“And speaking of…” Syn handed Devyn back to Shahara. “I need to borrow our lovely new friend and remove her tracker before it’s turned back on.”

Darice stepped forward like a respectful guard. “Do you need me to go with you, Sumi?”

She hugged him. “I’ll be fine, sweetie. Thank you for offering, though. It means a lot to me to have such a fierce and noble protector.”

When she started to release him, he held on to her. “Kimi asyado.”

She glanced to Thia for the translation, but it was Fain who explained it. “He says that he loves you tremendously.”

Sumi tightened her arms around him. “I love you, too, baby.” She placed a kiss on his cheek. When she pulled back, she saw the tears in his eyes.

“I’m an adult male now, Sumi. Not a baby.”

“Yes, you are, Darice. And you’re a strong, beautiful male. You honor your ancestors and all of Andaria.”

Darice smiled happily.

“Damn,” Darling breathed as he joined them. “Whatever she has, we need to bottle it in droves.”

Nykyrian scowled at him. “What are you talking about?”

“First Hauk, now Darice. I’ve never seen anyone tame so many rowdy Andarions with nothing more than a smile. Just think, if we had that, we could rule them all.”

Nykyrian pinned him with a wry stare. “I already rule them all.”

“Oh yeah, there is that.”

Syn gave his son one last squeeze before he turned to Sumi. “Come on, let’s get you deactivated.” He led her toward the infirmary.

Sumi hesitated. “Can I see Dancer before we do this?”

“Sure.” He took her to a small room where Dancer was hooked up to several monitors.

Her heart wrenched at the sight of him like that. He was so strong and vibrant that, like his friends, it was easy for her to forget that he was a mortal being who could be brought down by something as simple as a well-placed small shot or infection. “Is he all right?”

“The compound they used to stun him isn’t playing well with his system. He had something similar to an allergic reaction to it – which is more serious for an Andarion than a human. But he’ll pull through. I’m only keeping him unconscious because I know he won’t stay down if he’s awake. The bastard thinks he’s invincible.”

He was right about that. “Andarion TAM.”

Syn laughed. “He told you, huh?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Well maybe now that he has you, he’ll be less suicidal.”

“Meaning?”

Syn pinned her with a grim expression. “Instead of having something to live for, he now has someone to live for.”

Sumi wasn’t sure of the difference. From what she’d seen, Dancer had lots of people he lived for already. “I still don’t follow.”