Chapter Seven

They arrived at the convent’s planet a few hours later, and he was impressed by how well it was hidden on the map. It’d taken specific coordinates from Azaria that Daisy had never bothered to memorize, assuming she’d never leave the planet, to get them even in the right quadrant. Then there was a sophisticated system they had to get through, though he noticed signs of damage.

“That must be from when the Klinoks invaded. I don’t know how they knew we were here, but it must have seemed like a treasure trove to them,” said Azaria with clear bitterness.

“They weren’t expecting much resistance,” said Daisy with a small smile. It faded to a frown as she shot her friend a look. “I’m so sorry I got us both captured.”

Ryder frowned. “I hardly think it was your fault, Daisy.”

She smiled at him as she patted his knee. She was perched on his lap, and it still wasn’t close enough, but it was all the bounds of propriety would allow with their guest also in the command room. Azaria sat in the copilot seat, determinedly looking away from how close they cuddled.

“That’s sweet of you to defend me, but it really was my fault. I’ve never paid much attention to defense, and I did exactly the wrong thing. Instead of running for the shelter at the convent, I ran deeper into the rooms, and it didn’t take them long to find me. Azaria came to rescue me, but there were too many of them, and we were both overwhelmed. I’m going to make sure I learn more about protecting myself.”

He growled low in his throat, resisting the urge to remind her that was his job now. It couldn’t hurt for her to learn to defend herself, though he couldn’t imagine a situation where she would ever be alone and have to, short of his death. “I’ll show you some things.”

She smiled at him again, clearly approving of the idea. “Thank you, love.”

It was a simple endearment, but it threatened to turn his whole body into a pile of goo, and he almost purred again. He wasn’t certain how Azaria would react to his purring, so he kept it to himself, though he squeezed Daisy’s thigh in his hand a little firmer before loosening his hold slightly.

“You’re entering restricted space. Turn around before you’re blown out of the sky,” said a real voice through the computer.

“Mother Risa, it’s us,” said Azaria. “Daisy and me…and her Alpha.” She sounded unhappy as she tacked on the last part.

There was silence, and then a woman’s face appeared before him. He had expected her to be quite a bit older, since she was obviously the leader of the convent, but she couldn’t have been much more than a few years past forty. She had a surprisingly fresh face and blonde hair with nary a strand of gray, but there was an uncompromising hardness in her features that put him on edge.

“What Alpha?”

“Me,” said Ryder with a hint of protectiveness as he pulled Daisy tighter against him. “Daisy wants to know more about her origin so we can find her family, if she has some.”

“And I just want to come home,” said Azaria.

The woman seemed like she might reject them for a moment, but then she sighed and nodded. “I’ll allow the security protocols to give you entrance, but your ship will be immediately locked down once you land. Do you accept those terms, Alpha?” Her voice dripped with disdain.

“I accept as long as everyone realizes I won’t tolerate any signs of aggression or attempts to hurt my mate.”

Her eyes widened. “Daisy was once one of us. No one would hurt her.”

He felt Daisy stiffen against him, and he rubbed her thigh in a soothing fashion. “I accept your terms then.”

The screen went dark without Mother Risa saying another word, and Daisy was clearly tense and unhappy on his lap.

“She talks like I’m not welcome there anymore.” She sniffed lightly.

“It’s not that you aren’t welcome, but you aren’t really one of us anymore.” Azaria sounded apologetic as she reached out to take Daisy’s hand, squeezing lightly. “You aren’t running away from Alphas or seeking protection from them now. You have your own to keep you safe, and you have to admit, it’s a security risk for you and an Alpha to know where we are.”

Daisy scowled. “I would never reveal that to anyone.”

Ryder stiffened his spine as well. “Neither would I. I respect what you’re doing here, and I believe you all have the right to make the decision that’s best for you.”

Azaria seemed to accept and believe his words. She nodded and released her hand. Daisy sagged against her mate, obviously still sad at her change in status among the women she’d grown up with, but she was soon cuddling closer. He hoped she wouldn’t regret accepting his claim, and with the way she curled against him, purring softly, he couldn’t imagine she would. She seemed as happy as him that they’d found each other.