Sirein: A Dystopian World Alien Romance
Page 13
“That works out fine because you’re going to be with me anyway,” she said evenly. He seemed to relax once more. “We’re just going to have to find a way to disguise you. I hate to tell you this, but if you go walking around looking like you do, you’ll scare people.”
Ji’wa grimaced but didn’t argue. Instead, he seemed to look at her and then himself as if comparing them before glancing around the cabin helplessly.
“And how are we going to achieve that? Even if we had a way to disguise my scales and face, my tail and horns are going to pose a challenge.”
Nerida bit her lip thoughtfully. “I think I might have something that works.”
As hyperaware of her as he always seemed to be, even when in thought, he immediately shifted back, stepping out onto the deck, to allow her room to pass when she moved by him. She gave him a grateful smile in passing.
“This way,” she said as she walked the short distance to her quarters.
He hesitated at the doorway of her living quarters until she waved him in.
“Come on. I think I may have something that will work.” She glanced over at him again, peering at him over her shoulder as he followed her in. “You’re lucky that many wavelanders tend to be taller than the people on the mainland, and because we live on the sea, we usually cover up more.”
Nerida located the trunk of winter gear that had been left on the boat with Erik’s other belongings. The trunk had initially been empty except for large, heavy boots and a long water-resistant coat, but she had stored all of his clothing inside of it too. At least until she could offload it on someone in a trade. Now, she was thankful that she still had it. She settled in front of the trunk and pulled it toward her.
Unlatching the lid, she pushed it up, revealing the men’s clothing. Just behind her, she could hear Ji’wa inhale deeply, and an aggressive growl erupted from him. This one, she couldn’t blame him for. She hadn’t spoken at all of her husband. She didn’t even know how to broach the subject because as far as she was concerned, despite the words said over them, she didn’t recognize any claim he had on her.
“These smell like a male,” he hissed. “Why?”
“They belonged to someone who no longer matters. I’ve been waiting to get rid of them, but it seems that they will be of some use,” she replied as she dug through the clothing.
Erik had been a tall man—not quite as tall Ji’wa, probably a half head shorter—but it was still a challenge finding pieces that would fit the sirein. As she pulled a shirt over Ji’wa’s head, ignoring his snort of distaste, she sighed in relief when she saw that at least it fit, if a bit tightly. The boots, however, proved to be impossible.
“That’s okay,” she mumbled as she tossed them aside. “The coat should hide most of you well enough that it is probably no one will even look at your feet… Oh, wait!”
Nerida leaned into the chest and yanked out a pair of oversized block sandals. They were enormous on Erik since he had vainly overestimated his own foot size and provided the wrong measurements. He wore them only once before banishing them to his closet when everyone laughed at the way they had clomped every time he stepped. No doubt they had been added to Erik’s belongings as a practical joke from his brother. Setting the sandals aside, she dug once more through Erik’s things until she brought out long, thick socks and tossed them to Ji’wa, along with a pair of pants.
“Try these on,” she directed with a laugh as she turned away just in time before the shawl he wore around his hips hit the floor.
There was a rip, followed moments later by a grunt. She could hear his tail slapping the floor and bed as he muttered curses beneath his breath.
“This is absurd,” he said at last.
Turning to face him again, she snorted in amusement. The pants, though short on him, were at least flattering in the way they clung to his frame. As she scrutinized him, he reached back and tugged at the seat of the pants.
“I hope that you do not plan on making me wear these for very long. The hole I was forced to make rubs around the base of my tail.”
Pushing to her feet, Nerida circled him and stifled her laughter at the stiff way he held his tail from where it jutted out from the seat of the pants. It did look uncomfortable, but it also looked ridiculous, like a baby dathli trying to wiggle out of a sack.
“Go ahead and laugh. I am quite certain that it looks as ridiculous as it feels,” he said dryly.
A choked laugh snorted out of her and only grew as they continued to work with the clothing and scraps of excess fabrics to formulate a disguise for him. She had been relieved that the coat was large enough that Ji’wa could wrap his tail comfortably around himself and conceal it within the bulk. The wide belt that went over it just completed the look. She looked at his still visible scales and frowned. He’d had a point when it came to disguising the most obvious features of his inhuman appearance. Those were going to be problematic without covering every inch of them. She chewed her bottom lip. What would be a good reason for him to be so completely covered...The idea came to her in an instant. A burn victim! With her limited supplies, raiding the supply of gauzes was pretty much all they were left with.
Working quickly, she wrapped his hands and head before pulling up the deep hood at the back of the jacket until it lay against his curled back horns. His gauze-covered face seemed to fall into shadows, making it less noticeable. Her grin stretched into a triumphant smile.
“Well, it’s not a fashion statement, but you look great.”
Ji’wa turned to the mirror at her bedside and sighed. “I look absurd.”
“But the sort of absurd that won’t get you more than a passing glance, maybe a bit of pity, and we’ll be able to get around the city without anyone bothering us. It’s a good sort of ridiculousness,” she assured him.
She giggled again, coughing to disguise it. Ji’wa grunted and reluctantly chuckled. The laugh sounded a bit tired, but she reasoned that he had spent the better part of the afternoon dangling from the mast. A little rest and he would feel much better. Besides, in the heat of the bedroom, he was probably boiling under all the material.
With quick, decisive movements, she unwound the gauze and helped him remove the clothes as he sluggishly began to pull at them.
A frown pulled at her brow as he fumbled with the coat.
“Ji’wa, are you okay?”
His head nodded, but the movement was jerky, unlike his usual fluid grace. Then his head stopped moving, and he shook it.
“I do not know. I feel strange,” he muttered. “Dizzy.”
Nerida grabbed at his coat and tugged it off. She was careful enough not to tear anything, but she stripped him as quickly as possible. When he was finally free of the clothing, he stumbled back, catching himself on the bed, his glassy eyes staring at her.
She squinted and moved in closer.
He looked awful. His usual silken scales looked rough and dry. His coloring was dull. Reaching forward, she set a hand upon him gently. His body was always warmer than a human, but it felt even higher.
“Oh, gods,” she whispered hoarsely. “Ji’wa, how long can your kind be out in the sun?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been in the sun for long before coming to this planet,” he mumbled weakly.
“Oh, fuck. Okay. Let’s lay you back on the bed,” she whispered as she assisted him. He flopped against the bedding, a pained sound coming from him. “Heat exhaustion and maybe a bit of sunburn. I’ll get you fixed up. Just lie right here and I’ll get you some water,” she said as she leaped to her feet and bolted from the room.
Chapter 15
Heat exhaustion? Sunburn? He didn’t understand either of these words. All Ji’wa knew was that he felt like he was dying. His skin felt hot and tight, his scales dry as his temperature spiked. The room around him blurred in and out.
A cool, damp cloth stroked over his face, and he turned into the touch. Nerida was speaking to him, her voice low and soothing, but he had difficulty focusing on her words.
The hydration paste had a curious, sharp, refreshing scent to it that he dragged into his lungs. Nerida’s touch was so light that he barely felt it through his scales, but her voice washed over him, comforting him. After a moment, her hand went behind his head, encouraging him to sit up enough to sip some water from a cup. His stomach churned, and he let his head drop back as he fought back the need to eject the much-needed fluid from his body.
“How long have you been feeling ill?” she asked softly as she applied more of the paste.
Swallowing back another wave of nausea, he groaned. “I am not sure exactly… I was studying your machinery. The sun felt hot. I am not accustomed to being above water… on a planet’s surface… without… a conditioned environment. I did not think… anything of it,” he wheezed as everything seemed to upturn around him in a nauseating fashion with the movement of Nerida’s boat.
His female’s expression grew more chagrined.
“I should have thought about how direct sunlight might affect you. You’re new to this world and clearly not accustomed to life on the surface. Even seasoned wavelanders—my people—can succumb to heat exhaustion if we aren’t careful. I know that. This is my fault,” she added with no little self-disgust in her voice.
It took a couple of tries, but he snagged her hand in his and drew it toward his cheek. He nuzzled the back of her hand. Her fingers still smelled of the cool paste.
“Do not be ridiculous,” he murmured tiredly. “You couldn’t have… known.” He swallowed thickly, his eyes fluttering closed. “I could sleep… for a long time.”
“Then sleep,” she said quietly. “I will be here.”
He felt her finger tangle in his hair, and he sighed with pleasure as he settled more comfortably into the bed… or at least as comfortable as he could get in his current condition. He was vaguely aware of his fin spines pinching tightly and groaned unhappily.
Ji’wa rolled onto his side, facing Nerida. A cloth stroked over his face again, and he nuzzled the pillow beneath his head. The scent of his female teased him, making him aware that it was her bed that he rested on. Turning his face more into the pillow, he inhaled the scent of the sea and something sweet that seemed to cling to the bedding. His eyes drifted shut as a long exhalation left him. Even in pain, he had never felt more at home.
Nerida set the bowl of medicated paste on the table. It was nearly empty now. It hadn’t exactly been full when she found it among the supplies in the medical compartment. It had been one of several signs that she came across that indicated that Erik had been on the boat more frequently than simply stocking it for the family he would house there.
The signs of other women she found in those first couple days alone had made it clear as to some of what he had been up to and who with. She had recognized the items belonging to the wives of his older brothers. It made sense, since those would be the only women who he would have regular access to while they were at sea. She had nearly laughed herself sick imagining the faces of the men, had they known.
No doubt he had taken advantage of the hottest part of the day when his brothers were certain to be below decks nursing cold drinks to smuggle the women away to his boat. She didn’t know what had made it necessary for him to use almost half a jar of the cooling paste, and hadn’t really cared, but now she wanted to curse him for it. Her eyes fell on Ji’wa as she smoothed a last glob over the thick pectoral muscles facing her. Even asleep, his muscles quivered in response to her touch.
The rough edges of the dry scales scraped her hand, and she grimaced. She imagined that, when they were healthy and undamaged, they would have felt sleek, almost like water beneath her hands. It was a testimony to just how much damage the exposure to the sun had done. He would have to stay in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Or maybe they would anchor so he could retreat into the water and refresh himself. That would delay them, but somehow that seemed less important now. Seeing him this way made her sick.
Curious, her hand ran down one arm, her fingertips catching on the edge of the closed fin flattened to his forearm. Nerida leaned forward as she very gently lifted the upper spine. The tip of each one was long and sharp, extending over the edge of the fin like a serrated blade. The fin itself was a dull orange instead of its usual vibrant hue and had an almost leathery, hot feel as she ran her index finger over a segment between two long spines.
Biting her lip, she picked up the rag she had been bathing his face with and dipped into the bowl of water beside her. With gentle strokes, she proceeded to wipe down the fin riding that arm before moving on to another closed fin.
As she worked on bathing his fins, she watched as his face morphed from tense lines of discomfort into a more relaxed expression. The scales were still tight around his eyes and mouth, but those full lips gradually lifted into a content smile that made her heart catch. What really did her in was when he began to hum a song in response to her touch. In response, she threaded her fingers through his hair and stroked it back in long, soothing motions as her mother and her grandmother used to do when she was ill. Unbidden, an old song her grandmother used to sing came to her mind.
Settling back so that she leaned against the bed, she allowed the old melody to wash over her. In her mind, it wound with Ji’wa’s song perfectly, and she could almost hear her grandmother’s weathered voice singing of a sailor’s love and the mistress of the sea. She was so caught in it that she startled when the song fell mid-verse from her lips, her singing voice raspy from disuse. Clearing her throat, she tried again, his rolling sweet hum adding a depth to it in accompaniment.
She sang until she felt wetness on her cheeks. Raising her hand, she wiped the tears away, but more came as she allowed herself, for the first time, to really take the time to grieve for everything she had lost. She wept, surrounded by Ji’wa’s comforting song, until not a tear remained, and her heart felt lightened. Leaning forward once more, she feathered a kiss upon his still-hot brow with a silent prayer than he would get better.
No matter how much she wanted to flee from this whole mate thing, she couldn’t let him go now that she had him. She was all he had in the world now, just as he was all she had, and for the first time in months she felt a little less lonely.
With a low rumble, Ji’wa’s eyes opened, and he blinked against the gloom. The room was cool and dark except for a small light on a table nearby. He stretched experimentally. Although his scales were still stiff and uncomfortable, he felt surprisingly better. He turned his head on the pillow, and his eyes falling on a profile seated beside the bed. Nerida had what appeared to be a primitive data reader held up in front of her, the light from the screen illuminating the curve of her cheek. She looked so peaceful that he lay as still as possible, not wishing to disturb her, wanting to bask in her presence for as long as he could.
Eventually she glanced his way, and everything in him stilled, uncertain of what would come next. To his surprise, a small smile curved her lips, and she set the reader down on the table beside her. Turning to face him fully, she touched a hand to his brow, her expression softening.
“You feel cooler. Still warmer than what I would consider normal, but at least no longer burning up. Your scales still feel a little dry, though.”
His tongue felt dry and thick in his mouth. “A few days in the water and they will eventually return to normal,” he rasped.
She winced at the sound of his voice and turned to grab a cup from the table and hold it to his mouth. Cool water slipped between his lips, bringing its relief, and he swallowed it eagerly.
“Slowly,” she said. “Your stomach may still be a little upset. I have some bone broth from the mainland if you think you can hold it down.”
“Please,” he replied gratefully.
Nerida stood up from her
chair, and his heart clenched at the distance as she walked out of the room. His body still weak, panic gradually swelled within him at her absence. Although his body was still aching and exhausted, he was about to attempt to rise from the bed when she returned with a tray holding a double-handled bowl. This she set down beside him on the table before pulling her chair off to the side.
Picking up the bowl, she brought it up to his mouth. A warm, meaty scent filled his nose as his stomach woke with a pained rumble. His eyes met hers, once again taken in with complete fascination at how every time he looked at her their color seemed to shift. It was magical to him. Keeping his gaze locked to hers, Ji’wa covered her hands on the handles with his as he slowly tipped the bowl and sipped at the broth.
The flavor burst over his tongue. Real meat! Even in the dome, they hadn’t begun to hunt and were still relying on the colony provisions while High Command debated how to proceed. A lifetime raised on synthetic foods grown from proteins, he had never realized just how good real meat would taste. He swallowed mouthfuls until his tender stomach couldn’t hold anymore, and he indicated to Nerida that he was done.
Her eyes sparkled with humor as she lowered the mostly empty bowl and set it beside him. “Good, huh?”
“I never realized that meat could taste like that,” he replied with a note of wonder.
A melodious laugh left her. “Bone broth was one of my favorite treats as a child. It’s reserved for when we’re sick because it’s costly to trade for from the mainland, on the few islands with adequate vegetation where the herds are kept. But it never fails to make me feel better.”
He cast a guilty glance at the bowl. If it was that hard to come by, he hated that he had taken it from her limited supplies. A soft, warm hand settled over his, and he looked over in surprise, meeting her eyes.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ve been frugal with it, so there’s still plenty. I just have to make sure to restock when we get to the island. If we can pull in some good catches before we leave the Greater Sea, it will give us more credits to bargain with. While we’re together, what is mine is yours.”