by Heather Karn
I didn’t like that attitude, and neither did Kilani by the soft growl, but Rish ignored him as he packed up the med bag. “There has to be something more.”
“If she’s as strong as you say, then she’ll be fine. What she needs now is rest. Rest is the best healer among any species I’ve met. But if you aren’t satisfied, speak with Saren or Yulaki about what they have for pain relief. That’s the only one I have because it’s the only one I need.”
“Thank you, Rish. I’m sorry for my behavior.”
“It’s understandable, Captain. Males usually become a bit unhinged the first few times their Mate is injured. I’m used to it around here.”
When Kilani didn’t correct Rish that I wasn’t his mate, I widened my eyes and stared up at the captain. He squeezed my hand and his gaze turned to knowing. So, there was a reason why he didn’t correct the other man. If he thought he wouldn’t need to explain it later, he was wrong, so he’d best be prepared to talk about it.
“Can she ride the glider?” Kilani asked Rish, who stood and strode to his glider.
“If she has enough mobility to keep herself balanced, she should be able to ride with you.”
“Even if she doesn’t, I will hold her,” Kilani stated, lifting me into his arms without warning, being cautious to be careful with my injured leg. When he reached the glider, he stepped up onto the thin platform and swung a leg over and sat me in his lap. My arms were working well enough now that I was able to hold onto him and bury my face in his uniform to keep from having the wind whip at me and so I could grit my teeth past the pain without him seeing.
However, he took the ride so slow and gentle to the ring of buildings that there wasn’t much added pain beyond the throbbing that still remained with the wound. The other gliders zoomed past us, one of the men bringing his up beside ours to give Kilani the report that the Hydandros had been driven back and a team would remain in the quadrant until a few hours past nightfall. As the sun was closing in on the horizon, that wouldn’t be too much longer.
“I’m okay,” I murmured minutes later when my mouth finally allowed me to speak.
Kilani looked down at me and I could feel the tension ease from his body. He slowed the glider to a stop and wrapped his other arm around me. “I’m so sorry for allowing them to hurt you. Forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. By the way, you keep touching me.”
He chuckled, leaning forward to rest his forehead against mine. “Forgive me for that, then. I was so full of fear for you and sorrow for the pain you felt that I couldn’t help it. And I thought that would be a time when your need for touch would be stronger.”
“Is that why Rish thinks we’re Mates?”
“Probably. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t correct him. It is beyond disrespectful for a male to touch a female like that to whom he isn’t mated, especially when she is unable to tell him to stop. That was not a time for that discussion with Rish.”
If that was disrespectful, then the way he was holding me now was even more so, but I couldn’t find it in me to make him stop. Soft trembles coursed through his body. He was taking this worse than I was, or I was in shock. Either way, I let him calm down until he straightened and looked down at me with a grin.
“I meant what I told Rish: you are full of fire and strength that I’ve never seen in a female. Our females are not weak, but there is a meekness about them that you don’t possess.”
“Or you haven’t seen it,” I murmured, remembering all the times I’d cowered and hid from the man who was supposed to love me.
His eyes narrowed and voice softened even further, grin falling to a concerned tight line. “Who hurt you, Cammie?”
I buried my face in his uniform, wishing it was soft cloth instead of whatever hard material it was made out of. “I’m not ready to talk about it. Please don’t make me.”
“I would never. When you want to tell me, I’ll be ready to listen.” His voice grew hoarse. “I hope I do not remind you of him. I know I did the day we first met when I was harsh with you, and I regret that often.”
Lifting my head, I pressed my hand to his cheek. “You did remind me of him then, but you don’t anymore.” It was true. The more I got to know Kilani, the more I was having a difficult time resisting him, his charm and sweet soul. There was no way I was ready to choose a mate yet, but if I was serious with myself, the captain stood a good chance in the running.
He was quiet, watching me stare up at him, his mind working but not telling me what he was thinking. A soft smile lifted the edges of his lips and his eyes grew gentle. “I should return you to the ship so you can rest like Rish directed. I’ll speak with our scientists to find if they have anything that will help with the pain.”
As much as I disliked Saren, the throbbing in my leg was growing worse. If they couldn’t find something that would take the pain away, or dampen it, I wasn’t going to sleep much. After what happened, I wasn’t sure I’d sleep at all, but I’d try so I wouldn’t worry Kilani.
This time when we raced forward, I held tight to Kilani and he leaned forward with both arms, flying across the open area much faster than minutes ago. A group of soldiers waited for us near where the gliders were parked. When they saw us, and me staring back at them, more than one relaxed, shoulders dropping and a few sighs of relief cut through the air.
“Is she all right, Captain?” one of the men asked, stepping forward to help Kilani lift me from the glider. I was in the other man’s arms for a brief second before I was transferred back to Kilani. As my leg was injured, apparently this touch was allowed.
“She will be fine, with some rest,” the captain told him, his gaze raking over his men. “Thank you for your concern.”
“We would’ve come after you,” the one who’d held me responded, stepping back so Kilani could move ahead. “But the security squad took all the gliders.”
“I appreciate the initiative, Galdro. If I’d taken extra precautions, it wouldn’t have been needed.”
The other man shrugged, keeping in step beside Kilani, the others falling in behind us. “Anyone else would’ve done the same. We haven’t been attacked here in years, so I wouldn’t have assumed they’d choose today to do it. Do not be so hard on yourself, Captain. You protected her. That is enough.”
“She was still injured,” Kilani growled, more to himself than his soldier.
“She,” I stated, reminding them I was still present. “Had a great time. The ending was a bit of a pain, literally, but it was worth it to see and walk around on another planet.”
Sighing, Kilani led us between the buildings. “We have one more stop to make before reaching Lutharia. If you are healed by then, I’ll let you come with me again, but I will be taking more precautions.”
“Just don’t smother me.”
Kilani chuckled. “You and your human sayings. I’ll never understand them.”
After laying me on his bed and making sure I was comfortable, Kilani went in search of his scientists, leaving Galdro outside in the corridor in case I required assistance. Since he didn’t want me limping to the comm unit on the wall, Kilani gave me one that acted as a two-way radio, with Galdro having the second one. I didn’t intend to call the other man, but it was reassuring to have a way to do so in case of an emergency.
I’d fallen into a light doze when the door opened sometime later and Kilani entered with Yulaki right behind him. The young scientist held what appeared to be a syringe, the needle less than an inch long. He sat beside me on the bed and rolled my arm over so my wrist was showing.
“Do you remember the injection I gave you when you first woke up on the ship?” Yulaki asked, and I nodded. It had been the one to cut through the headache I’d woken up with. “It worked, for your aching head, correct?”
“Yeah, and pretty quick.”
“Then I’m going to try that medicine again. Please tell me if it works. It should only take a few minutes.” He pressed the needle into my wrist, and I hisse
d. Hadn’t he thought to disinfect the area first? Maybe that wasn’t a Lutharian medical practice.
After he pulled the needle from my skin, Yulaki stood up and stepped away as warmth flooded me from the injection site. Both men watched my reaction, and I waited to see how the medicine would respond to me again. In a matter of minutes, the ache in my leg had already lessened considerably.
“It’s working,” I announced, pushing up on my elbows to look down at the wound for the first time.
Since it wasn’t wrapped, it was clear to see, and I wished I hadn’t looked. Where the dart had entered were five stitches, that I could see from my angle, anyway. Dried blood covered my leg and my jeans were a mess since Rish had cut them to remove the dart...and I’d bled all over them.
Leaning back down, I groaned. “Next time warn me I don’t want to see that.”
“Hopefully another time will not come where that is necessary, but I will remember,” Kilani muttered. “Thank you, Yulaki.”
The younger scientist nodded and bowed slightly. “You’re welcome, Captain. It is an honor to serve. Shall I return to my station now, or do you require other assistance?”
“You may return.” Once the door had closed behind Yulaki, Kilani sat on the bed where the scientist had vacated after injecting me. “How do you feel?”
“In less pain. What were those things?”
“The Hydandro?”
“Yeah. They were like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
Kilani tilted his head, taking a moment to think. “You’ll find that space is full of creatures you’ve never seen. Even I haven’t seen all the creatures and species that inhabit the planets.”
“Obviously. You’ve never seen a human before me, I’m assuming.”
He grinned wide, his whiskers twitching. “You assume correctly. As for the Hydandro...they’re a mix between a sentient being and an animal. Their instincts are that of an animal searching for prey, but the way they do it is with intelligence that their kind shouldn’t have.”
“Like using the gliders to come after us.”
“Yes, and the darts.” He shivered. “And the way they eat their prey is animalistic, to put it in a less graphic way.”
“How?” I didn’t want to know. Didn’t even want to think about it. But a morbid side of me had to know what would’ve happened had they reached us before the Lutharians had.
“Do you truly want to know?”
“Yes.”
“The darts stun the prey, as they did you. Then once the prey is immobile and unable to fight back...they feast, as a group.”
My eyes widened. “Like, eaten alive?”
Kilani nodded, grimacing. “Yes, but I never would’ve let them have you. Not unless I was dead before they could reach you.”
Swallowing bile, I closed my eyes and tried not to picture those beasts with the gaping mouth of spiny teeth eating me alive. “Thank you for answering.”
“Of course. Now, I need to let you sleep. It is likely past your time to do so anyway. I’m unsure if we’ll be back in space when you awake or on the planet. Galdro will be able to tell you. I need Maltak on the deck while I finish a few other tasks, so Galdro will remain outside.” He patted my hand that held the comm unit. “Use this if you need him. I want you to stay off your feet for as long as possible.”
“Yes, Sir.” I shot him a tired grin, making him smile.
“That’s better. Now, sleep.”
My eyes were already closed and I was drifting off before he even left the bedroom, his scent drifting around me.
I wasn’t sure again how long I’d slept, but when I woke up, my leg was throbbing and my bladder was full. Neither were a comfortable sensation alone, but together? Miserable.
And there was no way that I was calling Galdro into the room to help me limp to the bathroom.
Sitting up, I refused to look at the wound. After I relieved myself, I’d work on cleaning it. Until then, I didn’t want to see it.
It took all the willpower I had to swing my legs over the side of the bed, being extra cautious not to bump my injured calf. If only Kilani had laid me on the side closest to the bathroom so I wouldn’t have to maneuver around the bed now.
Instead of limping around, I used my good leg and lifted myself and shimmied around until a solid five feet stood between me and the bathroom door. Another five feet would then separate me from the toilet. I could make it ten feet. I had to.
A quick inhale and I pushed myself to my feet, keeping all my weight on the good leg. There was nothing between me and the door to grab, so I prayed my leg would hold out and I wouldn’t collapse.
No such luck.
The second my injured leg held my weight, screaming pain lanced through my calf and up my thigh, and I tipped, falling to the ground. Sweat broke out across my skin and I heaved breath after breath to keep from passing out or puking. That had not gone at all how I’d hoped, and it wasn’t a good sign for my future.
A voice crackled over the comm unit still clutched in my hand. “Cammie? Are you all right?”
Relief swamped me that it was Maltak back in the hallway instead of Galdro. Not that the other man was any less able to help me than Maltak, but I’d grown to trust the ship’s second in command. If anyone deserved a sweet companion, it was Maltak.
“I’m fine, why?” I asked into the comm unit, trying to keep my voice steady.
“You...shrieked? Squeaked? You made a noise.”
I had? Oops.
“Umm, yeah. I might’ve fallen when I tried to stand up…”
He sucked in a breath. “Are you hurt more? Do you need me to help?”
I stared at the open space between me and the toilet. Nope, definitely was not going to accept help for this mission.
“Nope, I’m good. I’ll crawl.” I probably should’ve started with that option, but now that I was on the floor, it seemed like the better idea.
Putting one hand in front of the other and using my knees and dragging my injured leg instead of lifting it, I finally made it to the bathroom door. Once inside, I pulled myself up using the vanity and used it to take my weight so I wouldn’t have to stand on my injured leg. After closing the door, I took care of business before searching out a washcloth to start wiping down my injury and to clean the blood from my skin.
The wound didn’t appear any better, though it also didn’t appear any worse. I couldn’t press hard to scrub at the blood because the pain was excruciating, so I dampened the skin over and over until the blood moistened enough for me to begin wiping it away. The process took longer than I anticipated, but when I was finished, I was happy with the clean skin.
Since I wasn’t sure if I should get it wet or not, or if I could stand that long, I opted against taking a quick shower. As it was, I slid out of my ruined pants, kicking myself for not grabbing a clean pair before entering the bathroom. Then again, I’d been on a different mission then.
Shimmying my way back to the door, I opened it only to freeze in place at the sight of Kilani standing in my room appearing all sorts of worried and flustered. The sight of me standing in the doorway in nothing but my underwear and shirt didn’t help him. Eyes widened as his gaze dropped to my bare legs, completely missing my injury. The second his gaze whipped back to my face, the shock of seeing him evaporated, and with a yelp, I slammed the door shut and took a deep breath while I covered my overheating face.
“Cammie,” Kilani called from the other side of the door, reminding me I hadn’t locked it. “Forgive me. I came to relieve Maltak and he said you’d fallen. I was worried, so I came to check on you.”
“And the comm unit wasn’t good enough?” I screeched back through the door.
I could almost hear a shrug in Kilani’s voice when he responded. “Maltak said he didn’t believe you were telling him the truth about being okay. I needed to see for myself.”
“Well, you saw all right.”
A thump against the door had to be his head hitting it considering the general ar
ea the thud emanated from. “Touching is one thing, but this was completely inappropriate. I encourage you to file a report for this. If you have questions or need help, I will gladly assist.”
“You’re serious?”
“Very.” The humorless tone of his voice was witness to what he said.
Though I was embarrassed, it had been an innocent accident. He hadn’t come in my room knowing I would step out of the bathroom half naked, and I hadn’t known he was in the room. Could I face him again after what he’d seen, and his obvious reaction? Well, whether or not I could wasn’t the right question. I didn’t want to, but this was his ship and technically his quarters, so we’d be bound to run into one another again soon.
“Or Maltak can assist you if you prefer,” Kilani added when I remained silent, reminding me of his offer of help in filing a report against him.
Stealing myself, I cracked open the door an inch, meeting his shame-filled gaze. “Can you grab whatever pants you can find and bring them here?”
“Are you-?”
“I can’t walk on this leg or I’d do it myself. It’s easier if you grab them for me and don’t look when you hand them to me.”
“I will not.”
“Good. Do that and you’re forgiven.”
His eyes met mine through the thin crack. “You cannot forgive me that easily.”
“I can and I will. Just hurry. I’m tired, I hurt, and I’m cold.” Past experience had shown that appealing to his need to take care of me always won out over anything else, and it worked yet again.
Nodding, Kilani rushed away, returning seconds later with a pair of leggings. Not the best option. Those would kill my stitches, but the fact that he was desperate to have me covered and warm won out over his dislike of the clothes.
“Can I change my mind?”
“You aren’t leaving that room without leg coverings.”
“Yeah, I get that. I just need something different. Those will press on the stitches. In the bottom drawer of the dresser is a pair of shorts. A black pair. I’ll take those.”
“Shorts?”
“Short pants. Knee length.” Thankfully I had a pair that long. If he took a look at my workout gear, he’d likely pass out.