A deep swell of affection rose from him as he nuzzled her cheek. She thought she felt his lips brush her ear before he drew back. “Let me check your wounds.”
She nodded, feeling unbalanced and a little giddy from the emotional overload of the kiss and the flood of information. Sleep sounded really good, despite the fact that her pulse was running double time and her thoughts were stuffed full of erotic images. Right now she should be focused on thoughts of why those men had been so fixated on hurting her.
Wharkuz was all scientist once she was lying back on the bed. He ran a slender wand down the length of her body and when he pressed something on it, a transparent screen floated above it with various information scrawled across it in writing that wasn’t English. “The mending is progressing, but it’s still at the early stage and fragile. Please rest, my Darcy. The first reading indicated you had internal bleeding and there’s no danger now. The tank healed you much as it healed Sweetie. I will return later with food. Sweetie will stay and attend you.”
Sweetie remained curled on the counter, black tail wrapped around her muzzle, all limbs tucked under her swollen stomach. The only indication that she was awake was the small twitch and swivel of one dark ear toward them.
He ran a hand over her hair and then stepped away, switching off the light before he swept from the room. She watched him go, tail lashing back and forth behind him in agitation. Goodness, she liked the expressive way his tail moved. It wasn’t very long, ending just above his knees—a completely smooth appendage.
Darcy’s mind continued turning over what had happened but sleep finally took her. Her last thought was for her cousin. Just what had he been involved with that had people upset enough that they would assault her. And just what had Wharkuz done to get her out of the situation?
Chapter Two
She dreamed of the attack. Of blood and screams and Wharkuz’s furious roars that made the marrow of her bones turn cold. She dreamed vengeance and the stink of hot, coppery death.
Darcy woke tangled in the bedding, her skin prickled with gooseflesh.
He’d dealt with those men in kind for their violence against her.
He’d killed them.
Her dream had brought it all back. She was oddly relieved. They would have murdered her.
Shuddering, she kicked the blanket off and took stock of her condition. Her body was sore but aside from some aches, she was significantly better. If she didn’t count the scratching pain in her throat and a mild headache.
Great.
On top of everything else that happened to her, she was coming down with a cold?
That just figured.
Disoriented, she sat up, pulling the blanket as she did and peered around the room. She’d not paid attention earlier, not with her mind jumbled by fractured or missing memories and her sexy Wharkuz blotting out all rational thought. This was one of the comfortable but utilitarian bedrooms with no decorations on the smooth walls or solid-surface flooring. No pictures or ornamentation hung on the walls.
She was thankful he’d brought her to his lab. Wharkuz’s alien technology made it easy for him to bring her here, but without scuba equipment those men couldn’t reach her. She doubted they even knew about the underwater facility.
As she climbed out of the bed, she realized someone had changed her into a simple nightgown. It was a size too small for her plump figure and clung in all the wrong ways.
Not the most attractive style for her.
It must be from one of the women who had found partners among the members of the earlier mission.
What must it be like to leave earth and everything you knew to make a life with an alien? Thankfully it wasn’t a choice she needed to make. Wharkuz was happy staying here and continuing his research. They could remain friends. It was the best of both worlds. Her alien and her home.
There were no windows, just smooth, black panel walls and soft illuminated spheres overhead for a light source that gave no indication of the passage of time. She must not have slept very long because Wharkuz had not come back with food or water. And although she wasn’t feeling very hungry after the dream, she was very thirsty.
Sweetie wasn’t in her spot on the counter or in the bed, but perhaps the cat was off getting a drink and food. Darcy would just find out for herself.
Vaguely she remembered her past visits to the underwater laboratory. First to help with Sweetie’s healing, and another time to set up the accommodations for the feline. Wharkuz was fairly protective of his privacy. There were things in the lab that humans weren’t supposed to see. Something about not sharing advanced technology with a primitive race.
She snorted as she walked down the hall beyond her bedroom. It was a little late for that, she thought. She knew this lab was set up at the bottom of Crystalline Lake. She’d seen him heal Sweetie and herself with that wand device and the tank. He’d also been candid about his home world of Merinn. A planet with only ten percent of the surface dry land. They had great underwater cities and sailed the waters in fantastical ships.
All the guest rooms were clean and empty, no sign of alien or cat. She entered the central hub where the living quarters met the common area and the research labs. On one wall hung an enormous mirror. Wharkuz explained that it was for another alien species on the team. Apparently it was an important part of their daily rituals. She was fascinated by its size and how the aliens utilized it.
The lights were all dimmed low in the lab. Various systems were working away in the background but the space was empty.
The living quarters consisted of a spacious eating hall with a kitchen area equipped with a unit that reminded her of a microwave. That space was also empty.
She retrieved a glass and drank two full servings of water. It eased her thirst but did nothing to sooth the ache in her throat. Of all the silly things, she could have internal injuries repaired, and who knew what other trauma, but the thing couldn’t fix her cold?
That seemed to be just her type of luck.
There were no signs of meal preparation so she filled the glass again and continued her search for Wharkuz in the main gathering room. This was her favorite space. It was a strange mix of lounge and activity center. There were huge overstuffed couches made of the softness material she’d ever touched. The rest of the lab was designed in shades of gray but this place was an explosion of color.
She loved it.
Unfortunately, Wharkuz didn’t let her linger here often. After what had happened, she planned to ask him to let her in more. If the other members of his team had partnered up with humans, he could, too. Right? The women had obviously stayed here for some amount of time. She’d seen items left in their quarters that were obviously women’s clothing and things.
When she stepped into the room, the lights came up to mid level and she spotted Wharkuz curled up on one of the huge couches. His breathing was steady and even, indicating he was deep asleep. Lying on his side, his tail was wrapped around his hip, the tip resting on his lower stomach. Sweetie formed a white ball in the curve of his tail but the cat was not asleep. Bright blue eyes watched Darcy intently.
Tightly curved around himself, he looked cold. Which was strange since he normally liked the temperature at least ten degrees lower than she enjoyed it. The lab was set to a level comfortable for her so he should be overheated.
Looking around, she spotted a blanket draped over a nearby couch and pulled it over Wharkuz and Sweetie, ignoring the cat’s sassy little mews at being blanketed.
For a moment she gazed down at his sleeping form, her heart aching for him. There was such a kindness to him that drew her like nothing else. She drank the last of the water and, on impulse, lay down beside him on the giant red couch. There was more than enough space for them to lie together without being overtly intimate.
There was room enough that her back barely pressed along his chest and her ass nuzzled perfectly into the cradle of his hips. He didn’t stir at all, his breathing remaining the same despite he
r wriggling against his body. Sweetie meanwhile huffed out a tremendous sigh and adjusted her pregnant girth to a place against them both and started up a respectable purring to lull her back to sleep.
She woke in sweat, nightdress clinging to her damp skin. Her throat burned and chills ran along her limbs and spine. This wasn’t just a cold. This was a flu hitting her system hard and fast.
Hot breath tickled the nape of her neck and she jerked fully awake. She sat up sharply, only remembering at the last moment that she’d curled up with Wharkuz to sleep and his was the warm caress of air teasing her fevered skin.
She admitted that she had hoped he would wake before her. Finding her in only her ill fitted nightgown, he would proceed to take things between them to something more intimate. There would be fingers and tongues involved and lots of heavy petting.
Waking up now with her throat on fire, her nose plugged, and a virus obviously plaguing her body, she was feeling far removed from amorous or sexy.
Stupid bugs.
Wharkuz groaned at her movement but his lids remained shuttered. He squeezed them tighter and his face screwed up with an expression of extreme discomfort. As though her moving had caused him pain. If he had male organs, she would have worried she’d squished them somehow.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She reached out and cupped his face. He felt cold and clammy with a layer of sweat.
“Darcy?” His voice was a low rasp, too, and he cracked open his eyelids as though the dim light hurt them.
“Yes. It’s me. Are you feeling all right?”
He didn’t look well. His usually luminous green skin was pale and dull. “I will be well. I’m just resting a moment before I fix you something to eat. I’m sorry you had to leave your bed.”
“It’s all right. I got up to get water and saw you sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you so I covered you and curled up with you.”
He frowned, closing his eyes. “Covered me? No wonder I’m so hot. I think I’ve gotten overheated, that’s all.” Pressing his webbed hand over hers he groaned, as though the movement hurt him.
“Do you need to be in water while you sleep? Maybe I should have woken you.” She wanted to take better care of him but it was difficult because he wasn’t supposed to share information with humans.
“I am only overheated. And hungry,” he said twining his fingers in hers. His eyes remained closed for several long breaths before reopening. “I will fix us both something to eat and then I will rest properly in my quarters.” Saying this, he lifted her carefully, cradling her against his chest as he rose to his feet.
“You should let me walk. No need to haul me around,” she protested. His body really seemed hotter than usual
“It’s only a few short steps.”
Sweetie bolted ahead of them with her indignant meow ringing off the walls. She wouldn’t be left out of the meal.
He didn’t seem to labor under the effort of carrying her, and a secret part of her really liked the way he held her. The other part worried about the increased rate of his breathing, though he didn’t appear to be straining. Maybe she was imagining it.
He’d told her he was okay, so she needed to trust him.
Didn’t she?
Once in the kitchen area, he set her on one of the strange, low-backed chairs near their usual preparation station. When he adjusted the kitchen lights, he groaned and squinted at the brightness. She didn’t feel much better and covered her face with a hand to mute the light, her stuffy head aching.
Stupid cold.
“If you prepare Sweetie’s supplements, I will make our meal ready,” he suggested, already moving to draw out items.
“You’re sure you’re feeling fine?”
One corner of his mouth twitched up into the familiar crooked smile she so adored. “I will be when I have some food. Please, don’t worry. If I am not recovered after my sleep cycle I will put myself through the scanners to check my vitals.”
She couldn’t help but smirk back at him as she pulled out the bag of kibble for Sweetie. Should she tell him that awesome machine of his couldn’t even detect whatever bug she’d managed to pick up?
He’d already turned away, his focus set on searching for supplies to make their meal.
No need to worry him.
She’d just make sure to drink lots of water and get as much sleep as she could.
Sweetie leapt onto the counter, purring mightily as kibble rattled into her bowl. As Darcy watched Wharkuz mix various ingredients, the feline shoved her muzzle into the bowl, crunching on her meal with gusto.
Their meal was one of Darcy’s favorites. Normally she really enjoyed the flavors, but this morning the taste was completely off.
They ate in relative silence and while Darcy’s throat was spared from talking, she missed engaging in their usual banter. She ate without complaint, washing down the food with extra water. Her alien seemed as unenthusiastic about the food, which made her anxiety about his health worsen.
“It’s time I retire to rest,” Wharkuz murmured after depositing their bowls into the machine for washing. “Please, do rest yourself and I will find you when I wake.” He walked her to her room and bowed her through the door.
As she moved past him he reached out and grasped her wrist. “If you should need anything, anything at all, my room is just across from this one. It was a privilege to wake with you against me. I should have said so at the time but I was out of sorts.” He brushed along her pulse point with the tip of one delicate claw as he gazed into her eyes.
She didn’t need to feel his emotions to see his weariness. If she’d been feeling even slightly better, she might have pulled him into her room for more intense snuggling, but she could tell he needed to rest and recharge, or whatever his species did in the water. Rehydrate?
“If you liked that, after dinner I’ll show you other ways we can cuddle.” She stroked her fingertips along his knuckles. “I enjoyed sleeping beside you, too.”
He closed his eyes and murmured appreciation at her touch and then reluctantly pulled away. “Tomorrow then. I will come find you for the meal.”
If he didn’t look vastly improved by the time they met for dinner, she was going to drag him into the lab and run the tests herself. Somehow.
When he woke her later, he certainly didn’t appear better.
If anything, he looked as though he felt worse than she did and that was saying something.
There were dark smudges under and around his eyes, as if he’d not slept, and his eyelids were almost closed, as though the light hurt them.
“I fear we must delay our evening cuddle instructions, my Darcy. Will you come with me to the lab? As I promised, I will undergo the scan first and when this troublesome weakness has been cured, we shall focus on my education.” He wasn’t so sick that he couldn’t crack a sweet smile.
Together they went to the research section. Relief surged through her. He was going to get checked. A little guilt plucked at her since she had not confessed how damn sick she was feeling.
But this was just a stupid flu.
First they’d figure out what was going on with him.
Then she’d let him know she was ill.
Sweetie escorted them down the hall, black tail held high. Her loud burbling mews were the only conversation between them. Darcy imagined the cat was lecturing her on being so thickheaded that she hadn’t told her alien she was sick.
At the lab, he ran a fingertip along a ridge in the wall and an array of lights came up, illuminating the room. Squinting with obvious discomfort, he motioned with his hand and a glowing blue film coalesced in the air before him. Alien text scrawled across one edge and myriad labeled buttons filled the rest of the floating panel.
A melodious voice spoke from the floating screen, startling Darcy.
Wharkuz glanced at her and offered an apologetic smile. “Forgive me, it is only the interface.”
The androgynous voice continued on in the alien language. She
might not be able to understand it, but it soothed her. The thing had damn good bedside manners.
Darcy smiled back at her green alien, who was looking more gray. His skin was peeling along the tips of several of his lovely neck fins.
“Ah, let me adjust the translation.”
“—processing samples,” the voice said, switching to English in mid statement. “Please place your finger in the applicator for cellular extraction.”
Wharkuz lifted his hand and extended one webbed finger, pressing it against the screen. The surface pulsed deep purple and then pink before a cheerful chime sounded.
“Collection completed. Running diagnoses. Please wait.”
“I will run a simple test first and then run the full body if needed.”
She shouldn’t feel like holding her breath, but waiting for the device to return its findings was unbearable.
“Analysis complete,” the voice said in a monotone that still managed to convey cheerfulness. After a small pause the voice continued. “Data indicates introduction of alien pathogen. Bacterial infection in surzica traun. Bacterial infection in yunira attrin laniar.” The voice continued its list but she tuned it out.
She’d given her alien a bug.
Probably when she kissed him.
That was fucking horrible.
Blood ran from her face in a cold rush.
Wharkuz’s head tipped and a horrified expression tightened his features as the voice went on. His mouth fell open and he glanced over at Darcy. “You are sick.”
She couldn’t tell if there was accusation in his tone or simple shock. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”
“I’m so sorry. I just have a cold.”
He tipped his head, frowning. “You are cold? Darcy, this is worse than that. You’re probably cold because the illness is ravaging your internal systems.”
From the Depths Page 21