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protect his mates warred within Zeus. He considered not opening the cabin door for Mayra or Sohm'lan. What would happen if he locked them out until he was better able to defend Dargon and Alpha? Even as he thought about it, he knew he could not deny his brothers medical treatment. How injured were they? He could not see well enough to tell. Zeus vehemently wished for another go at Nethus so that he could tear the barbed ears from the foul-tasting male.
    He slapped the button and the door whooshed open. Mayra stood on the other side with a large duffle. As a Gaziniti, she stood a little over a meter tall and was covered in short, light brown fur. The fringe of longer hair around her face resembled a lion's mane. Even though her facial features appeared feline, with particularly large, curved ears and huge, brown eyes with slitted pupils, Gazinitis were herbivores, more closely related to primates.
    Surprisingly, two Fal'Amorics, Athena and Altan, flanked Mayra. Both closely resembled Zeus with their alabaster skin, dark blue streaked hair, and nearly colorless irises. He was unaccustomed to seeing people so similar to himself in appearance, and even knowing they were biologically related to him, he found the likeness unsettling. Behind them milled a half-dozen restless guards. The Monticore prowled about as if they sensed something wrong. Zeus realized he did not know how long the twins had been in the cabin.
    The Monticore came to attention when they sighted Zeus, the lashing of their dark scaled tails the only sign of agitation. Forked tongues tasted the air and when they hissed in warning, he knew they scented the blood in the cabin.
    Ignoring Mayra and her two helpers, Zeus addressed the guards. "I have just returned from the Waters of Poseidon. Prince Azaes and Prince Mestor will be returning shortly. An altercation happened on the other side and all three of us are injured." Any Mar'Sani away from Atlainticia could visit the Waters of Poseidon in their sleep, anchored by relatives, returning to their bodies rejuvenated. It was unheard of for someone to return injured. "Not everyone can fit in the room while Mayra attends to their wounds. There is a mezzanine above, where you may watch from." From the corner of his eye, he saw Sohm'lan exit the lift. "Until Azaes resumes consciousness, Warlord Sohm'lan is in charge."
    A wave of dizziness made him grasp the door frame for stability, but his knees buckled and his hand slipped. He heard Athena call his name, but everything sounded indistinct, as if the voices came from a distance. The gash in his thigh pulsed with each beat of his heart, dark blood coloring most of his leg and leaving a gruesome footprint on the floor. As Zeus toppled into Sohm'lan's outstretched arms, he noticed distractedly that he had answered the door in the nude.
    *~*~*
    Dargon pressed his ear against the cool metal door. As a Dar Massaga, he had exceptional hearing in both of his forms, and he needed to know whether Zeus was being treated yet.
    "You know you will not hear anything. Prince Malek spared no expense when he commissioned this ship. The captain's quarters were designed for defense. No sound, short of an explosion, will greet your ears," Alpha chided.
    The Galactic Crown Princes, Malek and Vipre, had put together the crew of the Oethra 7 to discover what lay behind the disappearance of the Fal'Amoric and their Bespoken. A scout ship had been retrofitted to appear as a merchant vessel. The reinforced captain's quarters could be locked down and used as a place for a last stand, the whole of the ship controlled from his room.
    "How long have we been in here?" He did not have issues with small, enclosed spaces. Being separated from their Marked, he did mind.
    "Not long at all."
    Dargon inhaled a slow breath through his nose, hoping to catch some of Zeus’s scent not intermingled with blood. Were the Mar'Sani guards taking care of him? Would Mayra be able to help him? They should not be locked up