a full test. Your blood would be the best match, especially because your patterns match your mate’s and the boy is her offspring.” She shrugged. “The probability is better than we could normally hope for, but we don’t have your adolescent structure on board to pull a sample.”

“I just rejuvenated a couple of years ago. I’m young and healthy.”

“Based on tests, the regeneration has a high probability of working, but there are always risks.”

He turned to Raine, but no words were needed. He’d already sensed she’d given him her approval. “Let’s do this.”

Tila nodded. “Good. I’ll need to go next door to get the equipment necessary to collect your blood.”

“We don’t have time.” In one swift move, Myka pulled out his knife and cut across his palm, then fisted his hand. “Where?”

Tila slid back the lid on the computerized panel and lifted a glass box with a funnel on top. “Here.”

He placed his hand over the funnel to let the blood flow into the receptacle. When enough had been collected, Tila handed him a rag to stop the bleeding. He stepped away to allow Tila to start the sequence.

Blood mist filled the container and surrounded Raine’s son.

Raine rushed to the pod, pushing at the glass. “Why is it blue? The one on your ship was white.”

“The white mist contains oxygen and nutrients. This system contains the same, plus microbots programmed to seek and convert the biological structure at the molecular level. The blue you see is the reflection of millions of bots.”

“Bots…as in computers?” His mate was probably trying to be polite, but her skepticism was clear.

“Yes. Once the bots have completed their purpose, the units will enter the body’s natural waste system and be flushed away over the next few days.”

Myka reached for Raine. “Now you, my love.”

Raine’s eyes widened. “You knew I was sick. Is this the true reason you wanted to mate?”

“Why do you continue to question our mating?” He forced the aggravated feeling to settle. Smoothing his knuckles down her face, he said, “Don’t you know by now that you are what completes me? You are the land my water rushes to seek. You are my beloved. Sick or not, I would have wanted you for my own.”

The fear in her eyes softened, and she merged into his waiting arms and allowed him behind her shields, finally sharing her closely-held vulnerabilities.

He kissed the top of her head. “I couldn’t let you or your son die. I would rather have stopped breathing.”

She leaned her head back. “But Beck’s process won’t work for me.” She pointed at the machine. “My blood is a female construct. I won’t be able to accept your blood.”

Tila nodded, a smile forming. “Exactly. When you were asleep, I took a sample of your blood to isolate your healthy cells.” She retrieved a vial from her pocket. “You only need rejuvenation, and this should be enough to complete your process.”

“I’ll wait. I want to be here when my son wakes up.”

Tila moved closer to her. “If security manages to get through that door, we will be prevented from completing this experiment.”

“It is an experiment.” Raine studied her son’s unmoving body.

Myka picked up her hand and brought her fingers to her lips. “Be brave, my little rain cloud, so full of doubt. Do this for me. Please.”

“For you, and for my son.”

Raine hopped up on the table and reached into her pocket, then opened her hand. “Would you watch Mr. Weebles for me? I don’t think he should come along for this ride.”

Myka placed his hand on hers, and the white mouse ran up his sleeve and nestled into the back of his collar. The cold little paws felt odd against his skin, but he was too distracted to care. “I’ll see you soon, my beloved.”

“Soon.” She lay flat, then extended her arm toward him. “Promise me, if this regeneration fails, you’ll protect my son.”

“I will protect you both, my love. I will not abandon you.”

She clasped her hands over her stomach, and he closed the lid, kissing his fingers and placing his hand on the glass pod. She put her hand on the opposite side of the glass.

Visions of his mother lying in her casket formed.

No. Raine will not die.

She can’t die.

I need her.

The hum of the machine made him hold his breath. He needed reassurances, and sought Tila.

His friend nodded. A soft, gentle smile flickered across her face. “This will work. You’ll see.”

He went over to place a hand on Beck’s pod. Minutes passed before color returned to the boy’s pale cheeks. Myka centered the bio-unit over the center of his wound and closed the cut, sensing there was no longer a need for his blood.

“What’s the meaning of this?” a loud voice boomed into the room.

Gabrielle shoved through the manually opened door and stormed into the lab. She approached the rejuvenation pods with clear intent.

“Don’t touch those panels, Mother,” Tila warned, and raised her arm. “This weapon is set to destroy, Mother. Do not tempt me.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed.

“Trust me, I would. I’m tired of being your puppet and experiment.”

“I saved your life, you ungrateful child.”

“You made me a freak so no one would want me, and I’d be condemned to hide myself in a lab for the rest of my life. Look at me. Who would want to mate with me?”

Gabrielle gestured toward the closest guard. “Shoot her and dispose of these things.” She pointed at Raine and Beck. “They are contaminating my lab.”

Myka stepped in front of Tila. “That won’t be necessary.” He activated his shields.

If Tila shot the lead scientist, in spite of being Tila’s mother, the woman would sentence his friend to jail or death. The consequences for Tila, as well as his race, would be intolerable. “No one will shoot or dispose of anyone.”

“Get out of my way, Myka,” Tila demanded.

“There are better ways to resolve this. Everyone put down your weapons.”

“Yeah?” Tila demanded. “Like how?”

A startled hiss from Gabrielle made Myka smile. “Like that.”

Myka turned in time to see the final leaves of the seahorse ferns wrap around the two guards. He extended a hand to Raine to help her out of the rejuvenation machine.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“I will when I know my son is okay,” she held up the remainder of the tiny seeds. “Is using these seeds what you had in mind when you gifted them to me?”

“No. I thought they might bring you comfort.” He shook his head with a grin. “Though in a way I guess they did.”

Tila tapped the control panel and studied the green and blue status bars. “The process seems to be working. The affected cells are converting.” Her smile doubled to light her eyes. “Another few minutes and the cycle should be complete.”

“I didn’t expect my process to end this quickly.”

“You had fewer cells to repair.” Tila glanced over her shoulder. “What do you want to do with them?”

The three continued to struggle with their vines, but, as he knew from experience, they weren’t going anywhere.

“Release them.”

Both Tila and Raine assessed him, concern written on their faces.

He took Raine’s hand and kissed her palm. “You still need to get home safely. If we attempt to leave now, without clearance, the transport will be shot down. If we do escape, you'll be hunted. A life on the run is no way to live.”

“Since I’ve spent the past several years looking over my shoulder, waiting for Beck’s father to appear, I have to agree. It’s no way to live.” Raine studied him. “I suspect, based on the look on your face, that you have a plan. How do we get off this ship?” Her whispered question had a dose of trust added in. He loved the fact she finally felt secure in his presence.

“You will never get off this ship.” Gabrielle managed to say through the thick vines. “And when I’m through with all of you, you will never see the light of day again.”

Myka released Raine’s hand to plant himself in front of the chief scientist. “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.” He stepped a bit closer to invade Gabrielle's personal space and watch her squirm. “Because if Raine and her son are not returned to the planet unharmed, there’s a Space Ranger armed with proof of your experimentation on humans, which is in direct violation of interplanetary laws. There’s enough information to charge both you and the commander, and send the two of you to Alcon.”

“Alcon?” Gabrielle's eyes flared with a hint of fear. “You’re bluffing. You don’t have any proof.”

“You want to take that bet?”

“I’ll take that bet.” A deep voice came from the doorway almost at the same moment the beep warning his shields were down reached his ears. A second later, a flash of light hit Myka’s chest. The electric shock jerked his body sideways.

His muscles clenched.

He fought to control his limbs, but his muscles had stopped working, and he crumpled to the floor.

“Raine,” he uttered as his world went black.

Fury fueled the warrior Amazon urge careening through Raine’s soul when the commander pointed his weapon at Beck.

How dare you threaten my son and my mate?

How dare he believe humans were nothing more than chattel?

Her powers burst free, and she hurled her internal energy toward the threat.

At their peak, she lost control of her powers and screamed her rage.

The electronics on the panel beside her exploded into showers of sparks, but she had a job to finish, and she wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

She doubled the output until she staggered with near exhaustion and the flow of energy slowed to a trickle.

Silence descended. The circle of destruction outside the sphere she’d erected around Myka, Tila, and her son was complete. Burned bodies lay scattered across the room.

She dropped to her knees. “Myka? Can you hear me?” She shook him. “Myka. Don’t you dare leave me. You promised.”

She collapsed on top of him, her mind drifting toward her inner light.

“Myka…” The last thread of energy she had disappeared.