“That’s a good idea,” Ria agreed. The elevator stopped and they got off. A few moments later they were in the infirmary and Ria was heading straight to where Star laid on the medi-cot.
“She’s sleeping,” Dr. Jula said in a low voice, stopping her before she got close enough to wake Star or the cubs.
“How is she?” Ria whispered.
“Her hip shouldn’t give her trouble in the future though she’ll need to be careful for several days. The cubs are doing great and I’ve put a guard up on the medi-cot so they won’t roll off. Star won’t awaken until morning, and I’ll be here all night in case she needs anything. I want you to go find a bed and get in it.”
“We’ve had a room prepared for her, Dr. Jula,” Talon said, keeping his voice low, as well. “We’ll take her there now.”
“Good,” Dr. Jula said. “Go on now, Ria. I’ll let you know if anything changes. I promise.”
“Thank you, Dr. Jula.” Ria felt a little guilty about leaving Star, but she was so tired she couldn’t fight it any longer.
She left the infirmary with the Katres and followed them down one deck to a room at the end of the corridor nearest the elevators. They all went inside with her, then Talon and Thorn stood at the door while Tee showed her where everything was. She appreciated the effort even if she barely took it all in.
After agreeing to let them know if she needed anything, and telling her where their rooms were, they left. She locked the door behind them, grabbed the bag Vari had packed for her and carried it into the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, clean, dry, warm, and dressed in her pajamas, she yanked a comb haphazardly through her hair. She considered brushing her teeth and drying her hair but she simply didn’t have the energy for either task. She stumbled into the bedroom, pulled back the covers, and fell more than climbed into bed. Within moments of closing her eyes she was sound asleep.
Talon, Thorn, and Tee stood in the corridor outside Ria’s room. Now that they’d spent a little time with her it was easier for all of them to sense her. They could tell that her arm and her chin both still hurt, that her left knee was sore, and that she no longer felt quite so tense, though that was probably because she was exhausted. When she fell into a deep sleep moments after crawling into bed, they all relaxed a little.
“Now what?” Tee asked.
“Now we go to bed ourselves,” Talon said. “Dr. Jula will let us know if there’s a problem with Star or the cubs.”
“I meant with Ria.”
“I don’t know, Tee,” Talon replied as they moved further up the corridor so their voices wouldn’t disturb Ria. “Her startle response is much stronger than it was on any of the surveillance vids we saw before the explosion. That’s not a good sign.”
“No, it’s not,” Thorn agreed. “But remember too that she’s had a long, difficult day. She’s been sent to an unknown planet against her will, injured, lost a lot of blood, been soaked, freezing, and just ate her first meal since breakfast. Anyone’s startle response would be strong under the circumstances. I’m not minimizing hers, but in general it's not as bad as we’ve seen tonight.”
“You’re right,” Talon said.
“Thank you, Thorn,” Tee added. “That helps. What I really meant though is should we tell her the truth, or not?”
“I agree with Declan that we should,” Talon said. “But I’m afraid she’ll run to the Bihotza and stay there.”
“After the way I treated her it’s a possibility,” Thorn agreed. “I’m sorry, Brothers. Truly, deeply sorry.”
“When you walked beside her and spoke with her, she did not shy away from you, Thorn,” Tee said. “She accepted your explanations for your behavior, and your apologies. You agreed to put the entire matter behind you and that’s what you should do.”
“I know you’re right, Tee,” Thorn agreed. “I can’t help but wonder how it is that she believed what I told her, though. It was true, but you have to admit few people would believe it so easily.”
Talon nodded. “I agree. She didn’t even question that you’d forgotten she was blind.”
“I hurt her feelings,” Tee said. “Twice. But I don’t know how.”
“She’s smart, Tee,” Thorn said. “Very smart. I noticed when watching her on the security feeds that few people notice that about her, or give her credit for it. She also has a very literal mind.
“When you asked how she came by such wisdom, to her that meant you assumed someone else told her what to think or how to feel about scars. As though she didn’t have enough sense to figure it out on her own.”
Tee’s eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t mean to imply that.” He frowned. “What about the other time?”
“I think I missed it.”
“When she asked if we intended to really make the waiter clean sewage tanks.”
“You were surprised that she didn’t think that it was justified,” Talon said.
“Yeah,” Tee nodded. “I get it now. That was stupid of me.”
“This little boat’s kind of crowded with all my extra baggage, but you’re welcome to squeeze yourself in,” Thorn said wryly.
“I may have to take you up on that if I’m not more careful. There’re so many things we don’t know about her that it makes talking to her a little like walking through a mine field.”
“Then we need to get to know her,” Talon said. “We need to find a way to convince her to stay here, on the Hilgaria, so we can all get to know each other.”
“I agree,” Thorn said. “I’m not sure if you noticed this, but she’s formed a strong bond with Star. They’ve only known each other a few hours but it’s there, it’s real, and it’s powerful. Wherever Ria goes, Star must go too.”
“I certainly have no objection to that,” Tee said.
“I saw them together for no more than a few minutes, but you’re right, Thorn,” Talon said. “Their bond is very strong. They cannot be separated, nor will they be. We’ll ask them both to stay on the Hilgaria. First thing in the morning.”
Chapter 16
Ria woke up thinking about the late meal she’d shared with the Katres. She frowned, wondering why thinking of them didn’t fill her with the usual dread.
The events of the previous day and night rushed through her mind like a vid on super high speed. When it was finished, the answer to the question she’d been struggling to grasp the night before blazed in her mind. It was so clear, so obvious, so easy to see that she wondered how she’d managed to miss it despite her exhaustion.
She understood now why they’d been so nice to her. Why they’d been crowding her. Why Thorn had risked his life to rescue her and Star from that planet despite how angry he was at her. The only question she had now was how long had they known she was their berezi?
She sat up, drew her knees up close to her chest and rested her head on them while she thought about that. She didn’t think they’d known as long as she had. Maybe. But she doubted it.
Why aren’t I having a panic attack about this? I should be. I should be flying around here tossing things into a bag and running for the nearest transporter as fast as I can. Well, as fast as I can after finding someone who’ll tell me where it is. I should be hyperventilating and shaking and stuttering so badly…well, I never stutter in my head but still, I don’t think I’d be stuttering.
She took a deep breath, then deliberately cast her mind back, thinking of things she was usually very careful not to think of. She shuddered, her stomach tightened, and she felt like something was squeezing her throat so tightly that she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.
She jerked her thoughts away from the memory, focusing on the here and now, reminding herself that she was safe, that she had nothing to fear. It wasn’t working this time though. She didn’t know why but she couldn’t breathe, and panic was closing in on her, gibbering at the edges of her mind, reaching for her with its hooky little claws so it could drag her into the icy darkness where she’d be completely alone with no
one to help her, no one to trust.
A bright, shining light shot through her mind, cutting through the panic, banishing the darkness. Star. Ria held her breath, hesitating for just a moment. Then she focused her whole mind on Star. On her warmth, and caring, her trust, and gentle humor.
The tightness around her throat loosened, then fell away. She breathed in deeply, refusing to think of anything or anyone but Star, Belle, and Lonato. When she’d succeeded in bringing her heart rate down to something closer to normal, she began relaxing her muscles, one by one, until she no longer felt like she was tied up in one big knot.
That was a stupid thing to do, Ria. But, having done it, I might as well finish what I started.
She took a breath, then deliberately thought about the Katres. A warm shiver traveled from her neck down her spine and then spread out from there. Her body tightened in the way it’d only done once before, when she heard their voices for the first time. Arousal heated her blood, hardened her nipples, and made her wet.
Her body wanted them. She wanted them. She wanted to know how their skin would feel beneath her hands. She wanted to know how they smelled. How they tasted. What it would be like to feel the three of them pressed against her all at once. Just imagining it made her shudder, and not in a bad way.
She deliberately thought about the things Thorn had said to her the day before. His tone, his words, the way he’d treated her. Nothing changed. Now that she knew why he’d behaved the way he had, now that she’d sensed the depth and breadth of his pain, the memories that should have made her feel hurt, didn’t. They didn’t make her angry or scared, either. They only made her yearn to put her arms around him and hold him close and try to ease his sadness. If she could ever figure out how to make her empathic abilities work again, she’d take his sadness away from him altogether.
Her eyes stung. She hadn’t wanted this. Not ever. She thought back, not all the way back, just far enough to remember her decision and all the reasons she’d made it. She tried very hard, but her determination to remain alone was gone.
She sighed softly to herself before pushing the covers back and climbing out of bed. After washing up, brushing her teeth and braiding her wild fell-asleep-with-it-wet hair, she pulled on the clean underwear, jeans, and t-shirt Vari had packed for her.
She wondered if her sister would have thought about packing her suppressants and dug around in the bag until she felt the familiar bottle. She pulled it out and held it, thinking.
Up to now, knowing she was their berezi had worried and frightened her. Actually, terrified would be a better word. Now here she stood, neither worried nor terrified. Instead, she was curious and, despite all her best efforts, hopeful.
I wonder how they know? I never told anyone. Not even Vari. I’d like the answer to that. I’d like to know what kind of men they really are, too. But not what they look like. Not yet. I think I want to save that for…later.
She opened the bottle and took one of the tiny tablets out and put it in her mouth. She had questions. Until she had answers, and until she knew how they felt, she needed to avoid doing anything drastic.
Her shoes were still damp but Vari didn’t send another pair so she put them on anyway. Then she stared at her overnight bag, trying to decide whether to pack her things back into it, or leave it for the time being. Since she’d left her wet clothes in a pile on the floor before taking her shower the night before, they were still wet. If she packed them, they’d get musty and smelly and they’d make the bag musty and smelly. Maybe she should hang them up to dry first. Where would she hang them, though? She looked around the bathroom, squinting in her effort to make out a hook or something she could use, then she huffed at herself in frustration.
What difference does it make? Why am I overthinking things?
Irritated with herself she grabbed her cane and left her room, leaving everything as it was. Following the directions Tee had given her the previous night, she turned right and headed for the elevator which was just a few steps away.
She pressed the call button and stepped back, but the doors didn’t open. She waited a couple of minutes, tapping the cane with her fingers, wondering why it was taking so long. She spotted a door near the elevator and decided to take the stairs. The infirmary was only one flight up. She’d probably get there before the elevator even arrived.
She pulled the door open and started climbing. She reached the switchback, then turned to climb the second half of the stairs. She was only one step from the top when out of nowhere dark, ugly memories crashed into her mind with enough force to take her breath away. She stopped, gasping as she fought the memories back, remembering too late why she never took the stairs anymore.
Leaning against the wall, she bent over slightly and breathed deeply and slowly, calming herself by thinking about Star and the cubs. It helped that she was alone. She really didn’t need an audience for this.
When she was sure her near panic-attack was over and that she was as calm as she was going to get, she pushed herself away from the wall. Suddenly anxious to see Star and the cubs, to make sure they were safe and well, she turned to finish her climb up the stairs.
She raised one foot just as a loud bang echoed from somewhere below. Her entire body jerked hard at the unexpected noise. She struggled to regain her balance, to put her raised foot back down on the stair, but she was already falling backward. She flung her left arm out, grabbing frantically for the railing. She caught it for just a few moments, long enough to angle her body, then her head exploded in pain, her fingers released the cold metal, and then it was too late to do anything.
***
Star was relaxed and content, her eyes half closed as she let her mind drift. Belle and Lonato had finished their breakfast and were now sleeping, cuddled up close against her. Star marveled at how much her life had changed in such a short time.
She was safe, warm, fed (thanks to the delicious roast Dr. Jula had brought her for breakfast), and without pain. She was no longer alone or afraid, and she and her cubs now had a future to look forward to. She even had a pack again, with Ria and the cubs. It was a small pack, but it was infinitely better than the loneliness of no pack at all.
Just before she slipped off into sleep something startled her. Her head went up, ears stiff, body tense as she focused all of her attention on her senses. She neither heard, scented, nor saw anything new, but she did not doubt her own feelings. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with one of her pack. She didn’t have to glance down at her cubs to know it wasn’t them. It was Ria. Something was wrong with Ria.
“Dr. Jula,” she called. Mental voices could not be shouted over a long distance, so when she got no answer, she barked. When that didn’t summon anyone, she tipped her head back and howled.
“Star?” Dr. Jula called as she raced into the room. “What’s the matter?”
“Ria,” Star said, panting with sudden fear. “Something’s happened to her. She’s hurt.”
Dr. Jula stared at the Brun for a long moment, then nodded. “Do you know where she is?”
“No,” Star said. “She’s hurt, Dr. Julia. Badly. That’s all I know.”
“Okay Star, you need to calm down, all right? I’ll make a call and get a search started. The Hilgaria isn’t that big so I’m sure she’ll be found soon.”
Fear crawled through Star, making her want to howl again. She’d lost her pack once already. Her Mother and Father. Her mate. Her brothers. The Cloud People had called everyone she knew and loved, leaving her alone on a hostile world without wildlife to hunt for food, and cubs on the way.
Then they’d sent Ria to her. She didn’t care in the least that Ria wasn’t Brun. That she’d known her for less than a day didn’t signify, either. Ria was her pack, her family, the one being she instinctively knew she could trust above all others. She couldn’t bear to lose her. She just couldn’t bear it.
She tried to do as Dr. Jula asked, tried to make herself relax, afraid that if she didn’t, the doctor would rem
ain concerned about her instead of Ria. It was only when she realized that feeling Ria’s pain meant that Ria was still alive that she was able to calm a little.
She watched Dr. Jula remove a device from her belt and begin tapping on it. A moment later she heard Thorn’s voice come from the device.
“Good morning, Dr. Jula,” he said. “Is Star all right?”
“Yes, but she says something’s wrong with Ria. She doesn’t know where she is, but she says Ria is badly hurt. I believe her, Thorn.”
“So do I,” Thorn said. “We’ll start looking immediately. Tell Star to relax. We’ll find her. I promise.” He clicked off and Dr. Jula returned the device to her belt. “You heard him?”
“Yes, I did,” Star replied. Even though Thorn had been mean to Ria, and even though she didn’t like him for that, or even trust him, she believed his promise. She didn’t know why. It made no sense. But she did.
Dr. Jula looked around the Hilgaria’s infirmary. It was much smaller than the one on the Bihotza, with only two treatment rooms. The one she stood in was a triage area with one medi-cot, various equipment and supplies, and not much else. The other room held more equipment, one regular sized medi-cot, and just enough floor space for four patient beds if they were pushed closely together.
She’d treat Ria in there except that there was a malfunction either in the medi-cot’s sensor system, or the med panel’s software. The techs had been trying to pin it down for weeks, but without success.
She’d intended to move Star later in the day, but it was either move her now, or risk using faulty equipment on Ria. Which meant she really had no choice.
“How are you feeling Star, the truth please,” she said briskly.
“Good,” Star replied, catching the controlled urgency in the doctor’s tone. “No pain, no dizziness.”
“I’m going to move you and the cubs off of the medi-cot and onto that bed over there that Corin set up for you. There’s a mattress under the blanket that will cushion you from the floor so you should be comfortable.”
Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6) Page 29