Keirn sat in the small bar drinking a strong beverage, letting the frothy liquid dull his pain. He wasn't happy that he had found his mate, and the fact that she was a zombie that couldn't be fixed. He didn't want her. He wanted Vernisa. They were pretending to be together to hide Zack and Carrie's bunker. The problem was that they grew close while living under the same roof.

He and Vernisa had slept together as mates were meant to, but she had not gotten pregnant. With mates that weren't soul-bound, it could take years, if at all. It didn't matter to him. He was not giving her up.

The girl in the clinic was pleasant to look at, but he couldn't get past the knowledge that she was a zombie. He didn't smell the toxin that was in her blood. He didn't think that anyone could. Medic Kaul would use her blood to make a cure. He didn't believe that the girl could be cured, herself, however.

Gulping down the rest of his drink, he called for the server for another. Orik sat in the back, watching, not saying anything. He overheard what had happened. Keirn found his mate and rejected her. He would rather have someone who wasn't really his mate than the one the gods had given him.

Orik wanted to see this girl for himself.

Getting up, Orik left the bar, leaving Keirn to drown his emotions in the strong drink.

Finding the clinic that Medic Kaul was currently at, he stepped in. He saw the girl had been laid out on the table, a sheet covering her naked form. He walked up to her and peered into her eyes. Tears were falling down her soft cheeks. Her blue eyes sparkled from more tears that threatened to fall.

"No one is to touch her," Medic Kaul told him from the other side of the room.

"I just wanted to see her. She is very brave. I heard what she did to save the others with her," Orik told him. If you need help with her, I will help you. She needs kindness.

Kaul studied Orik for a moment. "You are not a medic," he stated.

Orik looked at Kaul as the girl watched. "I will not let you hurt her," Orik finally stated. "She does not deserve it. Just because her blood is special does not mean she should be forced into giving it to you."

"Only her mate can dictate anything regarding her," Kaul reminded him. His voice was hard.

"Her mate has rejected her for someone else. I will stand in his place," Orik shot back. "He lost the right to dictate anything regarding her the moment he rejected her. He has rejected her; now I claim her," he blurted without thinking.

Medic Kaul shot Orik a hard look before picking up a comm link and calling Vorik. "Sir, you are needed in the clinic."

"I'm on my way," came Vorik's voice.

Only moments later, Vorik stepped in, looking at Orik. "What is it?" he asked.

Before Medic Kaul could speak, Orik beat him to it. "Keirn rejected her. I am claiming her. No one takes her blood or does anything without her approval. If she can not give it, then he does not have it."

Vorik looked at Orik. "We did not see Keirn reject her," he noted.

"Keirn is with Vernisa. It may have started as a fake relationship; it no longer is," Orik started. "It hasn't been for a long time. Besides, if he did not reject her, then why isn't he here to ensure she is well cared for?"

Orik, who was standing next to the girl, instinctively rested his hand on hers, refusing to move.

Medic Kaul moved close to her, making her whimper. Everyone in the room heard. Orik immediately stood in front of Kaul, blocking him from coming any closer. "She is afraid of you. You may have saved many, but you will not harm her to try to save more. I think she's been through enough."

Kaul straightened up, anger crossing his features. "She has been shot twice. I need to tend her wounds," he told Orik evenly.

Orik bent towards Kaul, his eyes hard. "Tend to her wounds, but if you do anything other than that, I will kill you," he hissed.

Vorik looked between Orik and the girl. There was a connection. He could see that Orik's touch soothed her and made her feel safe. He was protective, far more than someone who was not mated with her. Vorik decided to intervene. "I see a bond between them," Vorik stated. "I have no choice but to allow him to protect her. Treat him as if she is his mate."

Tight-jawed, Medic Kaul nodded, moving closer. He gently peeled the sheet back and cleaned her wounds while Orik stood next to her, holding onto her delicate hand. Her blue eyes were not wavering from Orik's.

As Orik watched her, he spoke softly. "Doesn't she look like the twins? Same blue eyes and golden blond hair?"

"Carrie is coming in with Shadick to be checked. Ask her if she knows her," Kaul stated evenly, as he tended to the girl's wounds. He was angry about the situation with Orik.

Shadick entered the clinic with Carrie in his arms as if they had conjured them. He didn't want her to walk, worried that it would harm the child inside her.

Carrie giggled as Shadick carefully set her down.

She looked over at Orik, who was holding the girl's hand. She did a double-take before rushing over to her. "Jada? Is that you?" Carrie asked, worried.

Medic Kaul looked up from tending to the girl's wounds. "You know her?" he asked.

"Of course, I know her. She's my cousin. What happened?" Carrie asked frantically.

"She saved a group of Travis's men who were trying to escape him. She was shot in the shoulder and in the side while protecting them." Medic Kaul stated, quickly glancing up at Orik, he went back to Carrie. "When we stripped her to treat her, we discovered she is half a zombie. She is both a human and a zombie. Her blood can not be cleansed like Aleigha's was."

Carrie looked at Medic Kaul, confused. "How can she be half of a zombie?"

Sighing, he started to explain. "She is a zombie, but she does not have the hunger for flesh. She isn't contagious. Her blood and saliva did not change. She is more human than a zombie, but she is both. Something in her blood isolated the toxin, so it does not affect her like the others."

Carrie looked over at Orik. "Orik, are you her mate?"

Orik smiled. "Keirn rejected her for Vernisa. I have claimed her."

Carrie narrowed her eyes. "Rejected her? I didn't think you could reject your mate." It was clear that she was angry that her cousin had been rejected.

Kaul looked at Carrie. "Orik soothes her. It is possible that he is also her mate. We call it a second chance, mate. If you lose your mate, it is possible to find another. Vorik believes that he is hers. What is her name?" Kaul asked. Even though it was said, the moment Carrie saw her, he didn't seem to have forgotten.

"She is my cousin, Jada. Jada Nelson," Carrie told him.

Medic Kaul nodded. After he pulled the sheet back over her, he went to Carrie to scan her. After he was done and Carrie checked out fine, he picked up his supplies. Before exiting, he turned to Orik. "I need to go to the other clinic. Hope and Dan need my attention. There is also the matter of the spy. I will return when I am able," he stated evenly before disappearing out of the clinic door.

Orik looked down at Jada. He was still gently grasping her hand. She was still watching him. Orik realized that Jada couldn't move. Looking over at one of the other medics, he decided to ask. "Why can she not move?" he asked them.

Carrie watched as Orik got angry about what was happening with Jada.

One of the medics turned and looked at Jada, then checked a file on one of the readers. He looked up. "It is chemically induced. They did not want her to move and strain her wounds. They also did not know if she was like the other kind of zombies," he stated.

"How long will it last?" Orik asked the medic. His tone was tight.

The medic looked between Jada and him. "You will have to ask Medic Kaul. The serum used to immobilize her has to be taken out of her manually."

Orik gritted his teeth, trying not to take his anger out on the medic in front of Jada. If Medic Kaul had to take the serum out manually, that meant that he would have to stick yet another needle into her, causing her more unnecessary pain.

Carrie grasped Jada's other hand. "You're freezing," Carrie told her.

"Bring me a blanket," Orik ordered. "She is cold."

The medic pulled a soft blanket out of a cabinet and handed it to Orik. He immediately wrapped her up. He could see right away that she was warming up. A soft sigh left her lips. After a few moments, she appeared to relax. He couldn't say for sure because it's difficult to relax with the serum in her bloodstream, preventing her from moving.

Carrie bent down and kissed her forehead. "I have to go," she told her. "With Orik, you are in good hands."

Jada's eyes moved from Carrie to Orik.

Carrie looked one more time at Jada before she and Shadick left the clinic.

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