Chapter 142: Woefully Inadequate
"Can you remind me what we are doing on this fucking ice planet?" I grumbled, keeping my poor nose in Midnight’s warm neck.
"We are looking for a particular herb," said Midnight, completely nonchalant about the whole thing. "I still can’t believe your ship sent you down here."
"Not the first time," I said with a shrug. I also knew through experience that once I got used to the cold again, I would be just fine. It was just a matter of getting used to it. "Last time, it was to get those snake things for you, remember?" I continued, sticking out my tongue and accidentally licking him on the cheek.
He let out a low purr before quickly clearing his throat. "I swear to go, you attract death like nothing I have ever seen before. It is no wonder the Ethawainians needed multiple mates; it would be the only way to ensure your survival. And offspring? Yeah, it will take a whole army to keep you safe," he growled.
"I don’t know if that is a compliment or not," I said, and I could feel my brain start to slow down. Great, now I was going to be like Pippa. "I am going to go to sleep for a while," I continued, not bothering to hold back my yawn. "Might have hypothermia..." I continued as I started to slur my words. "Need sssshelter..."
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Midnight held his mate in his arms as he frantically tried to find some type of shelter to build a fire. He could hear her heartbeat slowing along with her breathing.
"Jun Li," he growled, but there was no response. The AI had mentioned that there was a solar storm on the planet and that communications might be interrupted, but this was absolutely ridiculous.
Turning around so that his back was to the wind, offering the female a bit more protection, he picked up his pace so that he was practically sprinting over the land and back to the X94 shuttle that they came down in. "Just a little longer, Sweetheart," he growled in her ear, and he heard an answering groan.
Good, she was still responding.
Making it back to the ship in half the time, he quickly used her hand to open the ramp, cursing when the ship made him take off her glove to get a better reading. Her hand quickly turned red from the cold air, and Midnight shoved it between their bodies to try and get some heat back into it.
Rushing up the ramp, he almost ran straight into two Saalistaja males standing inside of her shuttle.
Dropping down into a crouch so his mate was completely hidden in his bulk, he let out a low, threatening growl. The two males spun around, their wrist blades unsheathed. Midnight felt a moment of panic, not knowing what to do. If it was a matter of a one-on-one battle, he knew that he would stand a chance. However, that was not the case. There were two of them, and he had an injured mate in his arms.
He briefly considered heading back into the freezing wasteland, but that would be a death sentence for the female.
"What the fuck is going on?" clicked one of the males in irritation. "Let me see her."
Midnight froze as he looked from one male to the other. "The fur merchant," he growled, looking at the second male, the one that had remained silent up until now.
"What has happened? You have only been gone a matter of 30 chwila," said the merchant, and Midnight’s suspicion proved to be accurate.
"You have been chosen," he growled, standing up and looking at the male, who was visibly larger than the first time he saw him.
"We both have," agreed the first male, and he held his arms out toward Mei Xing. "Let me see her," he said again, and Midnight could hear the clicking of his mandibles, signifying his irritation.
"No," replied the Njeriuujkian, holding his mate closer to his chest. "She is frozen and needs to warm up. My body is better suited to that than yours," he pointed out.
Au’dtair grumbled under his breath as he spun around and went to go find the furs that he had hidden on the ship. There was not much time to plan for this excursion, the ship dumping her planet side less than a catawr after informing her of her destination. However, he did make sure to include all of her furs.
Pulling them out, he recreated her nest just as he had seen her do it.
"Can’t connect to anyone," said Ye’tab as he lowered his wrist unit. "And I have no idea how to care for one of her species."
"We are going to have to rectify that," grumbled Midnight. Since discovering how delicate his mate really was, his heart had yet to slow down. "Her species is woefully inadequate at keeping itself protected."
"So, sssorry," said the woefully inadequate species as she turned her head and looked at the Saalistaja males in front of her. Before she could say anything else, she promptly fell back asleep.
"At least that is a good sign," breathed Ye’tab as he approached his mate. Running his wrist unit over her, he scanned her vitals. "Her body temperature is significantly lower than the last time I scanned her," announced Ye’tab. "But heart rate and breathing are within normal range."
"Her nest is done," said Au’dtair, coming back from the front of the ship. He had moved the conference table and chairs to the side and made the nest there, just behind the captain’s chair.
"Thanks," grunted Midnight as he pulled their mate from where she was clinging to him. Lying her down, he quickly took off her fur jacket, the pants she called ’snow pants,’ as well as her hat, mitts, and boots. He held her feet in his hands, surprised at how cold they were, even with all of the layers she was wearing.
"Why didn’t she engage her armor?" asked Ye’tab, once again scanning his mate now that she was lying down and away from the other male. Midnight paused and looked at the Saalistaja.
"Because her ship was concerned that there would be Saalistaja on the planet. Apparently, your kind is hunting her for stealing your technology," sneered Midnight, not impressed. If wearing her armor would have prevented all this, then why the sweet Lady Moon was she hesitant?
