Styx nodded his head and looked at Cormac. “Fuck, brother. You had me worried.” He moved forward and grabbed Cormac—gore and all—in a tight embrace. “By the gods, it’s good to see you.”

Cormac looked dazed. Surprised? I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on in his head. I decided I’d ask him later.

Blade stepped forward to introduce himself. He was like a mythical being, oddly beautiful with gray eyes that looked like polished steel. He turned back and yelled over his shoulder. “All right, Harper. It’s safe.”

And there in the doorway was a woman. From Earth. Just like me. Blonde. She was a lot taller than me and a lot curvier, and she had green eyes instead of blue, but the mere sight of her made me tear up. She ran toward me and hugged me like we had been best friends for years and years.

“Oh my god! Another Earth girl! Ivy is going to be so excited.”

“Who’s Ivy?”

“Now there will be three of us! And you’re my sister! Well, sister-in-law, but that’s sisters, right?” She squeezed me until I couldn’t breathe, then let go just as abruptly. “Okay. Where is he?” She turned to me with a quick explanation. “I was a nurse back home. Now I’m one of the legion’s experts with these bad boys.” She waved a larger green wand than the one I’d been using. That one would heal a larger area much faster.

Thank god, because Ruk did not look good. At all. And his chest was rattling with every breath as if he had fluid—or blood—in his lungs.

Harper zeroed in on him at once and dropped to her knees. Her quick, efficient inspection of his body left me absolutely convinced she’d told the truth. Medical personnel had an almost brutal way of looking at things like Ruk’s wounds. She tried to get him to speak, looked in his eyes and pressed on his body in multiple places as we all watched in silence.

“What the hell did you do to yourself?” Her whispered question was full of worry, which made me nervous. She looked at her mates. “He needs a ReGen pod. I can keep him breathing, but I can’t save him. Not with this.” She lifted the large green device to show her mates and then turned back to her patient. “Is there a pod on this ship?”

“No.” Enzo walked into the space and the cargo area—full of five standing alien warriors—suddenly felt like a coat closet. “We have completed our inspection. The ship is in excellent condition, but there is no medical station.”

Styx frowned. “Of course not. Their fighters are expendable. They will just make more. Fucking bastards.”

“Well, we need to find one, or he’s going to die,” Harper insisted.