Chapter 67: Lock It, He’ll Knock It

Nova felt that comment land. It hit the same place Starborne’s voice always hit, the place that knew what she was before anyone had to remind her.

She was not welcome in here. She understood this man did not want to be anywhere near her and this was uncomfortable for everyone. She could tend to Celeste’s room no problem.

"We really don’t need to fuss over my cuffs tonight. I’ll—"

"First sensible thing she’s said all night," Alpha Thunderfang stated, cutting her off. "Put her to work. She’s fine."

Maria looked up at Alpha Thunderfang with visible surprise.

"Please excuse me," Nova said, standing from the couch and booking it towards the stairs. Astra didn’t stop her, thankfully.

To her surprise, Maria Emberclaw was right behind her.

"Oh, Maria, you don’t have to—"

"Someone’s been hanging around Kai Starborne," Maria stated loudly, so without question the Alpha heard.

Nova didn’t respond, reaching the bottom of stairs. She turned left. She knew the quarters were on the third floor. They were on the sixth. Just needed to get to the next stairway.

A red-eyed, rule-breaking, ride-or-die had velcroed herself next to a slave girl and the slave girl had zero say in the matter.

"Maria, you should go be with your mate. Don’t worry about—"

"No. I’m coming with you."

That’s when another spasm hit. Nova hunched forward, catching herself on the wall.

"Nova?" Maria whispered. "Are you alright? What’s happening?"

"I’m fine," Nova grunted.

She was not fine. She was going to be sick, actually. She pushed into a room and beelined for the bathing chamber. Maria was right behind her. Nova didn’t have anything in her stomach to throw up so when she puked and saw red, she knew that was not anything she ate.

"Nova, is that blood? Holy shit," Maria breathed.

"I’m alright, Maria. It doesn’t hurt," she said. It didn’t hurt at all, actually. The spasms were the thing that was hurting her.

"You look like shit and if you say I’m alright one more time, you’re in big trouble," Maria snapped. "What’s their healer’s name? Abby or something?"

Maria didn’t wait for an answer, already turning to leave the bathing chamber. Probably to get Astra. Which Nova wasn’t going to argue with.

She splashed water on her face. Her hair was still glowing but dimming gradually.

How interesting, she thought. Her survival instincts and her intellectual curiosity were in a fistfight, and the intellectual side was winning.

She was back out in the hall when the sound of an elephant came down the stairs.

Derek hit the bottom stair and turned the corner like a wrecking ball. He stopped in front of Nova, chest heaving, and the look on his face made her immediately wince. It was the opposite of how he had looked at her in the few hours she had known him and felt wrong.

"Derek? Are you alright?" Nova asked softly.

Without a word, he picked her up. No kiss or ’I’m fine’ or ’I’m upset.’ Just silence.

He threw her over his shoulder, not gently. Maybe a regular she-wolf could take that, but Nova was a slave and couldn’t. Pain shot through her ribs where the bruise lived, the one he had kissed twenty minutes ago. Her stomach vetoed it with extreme prejudice.

"Derek, I’m going to be sick on you," she managed.

"Shit." He flipped her to regular bridal style. Regular being relative. Most women are carried bridal style once in their lives. Nova was averaging once per hour and the novelty had been replaced by a familiarity she hadn’t asked for.

It was too late. She pulled out of his grip, hand on her mouth, pushing back through the door for round two of throwing up.

She ran into the bathing chamber and locked it before Derek got there. Turned the water on. Followed by heaving.

The irony of a slave locking a door on the man who had spent a quarter billion to own her was not lost on Nova, but her body was busy and her sense of irony would have to wait.

She heard things being moved in the chamber outside the door. But her focus was on trying not to puke for a third time.

The shuffling outside the room stopped. Then a loud knock on the door that made her jump. Derek’s voice came from the other side with zero warmth.

"Nova, open the door."

He didn’t need to be down here. She honestly needed a moment to herself and to tend to Celeste before Celeste did something crazy.

She rinsed her mouth. Hunched over again, insides burning. He probably didn’t understand what being a slave looked like. He had been Alpha royalty.

"I’ll come find you after I handle a few things," she called, through the door.

BANG.

The door was kicked inwards. She let out a high-pitched yelp and jumped, not expecting that. Apparently locks on this yacht were decorative.

Derek made a beeline for her, pulling her in his arms. His hands were shaking. The same hands that had held a sword steady at Maverick’s throat and had carried her through a thunderstorm.

"Derek, what’s wrong?"

She hugged him back, feeling bad now. His head rested on her shoulder, and he leaned against her, and that’s how she knew he was really upset.

He didn’t answer. The non-answer was its own answer. Derek Thunderfang, the man who had a line for everything, had nothing for this.

"You didn’t do anything wrong," she whispered. He probably was confused and thought maybe he had upset her. She would need to explain to him how slave life worked.

Derek started kissing her all over before he answered. "You’re burning up, baby." He picked her up and moved out of that room in a blur. Up the stairs.

"Derek, I need to take care of-"

"You’re not medically cleared, Nova. No."

"Alpha Thunderfang-"

"I had three omegas sent to Celeste’s quarters."

Maria and the Thunderfang Beta were halfway down the stairs with Astra. Nova blinked a few times.

"You are making me stressed," Astra stated from behind the Beta. "I don’t get stressed. I get annoyed. I get impatient. Stressed is new and I don’t like it."

"Oh, my apologies. I’m not trying to-"

"Stop being nice. Stop," Astra snapped, her voice coming out so harsh that Nova jolted, like she’d been slapped. The healer was already moving back up the stairs.

Maria didn’t move, watching Astra go. She saw Nova, who was red-eyed, still in Derek’s arms at this point.

"She gets like that from time to time," the Thunderfang Beta offered from behind Maria.

"I’m a rule follower usually. Believe it or not." Nova’s voice cracked. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

The Beta’s mouth opened. Then shut.

Maria’s eyes started welling. "But the Alpha told you to. You were just following orders."

"Don’t cry, Maria. I am learning slave protocol here," Nova said immediately. That was partially true. There was no slave protocol here.

Behind Maria, Beta Voltcrest’s face crumbled like he had been kicked. His eyes started watering.

Was he starting to cry too? Oh no, what was happening.