Van sat in a chair next to Sasha's bed, watching her closely as she slept. They had given her a strong tranquilizer that ensured she didn't wake until they wanted her to. It was a precaution due to the events that she had participated in earlier. Technically, she was an enemy, yet she was now his mate.

Van watched as one of the many medics in the med bay approached her bedside. He held a small tray with the device, which would remove the tranquilizer from her bloodstream, and an ordinary serum sitting neatly side by side on its smooth surface.

The medic set the small tray on the bedside table and grasped the small device. It looked like an injector, only it was rectangular with two chambers. The needle was small, sharp enough to pierce the skin without pain, although it didn't really matter. She was completely sedated with the tranquilizer: She couldn't feel anything.

After the medic took the tranquilizer out of her bloodstream, he replaced the device on the tray and picked up the preloaded injector, then re-injected her with a sleeping serum so that she could sleep and heal. She would wake up when her body wanted her to, since it was no longer forced.

Only two guards were guarding her room now that they had taken her weapons from her. Council Leader Vorik didn't think they would need more than that. He had told Van that he trusted the mating bond. She may fight it now, but she can't fight it forever.

Council Leader Vorik walked into Sasha's room with two steaming cups of tea, handing one of them to Van. Van took it slowly, his eyes barely wavering from his sleeping, injured mate.

"The medic tells me she is doing well. The blade missed her heart," Vorik told him. "Niki tells me she missed on purpose. The girl pulled a machete, and she was trying to shut her up." He laughed, "That's the words she used, not mine. Apparently, Niki didn't like what your mate was yelling."

Van flinched at Vorik's laughter and the talk of Niki throwing her dagger at his mate. Van's grip tightened on the cup he was holding, his knuckles paling from the pressure. He clenched his jaw. "It would be best to keep Niki away from me, sir. I don't think I can handle seeing her right now after she attacked my mate."

Vorik sighed. He understood and didn't argue. "Niki didn't know she was your mate. We were about to battle an outside threat. Your mate was part of that threat. They will be back, by the way. I ordered everyone to train and wear battle gear at all times."

"I know," Van sighed. "My emotions are overshadowing my sense. I can't seem to help it."

A small beep sounded. It came from a machine that was next to his mate.

"Sounds like your mate is waking up. I'll leave you alone so you can talk to her in private. Your bond is new, and she's fighting it," Vorik stated, getting up with his tea and walking out.

Van took another drink of his own, then set the cup slowly on the bedside table and moved closer to his mate.

Sasha stirred, her eyes slowly opened, and then she tried to sit up. Van immediately went to her side to help her.

She allowed him to help her until she turned her head to face him, seeing who was helping her. Her eyes widened, and she flinched, trying to back away from him.

Van saw the conflict in her eyes. She was fighting the bond but struggling to do so.

"Where am I? What have you done to me?" she demanded. Her eyes narrowed in panic.

Two guards peeked into the room. Their eyes went between the human girl in the bed and Van, who had been trying to help her sit up.

"It's fine," Van told them, then turning to his mate. "You're in the Med clinic. Niki threw a dagger at you, and the medic saved you."

"Where are my people?" she demanded, her eyes going to the door in her room, then back to Van.

"Your group had four deaths and one injury. The man who was injured is in another room, here in the clinic. The rest of your people left. They went back to wherever they had come from. I'm sure they will be back," Van explained. "They want a fight. If you're wondering, there were three deaths of our kind."

"Three's not enough," she hissed, making not only the guards but Van flinch. It wasn't something anyone would want to hear about their people. It made it worse, coming from his own mate.

Van sighed; he did not know what to do about his mate. A shadow passed behind him, and two figures stepped forward. It was Carrie and Shadick. Carrie was coming in for her exam to ensure the baby inside her was healthy. They had heard what Van's mate said as they entered the med bay.

Carrie narrowed her eyes at Sasha. They sparkled with irritation and anger. "First, Van is one of the three who risked their own lives to stop the invasion and save the rest of the human population. The current leader is also one of them. The other is Rask. We are trying to rebuild and find a cure for the zombies that the previous leader created."

Sasha didn't let her continue. "You're a traitor to our kind," she spat in anger, looking at Carrie's swollen belly. "None of this would have happened if they hadn't come here and invaded in the first place."

Carrie stepped forward, Shadick with her, not trusting Van's mate. "Yet after the order was given, many of their kind tried to stop their leader even before he arrived," Carrie continued. "They were lied to about us, making them believe we were something we were not. It all changed when the lies came out, and many found their mates. It's a sacred bond, you know," Carrie finished, gently rubbing her swollen belly, and a light smile formed on her lips as all emotion except joy drained away at the thought of the bond and her mate.

Shadick, behind her, remained quiet, letting the two human women sort their feelings out; as long as there was no violence, he or Van wouldn't intervene. It wasn't their way.

Medic Kaul stuck his head inside Sasha's room. "I'm ready for you, Carrie," he told her. He had a smile as he glanced at her large belly.

Carrie turned and smiled at Kaul. "Thank you, Kaul. I'm coming."

He nodded, then disappeared from the doorway.

Before leaving, Carrie turned and looked at Sasha. Her tone was calm, serious. "If you continue to allow your hatred to overshadow everything else, creating a war between our two races, it's going to get all of us killed. We need to make the best of things. There are a lot of human women pregnant with mixed-race babies who love their mates. Our children are innocent. I don't want them to be born into war. You need to think about all those innocent children. We are all trying to cope. All of us, not just humans," she stated, then turned and walked away.

Sasha was pale. Van didn't know if she was ill or if something Carrie told her got to her. He went immediately to her side. "You're pale. Are you feeling all right? Are you well?" he asked her, worry laced with his words. "I can call the medic," he offered.

"Why are so many women pregnant?" she asked. Her tone was thin with barely contained horror. "Are you using human women as breeders?"

Her mind had wandered to what Travis had planned. He wanted all human women to become breeders in an attempt to repopulate the earth. She felt like she had escaped his, to walk into another, just with a different race.

"It appears mates are fertile," he said quietly. "We don't utilize women to breed. We would rather let our race die than force them into using their body in that manner. Having children is difficult. It is also special between mates. We would not be willing to put women through childbirth unless they wish to have children, knowing the pain it will cause during the delivery of the child."

Sasha looked at him, her eyes wide. "None of the women here who are pregnant were forced?" she asked in disbelief, yet there was also relief.

Van shook his head. "None. All love their mates and want to have children." He paused for a moment, then continued. "I will never force you," he added; His voice was quiet.

Sasha didn't know what to say. She could tell that he was telling her the truth. She didn't know what to do. Allow the mate bond that she could definitely feel between them, or continue to fight it. Her thoughts were in turmoil. The conflict between accepting or rejecting this powerful bond was a raging war fought in her mind. Each is fighting for survival.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.