Vera shook her head against his shirt and the firm, warm body under it. She released her fisted grip on the material and slid her hand up to his shoulder, clutching him there. “I just want to hold on to you. You’re my real alien. I’m not food.”
That was important. She just forgot why for a few seconds. Then she remembered the creatures outside the pods. They had started to devour poor Crystal like she’d been a dead carcass, only she’d still been alive. Her screams had helped the search team find her. Roth was an alien, but he didn’t want to eat her.
“No. You are not food. I won’t allow anything to happen to you.” Roth gently stroked her back as his gruff voice tried to assure her.
At least she hoped that was his big hand against her skin. It felt nice. Soothing. It also helped calm some of her fears. He wasn’t a figment of her imagination. First, she could feel him. Second, he wasn’t threatening to kill her like bigfoot had, or insulting her the way her father had. Her alien was trying to make her feel safe. And she did. As long as she could hold on to him.
“Don’t disappear,” she pleaded to him.
“I won’t leave you, Vera. I gave my promise, remember?”
“Goddamn it,” Dr. Kane huffed. “Miss Wade needs medical treatment, Mr. Roth. Not to be babied and cooed at. Step aside. If she gets combative, we’ll strap her down. You’re interfering with the treatment of my patient.”
“Shut up!” Vera shouted, terrified that nasty voice would make Roth disappear. “Roth isn’t my asshole father or bigfoot. He’s my good alien. You can’t take him away from me.” She burrowed even closer and clung to him tighter.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Dr. Kane yelled. “Move, Mr. Roth. It’s obvious she’s delirious. Let us strap her down before she becomes more combative. You’re not helping her. Leave, or I will call security.”
“Don’t go!” Vera started to cry. “I hate you, Dr. Cunt! That should be your name. You want me to lose my alien. He’s mine! You can’t take him from me.”
Someone chuckled.
“Don’t laugh, Nurse Amy,” the female doctor snapped. “That’s not funny.”
Roth growled low. “I’m picking you up, Vera. I’ll put you on my lap. That way you can hold on to me but the doctor can reach you. I’m not leaving.” He snarled that last part.
His hand slid across Vera’s back and wrapped around her. He released her hand and slid his other arm under her legs before lifting her. Then Vera felt him turn, taking a seat. It left her ass planted on two big thighs. There was material between her butt and him.
“You’re on my lap now.” Roth’s voice remained near her ear. “You need to turn your face away from my chest though so the doctor can see what’s happening with your eyes. It’s alarming me, Vera. The dark centers are doing bad things.”
Vera hesitated.
“I’m holding you,” Roth reminded her. “I won’t let go. Trust me. I haven’t lied to you, have I? Try to think rationally. You are drugged. You spoke of how it is doing bad things to your mind. You need help that I can’t give you. Allow the doctor to see your eyes. Please.”
She nodded against his shirt and forced her face away, twisting it to the side. Her eyes were open but she couldn’t see a thing.
“Shit,” Dr. Kane whispered. “The scans didn’t pick this up. It can’t be caused by a brain injury. That would have registered. I’m guessing the drug is the cause. It could be causing swelling to the optical nerves. I’m not an ophthalmologist though. Can you see anything, Miss Wade? Any light? Spots?”
Vera shook her head. “The darkness comes and goes.”
“That’s actually good to hear. That implies it’s probably not permanent damage. I’ll call in Doctor Zoner to consult in the morning if this persists, once some of that drug leaves your system.”
Vera turned her head back into Roth’s chest and closed her eyes. She tried to rock but his strong arms prevented her from doing more than just swaying a little. Her alien adjusted her on his firm thighs and slid his arm out from under her leg, wrapping it around her waist instead. It made movement easier for her.
She nuzzled against his shirt with her cheek. “You’re such a good alien.”
Someone snickered nearby. It was a man who whispered, “Does she think he’s a fucking pet?”
Another man whispered back, both of their voices loud enough for her to hear. “She’s doped up. It’s possible. I bet she wouldn’t be so calm if anyone told her that he’s the leader of the deadliest tactical team we have onboard right now.”
Someone chuckled.
Roth growled loudly. “She isn’t having problems with her hearing, and neither am I. Do you find this female’s distress amusing?”
“No,” two voices quickly stated.
“Clear the room,” Dr. Kane ordered. “Now. I’ll speak to the both of you later.”
Vera heard footsteps hurry away and then a loud sigh.
“This is not how I believed my evening would go when they said we had an emergency coming in. Here’s where we’re at, as I read more of the notes sent up from the surface.” Dr. Kane paused. “Every drug Dr. Hazel tried to counteract this experimental shit is what we’d use. They had a surprisingly well-stocked pharmacy down on that planet. Therefore, I believe the only course of action is to allow this drug to naturally dissipate. I’d guess it might take anywhere from thirty to possibly as many as eighty hours. I’ll get a better estimate by running more blood tests every three hours.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Roth stroked the outside of Vera’s leg through what felt like a sheet as he spoke. “I’m not a medic.”
“We’re going to monitor her closely as we let her body naturally work the drug out of her system. I’m going to agree with Doctor Josie Hazel, and hope she’ll fully recover once that’s happened. You saw how well flushing her with fluids and giving her a sedative worked. She almost coded. That means it nearly stopped her heart. She’s no longer being exposed. I scanned her for a medical implant, but there wasn’t one. I’m having our coroner check all the victims for implants, too, once their bodies have been transferred here. I’m thinking that might be something Doctor Hazel dismissed as harmless. New Worlds is a privately owned company. They probably required all their employees to have them.”
“Implants?” Vera’s alien sounded confused.
“Yes. Think small capsules inserted inside their bodies. Some humans require medications that are time-released to prevent them from missing doses.”
“Birth control,” Vera muttered, inserting herself into their conversation. “I don’t have one. New Worlds asks all employees to have them so no one gets pregnant by accident, but it’s not required if you sign a waiver. I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping with anyone.”
The hand rubbing her leg stilled.
She nuzzled her cheek against his chest. “I’m not stupid. Work romances usually fail, or the guys tend to have someone waiting at home for them that they lie about. Nope. I wanted no part of that. I’ve had friends who did. Saw their heartbreak. I don’t need that shit-show. Life is hard enough.”
Long seconds of silence passed.
“As I was saying,” Dr. Kane cleared her throat, “The tactical teams sent down to the New Worlds facility are still investigating. The water tanks scanned as clean and the air recyclers showed no traces. They’re testing their food stores now. That’s going to take hours. They’ll test―”
“It can’t be the food,” Vera cut in. “I stopped eating everything except what I personally brought with me. I had some chocolate bars and snacks in my locker. No one had access to it. It’s got a bio lock, and I always kept it sealed. People will steal food if they know someone brought really good stuff. I was afraid everything in the company kitchen might be contaminated. I stopped showering and drinking water, too, in case that’s how the drug was getting inside me.”
She paused, trying to think and be helpful. “I had some sodas I brought with me, and rationed them by only taking a sip every once in
a while, to make them last. It didn’t help. Nothing did.”
Roth resumed stroking her thigh.
“I feel confident that they’ll discover the source of contamination,” Dr Kane replied. “We’ll figure out what happened down there. Now, I’m going to my office and sending some requests to Brilon for more details on this drug that somehow was illegally produced and set loose.”
“Thank you,” Roth rasped. “I will stay with Vera.”
“Yell out if she needs something. The bed will monitor her vitals. Keep her on it.”
“I will,” Roth agreed.
Vera heard the doctor leave. She wore loud shoes. They faded until she couldn’t detect them anymore.
Roth moved his head, putting his mouth closer to her ear. “How are you, Vera?”
She snuggled into Roth. “Don’t let me go.”
“May we lie down? I will hold you.”
She had to think about that.
“I will hold you,” he repeated softly. “I will not leave you. You need rest.”
“Kay,” she got out.
Her alien was strong. He lifted her and then turned her on her side, away from him. Panic started to hit until he pressed his body along her back, pulling her tight against him.
He bent his legs, molding them against the back of her thighs and calves. She pointed her toes, pressing the heels of her feet against whatever material he wore. Her toes couldn’t find his foot. It meant he must actually be as tall as she’d imagined while hugging him during that decontamination shower. She didn’t really trust her senses to be accurate though.
He rested what she guessed was his chin on the top of her head. “Are you comfortable?”
“Yes. I’d like to turn over and hold on to you though.”
“The bed is narrow. It’s better if I hold you this way to prevent one of us from falling over the edge.”
“You won’t let me go?”
“I will not, Vera. Veslors always keep their promises.”
She’d heard that word before. “Veslors?”
“I’m a Veslor. It’s my race.”
“Right. Didn’t some of them come to the aid of a fleet ship in distress? I saw something about that on the newsfeeds.”
“Yes.”
“Is this the same ship? Did you stay on?”
“No. Those Veslors are traders. I’m a fighter. My grouping is working on Defcon Red right now because our king asked us to assist your fleet. My people and yours have opened trading agreements and made alliances together.”
She closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. “Did New Worlds send you? I work for them.”
“No. The fleet commander diverted Defcon Red to your planet when a distress hail was picked up. We were on our way somewhere else.”
“How many of your kind are on this ship?”
“My grouping has four males.”
She realized she was caressing the skin on his arm around her waist instead of clutching it. His body solidly pressed against her back, curled around her, and he was really warm. She felt safe. “I think I want to sleep. You won’t go away?”
“I won’t let you go, Vera. Rest.”
“Thank you. I’ve seen some aliens before on stations. I avoided them because I was terrified that I’d accidently insult them or give them the wrong impression. I worked with a woman on my first job who told me about something that had happened to her on a station. She smiled at an alien that resembled a bird. She thought he was pretty cool-looking. Then he got upset because she tried to walk away. It turned out, on his planet, a woman smiling at a man means she’s agreed to become his wife. But you’re so nice that I don’t care if you think I’ll marry you. Thank you, Roth.”
He made a soft snorting sound. It might have been a laugh. “I don’t expect anything from you in return for taking care of you.”
She fought back a sob. The gratitude she felt toward him almost overwhelmed her emotions. He had to have the patience of a saint to put up with her. “I know I’m crazy right now. I’m so sorry.” She stopped brushing her fingertips over his skin and clung to his thick wrist. “I knew all my coworkers pretty well. Some of us have worked other jobs together. They’re all dead, aren’t they?”
“Don’t think about that now. Get well first.”
“How can I not think about it? Why me? Doctor Hazel was so smart. She should have survived instead.”
“You’re a total fuck-up. You should be dead.”
She flinched when her father’s voice suddenly sounded in the room. “You’re not here! Fuck off!”
“Vera?” Roth held her tighter.
“Tell him go away!” She clung to Roth’s wrist.
“Who, Vera? Do you want me to let you go?”
“No!” She panicked. “He isn’t really here, is he? Please tell me he’s not.”
“We are alone together in this room.”
Her alien’s words comforted her.
“You need to die so I can get money from that company you work for. Be a good daughter for once and just fucking die,” her father taunted. It sounded like he spoke just inches in front of her face. “Die, Vera. Just fucking die like all the others!”
She started to sob and struggle in Roth’s hold, attempting to turn over. He didn’t let her go, but she managed to roll enough to bury her face against his shirt, clutching it. It also made him straighten his legs.
“Vera,” her alien rasped next to her ear. She felt his hot breath on her skin. “Whatever is going on in your head, it is just that. In your head. I have you, and you are safe.”
She nodded.
“Don’t listen to that fucking alien. He’s lying to you. God, you’re such an idiot! Your mother should have birthed me a son. Boys are smarter. I wouldn’t have left her if she had. But no, I got you. You’re fucking worthless.”
She’d heard her father say that to her before, when they’d argued in the past. That had been very real. “This is why I hate you. You’re such an asshole! I don’t owe you shit. If I die, you won’t get a penny. That would mean I’d listed you as my beneficiary. I excluded you to make sure you’d never profit from me.”
“Vera, stop.” Roth deepened his voice. “It’s the drugs. Listen to me. We are alone in this room. It is you and I.” He stroked her back and put his chin on the top of her head again, cocooning her against his chest.
Then he began to make a rumbling sound, and his chest vibrated against hers.
She focused on that noise, and liked it. The vibrations were nice, too. Like a massage where she was pressed close to him.
Her father didn’t say anything else. Maybe her alien had chased him out of her mind with that sound. Or he had distracted her from the crazy. Whatever it was, she relaxed.
Roth knew the moment Vera drifted to sleep. Her breathing remained slow but even. He relaxed his hold on her. The poor female heard voices that weren’t real and saw imaginary things that terrified her. He hoped the drugs would fade from her system and she’d be well soon.
Medical personnel quietly entered the room, checking Vera’s information displayed on a screen somewhere behind him. A few of them seemed uneasy at his presence. He didn’t care if they were comfortable or not. All that mattered was the female. Somehow, he’d become Vera’s solace. She trusted him, and he refused to disappoint her.
Dr. Kane came into the room at one point, scowling at him. “This isn’t appropriate.” She kept her voice low.
“Human customs don’t concern me. Promises do. I promised to remain with this female.”
“You’re sharing a bed and holding her.”
“I swore I’d hold her.”
The human doctor stepped closer. “It’s breaking the rules.”
“I do not care.”
She crossed her arms over her white coat. “Are you interested her?”
“I’m concerned about this female.”
Dr. Kane lowered her arms. “I mean, are you sexually interested in her?”
A low growl burst from
his chest over the insult. “She is ill and frightened. I do not see her that way.”
“I apologize. I also understand. As a doctor, I see a lot of patients but I don’t really notice if they’re attractive or not until they begin to heal. You Veslors are really something.”
“I’m not certain what you mean.”
“You have integrity. You gave your word to Miss Wade and you’re keeping it, even under the threat of me calling security. That’s admirable.”
“It is our way.”
The doctor approached the bed, reaching into the pocket of her coat before she began to put on gloves. “I need to take a peek at what her pupils are doing.”
He tensed.
“Her eyes,” she whispered. “I’ll be gentle, and it probably won’t wake her. She appears to be exhausted and sleeping deeply.”
Roth allowed the doctor to gently turn Vera’s head. She didn’t stir in his arms. Not even when the doctor used two of her gloved fingers to open Vera’s eyes. He couldn’t see what the doctor did, but she frowned before stepping back and releasing Vera.
“I really need to get a specialist in to see her in the morning. We only have two eye specialists onboard.” She met his gaze. “Both refuse to work the night shifts. Speaking of doctors, I had to ban Doctor Brick from storming in here. She tried to pull rank, but you’re not the one being treated.”
“You should allow Jessa in here.”
That had Dr. Kane’s eyebrows arching upward.
“Jessa is the close friend of a female mate in my grouping. I would like her to see Vera.”
“She’s an alien specialist. That’s her field.”
“I trust her.”
“If this were a contagion…” She paused. “A virus or disease that had been picked up on the planet we’re circling, Miss Wade would be her patient. It’s not. This was an Earth-based drug.”
None of that changed Roth’s mind. He trusted Jessa. “I would still like Jessa to see Vera.”
The doctor grunted. “I’d like a lot of things. I’ll check back when we take another blood sample.” She spun, stalking out of the room.
Roth adjusted Vera in his arms and closed his eyes. He would take a nap. The slightest noise or motion would wake him.
Mission: Planet Biter (Veslor Mates Book 4) Page 5