I had been hurt, but the bruise was only just appearing. The Healers realized that the girl had hit me on


    my back hard enough to break a rib. They pulled out a funny looking instrument and pressed it to my


    bruised flesh.


    “If you touch our…ve,” Damien said in an even voice while entering the room, “we will destroy you.”


    The Healers were shocked and backed away from the angry Warriors approaching.


    “Sir, we are trained with the human ves,” one Healer said in a shaking voice. “We would not have


    caused it harm.”


    The anger in my men was undeniable. Now that they were so close, I felt it and it was making them


    irrational. They wanted to hurt something in retaliation for what had happened. With them so close I felt


    the anger starting to pool in my own self. I fought the unnecessary emotion.


    “You are not trained for this ve,” Bane said calming down slightly in reaction to me. “The lead


    Healers deal with this ve. She has special needs.”


    The Healers told Damien that was fine, but I had a broken rib. I needed treatment fast or I would be in


    great pain. This damage would cause difficulty with my breathing for two moons if they let it sit


    unhealed.


    “Thank you,” Damien said politely as Evan picked me up. I hissed and struggled when pressure was


    applied to my right chest. Evan quickly adjusted his arms so he did not hurt me. I focused on Christof’s


    unbroken body and felt the pain seep from me. Of course, now I felt the anger.


    All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The lead Healers were called to our quarters and they met us at the door. They examined me quickly


    and came to the same conclusion their cousins had. The men pulled out a simr device and pressed it


    against the tender flesh.


    Damien and his Brothers had seen this before. The healers used it to elerate the healing of broken


    bones. Something simr had been used on Bane and Christof as children. We had no idea how it


    worked.


    I suddenly moved away from the device in horror. jill this harm the child inside?” Damien asked cing


    a hand over the instrument.


    It wasn’t Damien’s worry; it was mine. I knew thatpregnantwomen couldn’t do certain things because it


    could cause birth defects. Not surprisingly Damien and his Brothers had never heard of that before, but


    now the knowledge concerned them.


    My family refused to let the Healers continue because they didn’t know if this was safe inpregnancyor


    not. In fact, the Healers had never considered that idea. Damien scoffed openly at their ignorance and


    demanded they find out.


    “We will contract our Mistress,” they told Damien, “she has ess to the great knowledge base. We


    will know soon. Keep the ve breathing deeply.”


    That was right, at least in my experience. Back on Earth Uncle Eddy had been quite a terror when he


    wasdrunk. When my mom got started it would be an all out battle between them. The fights would be


    verbal until one of thempletely Lost it and then it would be physical.


    Eddy had broken several of mom’s ribs one time.Tapewasn’t good for the lungs the doctor had said. I


    remembered how the doctor had fussed at them and told them the best treatment was deep breaths


    and pain control. I was scared to use the foul smelling goop though, so I concentrated on deep


    breathing.


    “A Little might not hurt,” Kein said watching my eyes.


    I thought of every deformed human I’d ever seen. The men were horrified. Nothing would touch me


    until the truth was found out. They hated to see my pain, but understood the possible dire


    consequence.


    I was salty and sandy from the beach, so the men took me into the shower and washed me gently.


    Christof breathed slowly and deeply, encouraging me to do the same. As long as I kept my conscious


    mind away from my own body that was easy to do.


    The only problem with concentrating on the men was I kept being subjected to their anger. When I fully


    opened to them, I felt them forcibly probing my memories. It was ufortable to be bonded Like this


    again. My men interrogated me at my deepest, most private level.


    There were things I had not shared with them, like all Vesa’s prior insults. I had never said my friends


    and I were isted at the Keepers. I would not have brought such trivial information to their attention.


    Now they were livid to find out after the fact.


    “You are not honest with us,” Bane said sounding calm. “We thought we had taught you not to hold


    back from us. This girl has made you unhappy for many day cycles.”