Death-grip on his makeshift rope, Kabiroas crawled over the edge like a slug before he could talk himself out of getting off the roof, but once he felt the side of the building bump against the toes of his boots and nothing but foul air under his heels, he froze, half his body over each side of the wall.
He spent either a minute or an hour in that position, until he reminded himself that he didn’t want to be breathing this world’s air, that he had an assassination job that needed executing before the Aigis regained his power. And, he just realized, if he became the Elf that vanquished Aerigo, he would become a legend among his people.
That thought was all he needed to focus on making it to the ground without further delay.
Kabiroas began slowly rappelling down the building. A wind constantly reminded him of how high up he was, but a lifetime of training and practice made his movements soundless and sure. Once he reached the end of his rope, which stretched maybe a tenth of the way down, he paused to use the same binding spell on the hanging end. Then, with a choice spell and a good yank, the higher end broke free. The length of the rope whipped past, providing him with more feed to rappel. He continued his downward climb.
He lost count of how many times he had to attach and detach his cloak-rope, but it was enough for his fears to start creeping in around his vision of glory, and his arms to get tired. Before his fears could paralyze him again, one foot found the sidewalk, and then the other. He stared at the cement in disbelief, then dropped to a prostrate position and pressed one side of his face to the hot ground, until it scorched his cheek. Kabiroas sat against the building, wiped his cheek, and caught his breath as he let his arms recuperate.
For a city, the place was pretty deserted. He was the only one outside for as far as he could see. It was just him and his trail of red smoke, which led straight ahead, and these silent metal things that traversed the roads as fast as he could swing a sword. The deep red hue indicated that his target wasn’t too far off. No more than three miles. That was encouraging, but was he following the Aigis through a deserted city? Were there mortals in the metal contraptions, or were they just machines? He hoped it was a deserted city. The weaker Aerigo stayed, the better. No Elf would care about Aerigo’s state right before Kabiroas killed him. The tale would go untarnished.
As Kabiroas sat there, he noticed he couldn’t quite catch his breath. Every gasp felt thin, and left a greasy taste in his mouth. It had to be the air’s lackluster quality. He lurched to his feet, and turned the rope back into his cloak, then secured it back over his shoulders with the loop and needle. He felt properly clothed with his cloak back on. He’d felt half-naked without it.
Kabiroas began following the red smoke trail at a walk, just in case a run or jog would hasten him to his death.
* * *
Aerigo woke to someone shaking his shoulder. While still half awake, he cut off his recharging process, then forced his sore eyes open. His eyes didn’t want to stay open, feeling like he would fall asleep in seconds if he shut them again.
Two people were standing over him. He recognized Jenna but not the Elf. At least he presumed the other doctor was an Elf. They were both smiling warmly at him. That had to be a good sign. He glanced in the direction of Roxie’s gurney and saw the top of her head much closer than expected. He took in where they lay, then recalled his decision to recuperate with her in his arms. However, they’d been using two gurneys, not one. The other lay empty with fresh sheets on it.
“You’re in an ICU, Aerigo,” Jenna said. “Are you recovered enough to stay awake for a little while? We need your help giving Rox a blood transfusion.”
The opportunity to help Rox invigorated him. He slowly slid his arm out from under her and set her on her back, then tucked the sheet around her shoulders. Part of him wished the doctors hadn’t seen them resting together. It felt private. He slid off the gurney.
“Oh, my,” exclaimed the Elf. “You, handsome, are in need of a shower. You stink.”
Aerigo gave him an indifferent shrug. He was unfazed by being called handsome by another man but, more importantly, neither doctor had made a scene of his cuddling.
“Oh, give him a break, Arryk. He’s been through a lot in the last few hours.”
“Fine, fine. Transfusion first.” Arryk held up both hands, in which he presented two folded hospital smocks. “We do need to get the both of you into proper patient attire. Could we trouble you to put Roxie in one of these for us? You can leave your undergarments on.”
Aerigo forced himself to nod as his brain tried to wrap around taking Roxie’s clothes off while she was unconscious. He wouldn’t have minded if they’d actually developed a relationship by now. He’d rather have her permission first, but Rox weighed probably three hundred pounds. It would be better if he changed her clothes. He accepted the pair of smocks.
“The strings go in the back and to one side,” Arryk said. “Shout for us when you’re done.” The doctors headed for the door, and on the way out Jenna pressed two buttons on the wall. White cloth curtains hanging from a track enveloped both gurneys, providing them with some extra privacy. The fact that Jenna had activated the buttons for two gurneys was hint enough that she wanted them in separate gurneys. He felt a pang of disappointment, despite not wanting anyone to see his affection for Rox.
The enclosed area darkened a little and dampened the noises coming from the hallway. Two lights turned on overhead. Aerigo studied Rox a moment, trying to picture himself undressing her, then decided to undress himself first.
There mere act of taking off his boots both relieved and disgusted him. His socks were soaked and his boots reeked, yet he was glad he wasn’t wearing them anymore. After taking off his pants, he located his pack on a chair by the window and changed into a fresh pair of boxers. The curtain was between him and Rox so he didn’t have to worry about her seeing him for the few seconds he was completely naked from the waist down. Still, she’d seen him in just his boxers for brief moments on Sconda. He’d noticed her trying to hide her open admiration for his physique, too. At first it had confused him--not because he didn’t understand why Rox liked what she saw. After having been around for over 3400 years, he understood quite well. What’d thrown him for a loop was that he’d found himself staring back, admiring back, but only when she wasn’t looking. She had curves of natural beauty, a modest bust, long, strong legs, hair that was exceptionally beautiful when she wore it down, a sweet, innocent smile, and an inner strength that exceeded his own. And now he had to approach all that and undress her without permission.
To his surprise, part of him was eagerly anticipating it.
He replaced the scrub shirt someone had thrown on him when they’d first arrived with a smock covered in little squares arranged in a diamond pattern. He balled up his aromatic clothes in the scrub shirt and plopped them on the floor, then took two little plastic balls from his pack and dropped one in each boot. They would take care of the smell.
Aerigo spied three large bottled waters on the counter on the opposite side of the room. Grateful for a legitimate delay, he went over and downed one of them as familiar voices drew closer to the doorway.
“Well, maybe he fell asleep again or forgot,” Arryk said earnestly, then popped his head in the room. His pointy ears stuck through his pale hair. “Oh, hi there. Are you done?”
Aerigo shook his head and set the empty bottle on the counter.
“Okay, don’t forget to tell us.” He slipped back out of view.
Aerigo stared at the empty doorway, then made himself go back to Rox, feeling even more self-conscious with two doctors waiting for him. On top of that, memories of the times he’d undressed Sandra cropped up. It had been like unwrapping the universe’s greatest gift every time. His heart rate quickened.
Rox lay asleep, seemingly unbothered by the dragon venom, although she felt a little hot to the touch, but nowhere near as bad as before.
“Pruina,” Aerigo said in disbelief. It was the cooling incantation he’d be
en trying to recall right after Rox had passed out. Frustrating how it effortlessly came to him when he wasn’t fighting the urge to panic. He began to believe it would be better to leave her behind after she woke. He’d done a horrible job of keeping her safe ever since the night they’d met.
Aerigo pulled back the sheet. His eyes honed right in on Roxie’s breasts before he averted his gaze and draped the sheet back over her. She was still exposed from having her tank top and bra cut in half. Memories of undressing Sandra advance to all the times they had made love, how it felt to have their bodies rocking together, how their voices sounded in the throes of passion, their heavy breathing, how they couldn’t stop smiling after, if they’d had any energy left. And now here lay another young woman so amazingly similar to the wife he’d lost. He retrieved the smock from the foot of the gurney and draped it over the sheet. Strings in hand, he slipped his fingers behind her neck and tied them in a bow, then slipped his hands under the smock and pulled the sheet all the way off the gurney and set it in a heap on the other bed. The bubble pattern smock kept Rox decently covered, but his eyes wandered to her chest. He licked his lips and imagined himself kissing her in intimate places.
He silently scolded himself for forming such thoughts. It wasn’t fair to Rox. He needed to take better care of her, not think about bedding her. She was at the mercy of his care, especially now. He slipped his hands under Roxie’s smock at the shoulder, and felt around for the cut ends of her tank top. Changing her into a smock was just another aspect of his care. He had to keep burying his thoughts about how beautiful he found her, and how he wanted to do much more than hug. There was no time for such things, even if there was a chance that their feelings were mutual.
Aerigo found one bra strap, then the other, and slid them off her shoulders. He let go of her afflicted shoulder and slipped an arm under her shoulder blades, worked her left arm out of her clothes, and her head tilted back, presenting her neck. Aerigo pictured himself kissing her just below the ear, then scolded himself again for the third time in under a minute.
It had been 610 years, according to Druconica’s reckoning, since Sandra had died. Over the last six hundred years, seeking romance hadn’t ever been a priority. He’d gotten a delectable taste of romance long ago, lost it prematurely, then vowed to never do that to himself again. Yet, despite not being human, Aigis were wired to seek companionship just like humans. He’d sought out quality friends instead, and tried harder to revisit them before they died. He’d shut down the romantic part of himself since Sandra. Every little detail about Roxie seemed to be waking it back up. It couldn’t have picked a worse time.
Doing his best to ignore his arousal, which wasn’t working, he finished taking off Roxie’s bra and tank top as his mind replayed erotic memories, then he tossed the ruined clothes in the garbage. Next he tied the last two pairs of strings to Roxie’s smock. He had to pull her into a hug, but that was fine. Hugging had already been established as welcome contact, but right now he was trying to keep his hips respectably distant from her. He set her back on the gurney almost like a dancer leading his partner into a dip. Gods, I wish she was awake right now. Aerigo brought his face close to Roxie’s, his lips aligned above hers. “Rox?” He watched intently for the lightest twitch of her closed eyelids as he rubbed her thigh, hip and waist. They had time for a little something. He mentally counted to five.
Nothing.
Letting go of Rox and straightening up, Aerigo closed his eyes. “I apologize, Rox. I’m not thinking clearly.” Hands touching only the side of the gurney, he took a moment to calm himself with several deep breaths.
He gently worked off her boots and socks, which didn’t smell much better than his. More intimate memories flashed through his mind as he undid the button and zipper to her pants, causing his heart to race again. He took in a deep breath, then let out a resigned sigh through his nose. They both needed showers, Rox needed to get well, and they had a war to prevent before they could even begin to think of themselves. But, of course, one part of him had other priorities.
He took off the metal bands from around her thighs and slipped his hands under the small of her back and mumbled an apology as he was forced to feel her glutes in each hand so he could remove her pants. He pulled them off by the cuffs and rolled them up, heart still pounding, and what it felt like to gently grab her glutes lingering in his conscious thoughts. He fixed her smock so it was covering her to halfway down her thighs, instead of being bunched up above her hips, then draped the sheet back over her, tucking it under the sides of the padding so Rox wouldn’t get cold from the air conditioning. Once she looked all snug, he allowed himself a kiss to her forehead, then went for another bottle of water.
At this point, if for some crazy reason Rox needed CPR, he would probably shove every doctor aside and breathe life back into her himself.
Aerigo finished the second bottle and decided to leave the third for later. Maybe Rox would need it before he did. He hoped so, at least. He crossed to the ICU’s doorway and poked his head out into the hall. Arryk and Jenna stood leaning against the wall. Arryk was a bit hunched so his head wouldn’t be in the way of the lowest track of the internal delivery system. Both doctors straightened up and followed him back into the ICU.
“You look a little cleaner,” Arryk said lightly.
“You look healthier, too, by the way,” Jenna said. “And so does she. Both your energies are much more stable than when you first got here.”
Aerigo gave her a curious look.
“I’m a Sensor. I can see auras, which means I can see what ails you in the form of colors. It’s kind of like looking at a rainbow in humanoid shape.” She started collecting blood transfusion paraphernalia from drawers and cabinets, and organized the items on a stainless steel tray. “I can also see that energy pouring into you when you sleep. Even though you’ve gotten several hours of rest, you still have a long way to go.” She said it so casually that Aerigo almost forgot how dangerous his power was. Jenna guided her loaded tray over to Roxie’s gurney. “You caused a temporary blackout when you first started recharging.” She looked at him with awe and a hint of fear in her eyes. “That’s a lot of energy.”
Aerigo took an unconscious step back. “I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” He was turning into a monster again. How many operations did he interrupt and life-supporting machines did he shut down?
“No one. It’s okay. Everyone’s okay. Please relax.”
Aerigo took a calming breath and the heat from his glowing eyes dissipated. He was still anything but relaxed.
Arryk slid over one of the cushiony chairs and set it by Roxie’s good arm, then touched something in the back of the chair, causing the legs to stretch, bringing the seat to waist height. “Have a seat, Aerigo.”
Aerigo complied. “I have to leave this place soon. There are things I need to do. After Rox wakes, I need to leave her behind, where she’ll be safe.” Memory of the jolt that had passed between him and Daio after explaining how an Aigis’ powers work flashed across his mind.
Jenna studied him a moment with her brows furrowed, then glanced past him and at Arryk. She looked back at Aerigo and her gaze grew distant as blue lines branched out from her eyes over where the veins in her face were. Her distant gaze passed over Rox. The Sensor’s gaze was like looking at someone passing judgement, unsettling him. His conscience had been weighing him down ever since the night Sandra had died. He threaded his hand in Roxie’s for comfort, and, to his surprise, the contact made him feel more at ease. Jenna looked at their entwined hands. “Don’t leave her. Take her wherever you go.” She blinked. Her gaze returned to normal and the blue lines dissolved.
Aerigo gazed at Roxie’s face in repose, then watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. “I can’t. It’s very dangerous where I’m going. I can’t keep her safe if she comes with me.”
Arryk came around to his side. “That’s understandable, but you don’t sound like you agree with your own decision.”
&n
bsp; “I don’t.” Aerigo still hadn’t made up his mind on what to do, but maybe making a decision aloud would help him agree with what Daio had said. It made sense to keep Rox safe, but it also made sense to trust Baku and look to Rox for both strength and a solution. He’d made her look just like Sandra for a reason Aerigo hadn’t figured out yet. What had Maharaja said?
Jenna said, “Arryk, help me get the transfusion going, and then I need you to go find Donai and Skitt, and tell them no one’s allowed in ICU 140 until I page them. That goes for you, too. This is a Sensor thing. I don’t want anyone to disturb us.”
Arryk popped her a playful pout. “Okay.”
The two doctors meticulously washed up before setting to work. Aerigo got engrossed in watching Jenna drain Roxie’s blood. The doctor hadn’t needed his help puncturing her skin, which discouraged his hopes for Rox. He’d hoped she would be recovered enough to have regained her physical toughness.
“Whoops!” Arryk exclaimed. “Duh, I forgot. Hello, bucket!” The biohazard bucket lit up at the base, sprouted a pair of stubby wings, then took to the air and paused before Arryk’s chest. The Elf deposited his broken butterfly needle and thanked the bucket as he walked past it. It flew back to its spot on the counter and reverted back to inert as the acorn shaped robot presented him with a fresh needle. “Aerigo, I need your help.” With Aerigo’s help, he was able to draw a pint of blood from him.
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