Though this was Bella’s third day here, they’d scarcely had the opportunity to speak at length privately, with all the meetings and the fact that Dar didn’t seem to like having Bella out of his sight for even a minute. The two women sat on the bed, and Sydney took her friend’s hand. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.” Her eyes misted with unshed tears of happiness. “I know. You’ve only told me a hundred times.” Bella laughed. Sydney giggled. “One hundred and one but who’s counting? Did you see that dirty look Dar sent my way when I told him I wanted to talk to you alone? I swear he was going to throttle me before you intervened.” Bella grinned. “He’s not as intimidating as he looks; in fact, he’s one of the gentlest men you’ll ever meet. Dar’s protective of me is all, and he’s a little out of his element since he doesn’t speak the language. Where he’s from his people have their own language but in that particular galaxy all the inhabitants have a universal language which makes it easy for all species to communicate.
