by Frost Kay
“Touché.”
“But that’s what real friends are for, right? To commiserate?”
She quirked a smile at Jer. “That, and to watch trashy movies while eating ice cream from the carton.”
Jer smiled, but it faded from her face, replaced by worry.
Allie’s heart sank. She wished she knew what was going on with Jer. Granted, their lives hadn’t been easy since they’d arrived on Sars, but this was something different. Something was bothering Jer. But Allie knew her friend. If she pried, she would lock down tighter than a nun’s britches. So she asked an easy question.
“What are you doing disturbing my shower?”
Jer’s shoulders dropped, and a goofy grin curled her lips. “There’s only so much a girl can take. Our apartment is small and there are waaaay too many males out there. I can’t stand being out there with so much testosterone. One more growl, and I was going to snap!” Jer growled.
“You just growled,” Allie pointed out. “I’m sure you could hold your own.”
“Oh, can it, Ms. Sai. One more snarky comment out of you, and I’ll make you get your own clothes.”
“You wouldn’t…” she breathed.
“No, I wouldn’t,” Jer said, standing. “You’re lucky I’m so nice. Now, get out.” Jer tossed a towel at her.
The white towel smacked Allie in the face and plopped to the floor.
“Get out. I’m naked.”
“Goodness me,” Jer said in a singsong voice. “Naked skin. How shocking.”
“My naked skin.”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
“Excuse me? When have you seen me naked?”
Jer waved a hand at her, leaning a hip against the vanity. “You’re not exactly careful when you’re changing. I figured you were super comfortable with me.”
Allie blushed a little bit and shrugged her shoulders back. “I grew up with sisters, so it’s not that big a deal.”
“And yet, here you are, whining.”
She scowled at her roommate. “Whatever.”
“Prude,” Jer sniggered.
There was nothing worse than being called a prude. She hated it. “Listen here…” She trailed off upon seeing the devilish look on her friend’s face. “You’re trying to get a rise out of me.”
A shrug.
“Why, you little pot-stirrer.” Her gaze darted to the door and back to Jer. “I think you’re scared to go out there.”
Jer rolled her eyes. “I’m scared of nothing.”
“And yet, you’re hiding out in the bathroom while it’s my turn to shower.”
“Technically, I think you’ve had at least five turns by now, so it should be my turn.”
“Get out of here, you imp,” Allie retorted as she let the shower curtain fall back into place and forced herself to stand on wobbly legs.
“Fine, fine,” Jer grumbled. “Shower hog.”
“Love you, too,” Allie shouted as she spun in the shower to soak up the last vestiges of the heated water.
“Ditto, and I left you some clean clothes on the vanity.”
“Thank you,” Allie said softly.
The door hissed open and then shut. She couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever. It was just like what Jer said. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.
She pulled a face.
Who was she kidding? Doing that always hurt like the dickens.
10
Dying is Not Sexy
A shiver worked up Allie as she shifted, the frigid metal table kissing the bare skin on the back of her thighs. She glanced longingly toward her bag. Her comfy pajama pants were so close and yet so far.
“Please sit up and face me,” Eve said, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her pointy nose. The lady doctor held out her hand and helped Allie sit up and swing her legs over the side of the medical table.
Allie rubbed her arms as goosebumps broke out across them, ignoring the cyan lines that had begun creeping across her biceps like corrupt vines. “You should invest in some better tables,” she complained. “They’re hard as rocks.”
Eve smiled and shook her head. “I’ll take that under advisement, but you’ll have to let my boss know.”
Allie glanced in Lev’s direction. The Av Lock leader looked tense as he spoke with the rest of the team. But, what drew her eye was the other dark and dangerous Av, who looked like he was about to explode. Each harsh line of his face stood out in sharp contrast. Blade.
Almost as if her inner thought had called to him, Blade’s black eyes darted to hers and held. She hated that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. If she hadn’t known how wound up he was, if she went by his expression, she would have believed he was completely calm.
Cool, gentle fingers touched her chin, breaking their moment. Allie turned to Eve and let the Av scientist examine her throat.
“The lines are spreading,” Eve murmured.
Allie swallowed hard. “I know.” Even now, she wanted to tear at her skin and hunt for the source of the lines marring her skin. What had that bastard given her?
Eve pressed on her lymph nodes. “Any tenderness?”
“Not really.”
The scientist’s lips pursed, and she bustled back to her forsaken tablet and typed something into it. Zune sat across from Eve, staring intently into a microscope. A microscope examining Allie’s blood.
Queasiness rolled through Allie. Something had tainted her blood. But what was it? Could it really be a virus? She glanced around the room at all the people. Virgil, Eve, Zune, Kale, Lev, Coal, Bastian, Elijah, Sid, Jer, and Blade… They could all be sick because of her. They could die. The air in her lungs seemed to disappear.
“I still think y’all should be wearing masks.”
Zune lifted his head from the microscope and squinted at her. “If it was a disease, we would have discovered it already. And even if it was, we’re all very different from each other. It would be virtually impossible to spread it from one species to another. We’re not in any danger.”
But that was where Zune was wrong. Sloven was dangerous. He might be locked up in a prison, but Allie had a feeling he wanted to be there.
A blanket settled over her shoulders, and Allie turned to Jer, who’d moved to her side, a wrinkle between her red brows.
“Thank you,” Allie said, snuggling into the blanket. She wasn’t shivering from the cold, per se, but from her terrifying thoughts. She appreciated the blanket, nonetheless. There was something comforting about being swathed in yards of fuzzy fabric.
“No problem.”
Jer hopped up on the table and laced her fingers through Allie’s. Her friend didn’t say a word, but her presence was enough.
Lev pushed through the male group and leaned against the wall across from Allie. He scanned her face, his lips pinched together. She knew he had questions.
“Out with it. We might as well talk about something other than my impending death.” Allie remarked. A snarl exploded from Blade’s corner, but Allie ignored him as Lev hesitated. “Come on, oh Collector of Secrets. Don’t be losing your nerve now.”
Lev chuckled under his breath and quirked a smile at her. “You always surprise me.”
“That’s my specialty.”
“You ready to talk about what happened with the king?”
“Well, I was ready to yell about how no one invited me,” Jer grouched.
“It wasn’t a bloody party,” Elijah muttered, eyeing the redhead.
Jer sniffed. “Still, I should have been there.” She turned to Allie. “You should have told me.”
“There wasn’t time, and honestly…I didn’t even think about it. My mind was whirling with thoughts of facing that monster.”
“I have a few more choice words for him,” Jer growled.
“As do we all, but more importantly…” Lev frowned at Jer, then his attention moved to Allie. “I want to speak to you of the threats.”
She blinked. “The threats?” All his threats were per
manently ingrained in her mind. Slaughter. Torture. Death. “I’m sure I can remember them all by myself.”
Lev stepped forward and grasped her other trembling hand, surprising her. “He can’t reach you.” His face twisted into rage for a moment before smoothing back into something more pleasant. “Our unit will protect you. You have my word on that.”
The words were nice, but they didn’t take away the feeling of being prey, of feeling trapped. Men like Sloven didn’t get where they were in life by being sloppy or going back on their promises.
She glanced around the concerned faces. The team would do their best, but she had a feeling this would end with death and destruction. “I appreciate that. Now, what do you want to know?” She gestured to the corner Blade was still darkening. “I was bugged. You heard everything he said to me in both the interactions I’ve had with him. And yet, y’all were clearly discussing something.”
“He wants you,” Virgil said, while snagging an extra stool.
She shivered. “Obviously.”
“Maybe not in the way he implied,” Blade said, his tone biting.
That was part of her worry, too. She still didn’t understand what his endgame was. What did a crime lord want with the likes of her? A weak Human? “He wants me to spy for him.”
“That will never happen,” Jer barked, her gaze locked on Lev.
The Av held Jer’s gaze and nodded. “I agree with Jer on this. It’s too dangerous.”
Allie laughed, the sound a little maniacal. “Like the other situations haven’t been?”
“The other situations were controlled, and still bad things happened,” Coal pointed out.
She glanced at her hands and rubbed her thumb across the scars. Her experiences with Sloven weren’t something she’d soon forget. “So, what do we do?”
“You heal,” Bastian murmured.
“And you alert us to anything that is out of the ordinary,” Kale added, brushing his dark hair away from his handsome face.
“I thought you’d be watching me.”
“We’re not perfect. We’ll do our best to protect you, but we need you to work with us,” Virgil said softly, his wrinkly face creasing deeper as he tried to smile at her.
“So, what you’re saying is that you’ll try,” Jer said flatly, “but you don’t know if you can really keep him from her?”
No one spoke; only the sounds of Eve muttering could be heard.
“That’s not good enough,” Jer ground out. “What use are you if you can’t protect her?”
“We’ll do our best,” Lev said evenly.
“You damn well better! You’re the ones who put her in danger.” Jer hopped off the medical table and stepped up to Lev. “You better fix this.”
“As if you could do better, Human,” Lev scoffed.
Jer’s fingers curled into fists as she took another step closer.
Coal stepped smoothly between them and held his hands out, his palm brushing both Lev’s and Jer’s shoulders. “Allie will be fine. Let’s just calm down.”
“You better get your hand off of me,” Jer growled.
“I’d listen to the lady,” Elijah said, moving to stand behind Jer like a wall of Kiterran muscle.
Allie watched the drama in silence as the sounds began to jumble together. A spark of interest flared inside her as she watched Elijah place a hand against Jer’s back. But that wasn’t the intriguing part. The best part was when he began to run his thumb up and down Jer’s spine. Allie cocked her head while observing the small, telling gesture. What had her friend and Elijah been getting up to?
“DAMN IT!”
The loud curse pulled Allie from her haze, and she glanced in Eve’s direction, shocked. Allie had never known the scientist to raise her voice. Ever.
Eve turned to the group and glared at the lot of them. “Will you all please shut up? Some of us are trying to be productive and figure out what is killing Allie.”
Time froze. It was one thing to think you’re dying and another thing to know it.
“I’m dying?” Allie whispered.
Eve wilted, her anger gone as quickly as it came. She plopped down onto her rolling chair and pulled her glasses off her smill pixie nose, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Carefully, she put her glasses back on and brushed her purple bangs from her soft, lilac eyes.
“I don’t know what that thing is.” Eve swallowed, and her forehead creased. “There’s something attacking your body, but I don’t…” She gritted her teeth for a moment. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” She glanced at Lev. “She needs a specialist.”
“You are the specialist,” Zune said, moving around the table to place a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “There’s no one better than you.”
Eve’s eyes filled with tears that seemed to freeze something inside Allie.
“I don’t know what to do,” Eve whispered.
“It’s not your fault,” Allie said woodenly.
Eve angrily swiped at her cheeks. “If I could just figure out what he gave you, I could fix this.”
“What do you know?” Bastian asked.
“From what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like it’s a virus. Something is definitely destroying Allie’s immune system, but it’s slow. So, we have time.”
But how much time? Did that mean she was going to die a slow death? She’d rather die quickly than suffer.
“What?” a dangerous voice said. Allie glanced at the corner as the darkness coalesced into Blade. His black eyes seemed to spit embers. “You are not going to die at all.”
The males around her tensed when Blade glided in her direction.
“Jer,” Elijah warned, as her friend stepped closer to her side. “You need to back away.”
“I’m protecting her.”
“You’ll cause a brawl that will have everyone in this room hurt,” Elijah said softly.
Blade halted an arm’s length away and glared at the rest of the occupants in the room. “Get out.”
Two words spoken with such menace that Allie didn’t argue with him. She glanced at the others, who shot her questioning glances. Her heart warmed a little. Months ago, they’d have left her, but now they’d fight their friend and brother if she didn’t want to be left alone with him.
“I’m fine. Give us a few minutes.”
A wry smile turned her lips up as everyone practically ran out of the room. The door hissed shut, leaving just Blade and herself. Eve’s machines hummed behind Allie as she turned back to Blade. He glared at his black boots, his hands clenching and unclenching.
“Blade?”
“Just give me a moment,” he said, his voice rough.
Allie really focused on him, and what she saw hurt her heart. Dark circles stained the skin beneath his eyes, and his complexion was paler, causing his scar to stand out more. His black T-shirt was rumpled like he’d slept in it. All in all, he looked as bad as Allie felt.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He met her gaze, and she gasped at what she saw in his eyes. All the hardness had been stripped away. All that was left was pain, worry, despair, and a hunger she didn’t completely understand. She’d done this to him. He’d tricked her, and that hurt, but she’d hurt him as well.
Her mama’s words came back to her: “Two wrongs do not make a right.”
Allie winced. One of her worst faults was holding a grudge. She tried her best to forgive and forget. Her mama said Allie liked to hold her grudges close to her chest and stroke them like a cat. Her mama would’ve smacked her on the butt if she knew how Allie had treated some of the others.
She blew out a breath, hating that her mama always seemed to be right. She dropped the blanket and opened her arms. “Come here.”
Blade’s body tensed even further, his gaze darting wildly from her face to her arms like he couldn’t trust her invitation.
“Come here,” she said softly. “Please.”
The please was what must have done him in. In the space of a heartbeat, she went f
rom embracing air to clutching the muscular back of a huge, warm male. Blade trembled as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and leaned in. Her legs nestled on either side of his hips. Allie turned her head to the side, pressed her cheek against his shoulder, and let him hold her. He didn’t say anything and neither did she.
It was amazing what a hug could do. Hugs healed pain, provided comfort, and created the best sort of safe haven. She lifted her head as he pressed his face into her neck and hair, his fingers knotting into the baggy shirt she was wearing.
Allie stared at the huge glass windows, remembering the last time they were in this situation. The tension in her body loosened, and Allie wiggled a little bit in an attempt to move her arms, earning a huff of displeasure from the territorial male.
“Knock that off,” he grumbled.
She managed to wiggle her pinned appendages out from underneath his, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him close, slowly watching as his tension dissipated little by little. She ran her hands up and down his back in comforting strokes and then began to comb through his blue-black locks.
She smiled as a soft purr rumbled from Blade. No one could resist their hair played with. She jumped a little when his cold nose touched her neck, and he nuzzled closer.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
“It’s okay. It’s just a cold nose.”
“No, about this,” he muttered, his hands tugging at her clothes. “I didn’t mean to wrap myself around you.”
“I did.”
Tension crept into his body at her statement. Allie kneaded the muscles in his neck and gently brushed his hair back as if to soothe his hackles. “I needed this hug as much as you did.”
A cold prickle ran up her spine. Chances were, she was going to die. A tear dripped down her face. No husband. No family.
Blade slowly pulled back to stare down into her face. “Allie?”
“It’s nothing.” Quickly, she swiped at her cheeks, emotion threatening to swallow her whole. For one moment, she wanted to forget. “Help me forget,” she whispered.
Blade jerked, his hands fisting even tighter in her shirt. “I can’t.”