by Anna Adler
After some careful thinking, Alyssa went to fetch the cuffs she used when bathing him. She squatted next to Jax’s cage.
“I’m going to come in there and see how you are doing,” she said in a soft voice. “All right?”
“Whatever,” he replied.
She tapped the bars. “Come sit here. Put your hands behind your back and through the bars.”
He groaned with annoyance, but he obeyed. Once he sat with his back to the bars and put his hands through, Alyssa snapped the cuffs on his wrists and linked them together. Perhaps she was paranoid. Jax didn’t look like he was in any state to overpower her, but better safe than sorry. She entered the cage and knelt beside him. He wore only a pair of boxers and he shivered even though he was covered in sweat. The veins on his muscles stood out, as if his circulation were on overdrive. Putting her hand on his chest, she found his skin clammy and his heartbeat rapid and shallow.
Not good.
Alyssa tried not to look at the bruises covering his body. It was not important right now, even though the sight still made her angry. The important thing was helping him shake off his flu. She cupped his stubbly cheek and peered into his eyes, but Jax’s eyes promptly closed and he leaned into her hand.
“Oh yeah,” he sighed.
“What?”
“Feels good.”
“Really? What?”
“Your hand. Nice and cool.”
Alyssa’s heart swelled with pleasure. She slid her hand to his forehead and received a groan of approval from him. She smoothed his sweaty hair away from his forehead. He exhaled and visibly relaxed, enjoying her touch. Alyssa relaxed as well, a tender smile coming to her lips. She could have remained there all day, it felt so special, simply touching him and trying to soothe away his illness. This was what she wanted—being close to her pet and spending time with him, taking care of him, no matter what the circumstances. But sitting upright was hard for him in the long run. She held the towel in her other hand, and began to wipe his chest and arms.
Jax enjoyed that too, dropping his head back against the bars and letting out a long breath. Alyssa wiped his neck and shoulders, upper arms, chest, abdomen and legs. The moisture from the towel should help cool his body. When she was done, she cast a look at his bedding. Both the mattress and the blanket bore large sweat stains.
“Hold on just a moment.”
She dragged the mattress and the blanket out of the cage. She had several spare ones, and she fetched a new set, arranging them nicely for him. She collected the empty water bottles from the cage and stepped out and locked the door. Finally, she crouched behind Jax and released his wrists from the cuffs.
“You should go back to sleep now. Let me know if you need anything. I won’t be far.”
Jax crawled to his mattress and slumped down with a groan. He rolled on his back and put a hand over his eyes. “Fucking head feels as if it’s about to split open. Like I’d showered with a sledgehammer.”
Alyssa observed him for a minute. “Tell me Jax, are you afraid of needles? Or is it that you don’t like doctors?”
He went still.
She crawled closer and sat down next to the bars. “I won’t disturb you if you’d rather rest, but I want to know if there’s something you’re afraid of. I don’t want to put you in situations that freak you out.”
Jax let out a tired, raspy laugh and shook his head. “But you’re totally okay with keeping me locked up and collared.”
“That’s different.”
“Of course. Different.”
Alyssa frowned. Keeping the pet in his proper place was completely different from deliberately terrorizing or hurting him. She didn’t understand why he laughed about it. Jax seemed to sense her thoughts.
“Okay, okay. I get what you mean.” He coughed, shivered, and pulled the blanket up to cover himself. “I don’t like medical folks, you got that right. I’m not scared of them, it’s just…I don’t know. Resentment. I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”
“Why?”
Jax sighed. “Humans and S’laurians don’t mix, you know? Biologically, I mean. It doesn’t matter who fucks whom, there won’t be any offspring. A creature like me shouldn’t even exist. I don’t know who my parents were, but I bet they were nothing but genetic experiments, just like me. I grew up in a lab run by some fucked up research group. I escaped when I was fifteen. I’ve been traveling across the galaxy, doing a bit of this and that ever since. But I hate doctors. My first memories are about white-coated people sticking needles into me.”
“That’s terrible,” Alyssa said, her heart doing strange things in her chest. Horror and compassion fought for dominance inside her, alongside a disconcerting revelation. For the first time, she realized Jax had a past. He had led a life of some kind. Silenians tended to imagine that a pet only existed in the pet training center, waiting to be picked up by the future owner. Alyssa hadn’t asked Jax which planet he came from or what he had been doing in the thirty-eight years before she bought him, simply because it hadn’t occurred to her. He was on Silenia and destined to be her companion; that was all she’d thought about. She understood only now that his past mattered.
I can’t believe I didn’t ask any questions, she scolded herself, shocked at her own blindness. If I want to be a good pet owner, I have to get to know him. And he has obviously experienced terrible things.
Alyssa set her chin in determination. “Jax, listen to me. I won’t let anyone touch you unless it’s truly urgent, unless your life depends on it. And from now on, I’ll always let you know what’s being done to you. I’m sorry I overlooked it before.”
“What, my thoughts and feelings actually matter?”
“Of course they matter. And as your owner, my duty is to protect you.”
After a pause, Jax said, “You’re a funny woman, Alyssa.”
He repeatedly failed to call her Mistress, but Alyssa was growing fond of his presumptuous habit of addressing her by name. Exhausted by the fever, Jax fell asleep again. Alyssa remained there, watching him. Silenia was an isolated world. Due to the planet’s limited capacity to support life, the colony was off-limits to interstellar travelers. The space stations in the orbit were the only places people from other systems sometimes visited, but Alyssa had rarely seen them. Silenian society focused on alien races only as something to collect and put on a leash. Alyssa had assumed people on other planets did the same, but now she found herself wondering what really went on outside the dome.
Lucia called in the afternoon, eager to hear more pet news.
“So when can I come and see him?” she asked Alyssa. “Are you doing anything today?”
“Now is not a good time,” Alyssa replied. “He’s down with a flu. It’s a pretty severe case.”
“Oh. You called the vet, right?”
“Yes. We ended up disagreeing about the treatment.”
“Why’s that?”
“Jax doesn’t like doctors. Say, Lucia…have you ever wondered what kind of lives wild pets have before they’re caught and brought here?”
“I guess they’re just roaming around free. Why?”
“Do you think they’re happy, roaming around free?”
“I suppose, if they don’t know any better. But I bet they’d all want to be pets if they knew what it’s like.”
Alyssa agreed with Lucia. Pets led secure and comfortable lives. They didn’t have to worry about food or clothes or accommodation because their owners took care of everything. They didn’t have to fear violence, unless they misbehaved. When they fell ill, they got the best treatment. The owners loved their pets and were proud of their qualities. It was a blessed existence. She was sure Jax would learn to appreciate all this.
Alyssa stayed near Jax all afternoon and evening. Before she went to bed, she once more entered his cage and wiped his body with a cold, moist towel.
“You’re an angel,” Jax murmured, his eyes half closed, his head hanging. “An angel with icy fingertips.”
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Fear wrenched Alyssa’s gut. “You’re delirious.”
“No matter. You’re still an angel. A pretty, cruel angel who put me in chains and won’t let me go.”
“Save your strength. Once I’m done here, you’ll go straight back to sleep, all right?”
“Why don’t you let me touch you? Fuck, it’s so harsh…I want to touch you, but it’s always you touching me.”
“Jax? Did you hear me?”
“Yes, you have deft hands…you know how to use them. It burns and freezes, drives me insane.”
“I’m glad you like my hands, but—”
“No one ever wanted to touch me before. Not the way you do.”
“Jax, you’re scaring me. I’m calling the vet.”
“No!”
“You have terribly high fever and you’re not yourself. You might die overnight.”
“I’m fine! Fuck, I survived my ship getting blown up; I’m not succumbing to some stupid little Silenian bug.”
“Jax…”
“No! No doctors.”
Alyssa’s eyes filled with tears. “All right,” she whispered, caressing his face. “But you have to fight this. Promise me you’ll get better.”
She was terrified of losing him. The thought felt like losing a limb; an important part of her simply hacked off, left to bleed. She had grown so fond of him so quickly, and she had such high hopes for the two of them…she would bleed forever if he died now.
“You’re an angel,” Jax said, nuzzling her hand. “You’ll heal me.”
It was long past midnight when Alyssa finally dared to leave Jax alone and go to bed.
I can’t take care of him if I’m not fit.
But the next morning, she could barely open her eyes. Her head felt as if someone was hammering a nail through it. Every part of her body ached and she was cold, so cold. She shivered, no matter how tightly she pulled the blanket around her.
Oh damn.
Getting out of bed was the last thing her body wanted to do, but she gritted her teeth and forced it.
Damn, damn, damn…
She stumbled to the living room to check on Jax. Relief flooded her when she found him still breathing. Changing clothes and doing her morning routines took over an hour. The thought of breakfast made her nauseous and she pushed it out of her mind. Her phone rang, the sound rankling through her brain and making her wince.
“Just checking on you,” Lucia’s cheerful voice said into her ear. “How are you doing today?”
“Not so hot,” Alyssa mumbled, sneezed, and tucked her robe tighter around her. “I’m sick now, too.”
“Oh shit. Is it bad?”
“I’m not gonna die from it. I’ve been through this before. But I’m worried about Jax. I’m going to have a hard time taking care of him now that I’m sick myself.”
“You’re gonna need help. I can’t get off work, otherwise I’d volunteer. But you could call a pet care agency.”
Alyssa agreed this was the best thing to do. She went to Jax to inform him. He was asleep, but cracked his eyes open when she called his name.
“I’m going to have to call some people to come look after you,” she said, clutching her phone. “Don’t worry, they won’t touch you. They’ll only keep an eye on you and bring you what you need.”
“No,” he growled, his unfocused eyes gleaming with sickness. “I don’t want that.”
“I’ve caught the flu, too,” Alyssa explained. “I won’t be able to watch over you. I might be too sick to notice if your condition worsens.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“These people are professionals,” she assured him, although her own experience with professionals had been rather negative lately. “It’s for your own good.”
“Alyssa.” Jax reached his hand out of the cage. “Don’t go.”
Touched by his gesture, Alyssa stared at his hand, battling with herself, tempted to take it. “I’m not going away. I’m just going to—”
“No. Stay with me. I don’t want anyone else here.”
Alyssa’s heart melted. “All right then.”
Holding her breath, she put her trembling hand into his. Reassured, Jax went right back to sleep. Alyssa gazed at him in wonder, her heart swelling with warmth and happiness despite the ache of the fever.
My wild, dangerous pet!
She was holding his hand, and he didn’t try to hurt her. Granted, he was probably too sick to do anything, but this moment she would never forget.
Chapter 10
Alyssa dragged a mattress to the living room, cursing silently.
I don’t remember these things being so damn heavy…
The fever exhausted her, making even the smallest tasks an effort. Finally, she managed to get the mattress next to Jax’s cage. She fetched water bottles, a thermal can full of herb tea, a box of tissues, a pillow and lastly, a blanket. She curled up in her makeshift bed, longing to sleep, but the concern for her pet kept her awake.
“Hey, this is cozy,” he commented from the other side of the bars. “Welcome to the floor.”
“I just need to keep an eye on you.”
“Yeah. Good. If something happens to you now, I’m fucked.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m more resistant to this flu than you are.” She sneezed and grabbed a tissue.
“You don’t sound too resistant.”
“Go to sleep, Jax.”
Several days passed. A ring of used tissues formed around Alyssa’s bed, but she didn’t care enough to pick them up. Empty water bottles piled up in Jax’s cage. But at least he didn’t suffer from sneezing and a runny nose. All he had was a nasty cough, which woke up Alyssa at regular intervals.
“I should give you something for that cough,” she mused.
It was the middle of the night. Alyssa wasn’t sure what time it was, and the day of the week eluded her as well. Time had lost its meaning since all they did was try to sleep their flu away. They drank a lot of water and occasionally wandered to use the toilet, but neither one of them had eaten or showered for days. Not that they craved food, and showering was too exhausting. It was strangely peaceful, Alyssa thought, as she stared into the ceiling.
“No matter,” his gruff voice spoke from the dark. “It’s getting better.”
Alyssa’s heart leaped. With her mind wandering aimlessly, she hadn’t realized she’d spoken her thought aloud.
“Oh, you’re awake,” she said. “How are you?”
“Better than you, I think,” came the answer. “The fever is gone.”
“Really, you’re recovering?”
“Yeah. I have a cough and I feel a little funny and limp, but otherwise I’m good.”
“Good. That’s good. I was so scared for you.” Alyssa sighed with relief and began to sob. She couldn’t help it. The illness made her emotional.
“Hey, calm down,” Jax soothed her, but it only made her cry harder. “Oh, come on, girl, it wasn’t that bad.”
Alyssa couldn’t speak from her tears. She was so relieved that Jax wasn’t going to die. She hadn’t even realized how frightened she’d been for him. Something hovered in front of her face—a tissue box. Alyssa stared at it, puzzled, her sobbing halting.
“Here,” Jax said, his voice strained.
She saw him reaching his arm out of the cage as far as he could. He had managed to grab the tissue box and wave it at her.
“Thanks.” Alyssa took it from him. His gesture warmed her heart. She dried her eyes and blew her nose.
“That’s better,” he said. “No more crying, okay?”
“Okay.” She sniffed. “Say, Jax, which planet are you from? Or which system?”
“I’m from the Moon,” he replied.
“Moon? Which moon?”
“That’s right, you don’t know much about other places. How many moons does Silenia have?”
Alyssa frowned. “Two.”
“Do they have names?”
“Yes. Lixia and Ronan. But
we just call them Red and Gold.”
“Yeah, figures. Earth has only one moon and it doesn’t have a name. People just call it the Moon.”
“Really?” Alyssa felt suddenly awake. She rolled on her side to look at Jax. “You’re from the Sol system? And from that close to Earth? That’s incredible.”
Like Silenia, Earth also had strict immigration laws. The human homeworld was so heavily overpopulated they didn’t welcome visitors. They did welcome the rich Silenian ore, but Silenians themselves could only dream of seeing the Earth with their own eyes.
“What’s incredible about it?”
“You’ve been so close to Earth.”
Jax chuckled. “I’ve been a lot closer. I spent a few years planetside after I took off from the creepy research lab.”
Alyssa sniffed, offended. “I’m sick, you jerk. It’s not nice to try and pull my leg when I’m ill.”
“I’m not pulling your leg.”
“I know perfectly well that you can’t just hop down to planet Earth whenever you feel like it.”
“Not by legal means. You just have to know how to get past the radar; it’s by no means airtight, even though they like to make us all think so.” Jax rolled on his side, and Alyssa could see his sharp pale eyes watching her. “And anyway, it’s not getting down that’s difficult. It’s getting back up when you want to leave. Trust me, getting off a planet is a lot harder than landing on one.”
Alyssa sensed that his words had a double meaning. “You’re talking about Silenia now.”
She saw him grin in the dark. “Yeah, this globe sure has me pinned down tight. But it’s true for all of them. Trying to steal a space shuttle ain’t easy in any part of the galaxy.”
Stealing was a rare occurrence on Silenia. The majority of the population lived so comfortably there was no need to take anything illegally. Alyssa struggled to understand why Jax did it.
“Why do you have to steal?”
“That’s the legal citizen talking. I’m sure you ride first class wherever you go. I don’t have any kind of papers. I’m an escaped lab experiment. I’m not legally welcome anywhere.”
This sounded even stranger to Alyssa.