The Alien Commander's Surrogate

Episode Thirty-Five

Salex

Her weight was nothing in my arms. I stormed down the halls of the ship, my eyes firmly locked on my next step.

"Salex?" Her voice was shaking. Or maybe that was my grip on her making her voice quiver. Either way, I didn't dare look down at her. I would father, seeing the fear on her face, knowing I hadn't protected her.

A good mate would've noticed.

A good mate would've been there.

Hell even a good male would've noticed something was off with her. And as mad as I was Ghantlan for keeping the sleeping potion unmarked, it was still my fault. She was under my protection and I had failed.

"Almost there," I muttered, half to myself, half to the woman in my arms.

"Almost where?" Hillary responded, her voice breathless. "The medical bay is in the other wing."

"We're going straight to the source."

Hillary sagged a little, her face pressing against my chest a moment later. "I'm sorry."

I lifted her higher, until I could press my forehead against hers. "You have nothing to be sorry for, little one. I'll take care of you."

I stopped fast, my boot toe kicking at the door in front of us. After a shouted curse from the other side, the door whooshed open and I was staring at the confused face of my chief medical officer. "Commander?"

I pushed past him into his suite of rooms. Before the ship had acquired it's full medical facilities, the chief medical officer used to care for patients

"Come in," Lylta said, a touch of sarcasm in his words. I stride to the back of his suite, finding the now abandoned medical chamber there and turning on the light.

"She ingested a large about of sleeping potion."

Lylta approached quickly, his eyes roving over Hillary's form as she braced her body against the bed there. "How much?"

"Enough," I grunted, my fingers flicking my communicator to life.

SALEX: Ghantlan come to Lylta's private chambers immediately

GHANTLAN: Is she okay?"

SALEX: She drank your sleeping potion

GHANTLAN: Fuck.

SALEX: I need to know exactly what concentration and how much of it was left.

GHANTLAN: I will send over immediately

Forcing my eyes back to Hillary's prone form, I found myself leaning over her, seeking her hand with my own.

"Ghantlan is looking into how much He'll know immediately."

Lylta nodded, moving to my side. I can feel his calm gold eyes on my skin now, noting the way I'm holding her. I gritted my teeth. I was past the point of caring what he thought about me or my relationship with her.

"Help her."

Lylta nodded, pressing a variety of buttons on the side of the medical bay and with a soft hiss, the bed lit up, scanning Hillary's body for any toxins or issues.

"She needs to sleep," Lylta said, noting the results as they appeared, line after line after fucking line on his glowing tablet.

"What does that mean?" Hillary's grip on me increases and so doesn't my hearts' rate.

Lylta finished reading and looked up. "It means that you took an extraordinarily large dose of sleeping position that's meant to put you to sleep. I'm not sure why you were able to resist it for such a long time, but, to use the human jargon, you really need to sleep it off."

HIllary's form sagged into the bed, but I remained stiff and anxious. "Will she be fine then?"

"Completely, once she sleeps and lets it get out of her system." Lylta stifled a yawn, the pompous attitude that he was known for creeping back in. "Your youngling and your surrogate are fine, Commander. Can you please leave so I can also get some sleep?"

In any other moment, I would've snarled, maybe even grabbed that yawning chin of his and hurled him across the room for his subordination. But...I can't. Not when joy and relief and something else foreign are pounding through my bloodstream. "Fuck," I mouth, leaning over her once more. I heard Lylta shuffle back towards the direction of his bedroom. "You scared me little one."

I pressed a hand to her belly, but kept my eyes on hers. I wanted her to understand that I had been scared for her, for the both of them yes, but her. At my core, my entire body had been ready to tear this ship to pieces, to do whatever necessary to make sure she would be alright

"I'm sorry," Hillary whispered and the lips I'd been kissing just a few hours ago quivered as a tear slipped out of her eyes, racing down her face to disappear into her dark hair. "I really am."

My claw followed the tear, wiping it away as if I could damn it's very existence. "You owe me no apologies." Unable to stop myself I pressed my forehead against hers, uncaring at the unprofessional posture as I curled myself around the bed. "But I do think some changes are in order."

"Changes?" My stalis unbraid and brush themselves across her body. She's cold, frightened and getting very, very sleepy. We need to move. Without answering her, I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up once more.

"Yes, changes." The door whooshes open for me in a soft gasp. Then closes behind, leaving Lylta to his sleep.

Hillary's head is bobbing on my shoulder. Good, she's finally giving into the potion. Not that it changes my mind that she's barely awake. I'd done everything and anything to keep her away from me, and look what I'd nearly done.

My stomach turned briefly before I stepped out into the halls. "You're staying with me from now on."
Hillary turned her nose against my chest as I feel her heartbeat slowing. My stalis wrap around her arms, monitoring her as she began to drift into sleep. "Thank you, Salex."

"Anything for you, little one. Fucking anything."