The Defiants, part twenty-three

"Seriously," Skye huffed, grabbing some gauze from the cabinet. "I thought you had learned your lesson."

Cean winced as she applied the rubbing alcohol first to the various slashes on his arms and torso. "I did, but we were sparring with daggers, and Dax got me good."

Hmm. That Wanderer did love blades. "He was training you?"

"All of us today," Jo'dan, who had accompanied him, loomed in the corner. "Dae'lon thinks we need to round out our skills."

Well, he wasn't wrong, although using knives and daggers wouldn't have been what she'd first implement. "But why Dax?"

Cean blushed, "I was feeling cocky."

Jo'dan snorted. "He volunteered to spar with him."

Skye shook her head, tsking Cean as she wrapped gauze around his wounds. It almost reminded her of when her new mate purposefully injured himself to visit her.

Almost.

"Well, I'm not sparring with Dax again until I've mastered blades." Cean puffed out his bare chest, only to wince when she put more gauze on him. "He won't know what hit him."

Skye humored him, handing him a clean shirt.

Dax was with blades as Nash was with flying, or Galen with languages. So there was no way he would ever be that skilled. But she wouldn't burst the trainee's bubble. Jo'dan could do it for her.

Cean had barely put on the shirt when Nash and Ava came stumbling in, both a complete mess with cuts and bruises.

Skye blinked, "Umm, can I help you two?"

Ava giggled, holding her side, "Yeah, I think I cracked a rib."

"And I popped my shoulder out of place." Nash cradled his right arm, although he didn't appear to be in pain. "Can you help us?"

Cean quickly stood, "Thanks for the help." He then scooted around the mated pair before leaving.

Jo'dan scrunched his nose. "Ugh, why?"

Skye knitted her brow but quickly scented it, waving the air in front of her. "C'mon, you two. Couldn't take a shower?"

Ava blushed, "I know, I know."

"Don't be embarrassed, love." Nash nudged her.

"Of course, I will be. I smell like sex!" Ava shot a glare at him.

He shrugged.

Skye sighed, "All right, let's do this."

As she tended to them, she did her best not to judge them. After all, in the last two months since the Mating Fever, they had also been going at it rough.

But, for whatever reason, neither of them seemed to get hurt, aside from the occasional muscle cramp or sprain. She supposed Galen did his best not to cause her body severe damage.

Skye also seemed to be more durable than Ava, but maybe Nash just didn't hold back with her, which was likely from watching their training sessions.

"You two could've used the decontaminator." Jo'dan almost gagged. "You smell gross, and not just from sex."

Ava sniffed herself, coughing, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, bud."

"I'm not." Nash grinned.

Skye responded by yanking on his arm, his shoulder joint audibly popping back into the socket. Thank God human and Wanderer physiology almost mirrored each other.

She wiped her hands with a towel. "Now, both of you, be more careful when you're having fun."

"We'll try." Ava stood, her left arm in a sling to let her nanites repair the rib correctly.

"Maybe." Grinning, Nash rolled his shoulders, following his mate out of the tent.

Skye sighed, using hand sanitizer. "And I thought you trainees were notorious for hurting yourselves."

"I've never been in here for an injury." Jo'dan eyed her. "I'm smarter than them."

She nodded. For being the youngest one, he was awfully wise, and she didn't think Galen could take much credit for that either.

"Will you need my assistance for anything?"

"I don't think so, but I like your company, so hang out as long as you wish."

Jo'dan smiled, sitting on an empty bed.

The rest of her shift passed relatively fast, patching up two more Wanderer trainees. So nothing unusual, although it still annoyed Skye that she was the only one who would tend to them.

She glanced at Christine, Olsen, and his army of nurses. Why did they refuse to help the non-humans? Especially the doctors? It made no sense to her.

Maybe one of these days, they'd find a Wanderer medic who would teach her how to treat the soldiers properly.

"You're doing a great job with us." Jo'dan lightly squeezed her shoulder.

Skye turned to face him. "Thanks. It'd just be nice to have the appropriate knowledge."

He nodded. "I'll try to find you some, then."

Skye gave him a quick hug. That meant everything to her.

After a moment, she pulled away and continued cleaning up, ready to eat and find her mate, wherever the heck he was. But if any more trainees decided to hurt themselves, they'd be shit out of luck until tomorrow.

***

"Do you think she'll approve?" Bram rubbed the back of his neck.

Galen stared at the medical device they'd been working on for the past month. "Of course, she will approve. Great job, my friend."

Bram stretched his arms over his head. "Well, they don't call me lead engineer for nothing."

He grinned, placing the tool into a paper box he'd found during one of the foraging trips he'd done with Jo'dan. Oh, his mate would be ecstatic over this gift.

Galen, and Wanderers, in general, weren't ones to exchange presents, but they now lived with humans, who followed the custom, and the device was practical in nature.

"I will see you later." Grabbing the box, Galen exited Bram's private workshop and paused when he stepped outside.

It was happening again. The frozen rain humans called snow was falling from the clouds. Many females, including Skye, loved how the snow covered everything in a white blanket, calling it beautiful.

He supposed they were correct, reaching his hand out to catch a few of the snowflakes. None of the other planets he'd visited had snow, and it intrigued him greatly.

Galen continued walking, the flakes landing on his clothes and skin. It did make it hard to see when flying, even with his naturally enhanced vision.

As he strolled through the square, he noticed many of the humans acting like children in the frozen rain. He smiled, knowing if it hadn't been for the gift, he'd most likely join them.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Galen didn't stop until he reached the door to their unit, listening to his mate's heartbeat for a moment. The beat and rhythm of the human heart differed from a Wanderer's.

It amazed him how life could be both so similar and opposite at the same time. That probably was why he ventured into science first. And both of his parents were scientists.

Opening the door, Galen found Skye lying on the floor. "Am I interrupting something?"

She blinked, smiling, "Just finishing up my yoga session."

He nodded, setting the box on the counter. "Well, I got something for you."

Skye rolled onto her stomach, then hopped to her feet. "Really? What is it?"

"Open the box."

She walked to the counter, quickly removing the device from its cardboard protection. "What is it?"

"A medical scanner, so you can determine what's wrong with someone, human or Wanderer."

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Galen grinned, "Yes, my sweet."

Her arms were suddenly squeezing him, the medical scanner on the counter again. "Thank you. This will go a long way!"

He chuckled, her grip making it hard for him to breathe. It wasn't a surprise, though. Female Wanderers were stronger than males, and the nanites were created to make members of other species like them.

"Anything for you." He pried her vice grip off him, inhaling deeply.

"And tell Bram I say thank you."

"Of course, but the idea was mine."

Skye gave him a quick kiss, "I know."

"Good."

She grabbed it again, turning it on and scanning him. "Ha!"

Galen smiled, having repeatedly scanned himself and Bram as they worked on it. "So, what to do now."

Skye grinned, "Follow me."

He did, and he would always follow her.

Thank you for reading Skye and Galen's story! Stay tuned for the next one. As always, likes, shares, tips, subscriptions, and pledges are cherished. :)