Chapter 7

Sloan was glad he’d finally seemed to calm down. She knew all about that fear of waking up in a strange place, especially when you were newly freed. She didn’t know how many times she’d woken up screaming on those first few months on the Arrow. It had been a rough transition. As she tampered down her anger at the destruction, she couldn’t but feel a pull to Xan. She was about to tell him about it when she found herself mesmerized by Xan’s intense golden gaze. Images of a world she had never visited flashed through her mind. The images were overexposed and overly bright, and they left a warm touch on her mind as they flashed before her eyes.

“Xan. Come here, Xan,” a mother called to her child as they walked across grass in a garden. Based on the unsteady gaze, it seemed as if the vision was that of a small child. In the next image, she was running toward a father’s open arms, and he whirled up into the air. A laugh bubbled up in her throat as she was thrown into the air. Then, she was sitting next to another boy, a brother. They were fighting over a toy until the mother scolded the brother that he must learn to share.

Dozens of scenes flashed before her eyes, and she felt each one of them as if it were her own. Completely mesmerized by the peaceful and happy visions running through her, Sloan could have stayed there all day. Perhaps she was much more tired than she thought and was hallucinating. In the next scene, she peered into a mirror. No, it wasn’t her, but Xan. It was Xan staring into a mirror with a crown on his head and his mother fixing his tie. The knowledge that these images were coming from Xan was enough of a shock to break the trance she seemed to be in. She tugged her hand from his hold.

Sloan was immediately met with the pang of longing for the warmth and comfort she’d felt while holding Xan’s hand. What was that? She’d never experienced anything like that before, not even with the multitude of species she’d encountered over the years. She’d have to do some research on his species to figure out what that was and ensure he wasn’t able to use mind manipulation on her.

“Why don’t you get some sleep, and try not to hurt anyone or destroy any more of my ship, okay?” She patted on the chest, careful not to have any sustained contact with his body. Xan nodded solemnly as she adjusted the blankets over his chest.

“Haven’t tucked anyone in for a while,” she said, chuckling. “We’ll see about getting you some quarters once the doc says you’re ready for discharge.”

Xan simply nodded as he watched her go.

Sloan walked to the med bay door and watched Xan’s eyes droop as the adrenaline seemed to leave his system and he passed out. She called Erl back into the med bay and helped him clean up some of the mess Xan had made during his outburst. She discussed the next steps in his care. He would need nourish packs, some workouts to increase his strength, and rest. Lots of rest.

“Have you ever heard of a species that can give you visions?” Sloan asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Xan.

“Do you mean like from a bite?” Erl questioned.

“No, not from a bite, just a touch.” She glanced back toward the curtain they’d closed around Xan.

“From a touch?” He followed her gaze to where their newest passenger lay. “I can’t say I’ve heard of that before, but I could do some research.”

Sloan shook her head. “No, that’s okay, Doc. It’s probably because I’m running on fumes and slightly delirious after all the excitement today.” She went back to helping clean up the med bay mess. After another hour or so, they had finished repairing what they could and had thrown away what they couldn’t. Swaying on her feet, Sloan grabbed on to Erl’s desk and let him know she would be heading back to her quarters.

“I’m heading out, Erl.” Her voice wavered as she cleared her throat.

“Captain, I told you to go ages ago. Masya is here to help, and it looks like Xan should be out for a while. Go!” He shooed her out of the med bay.

As she walked to the door of the med bay, she stopped to pick up a large piece of glass and throw into the nearby garbage. Eighty credits for that damn window.

As much as she wanted to be angry, Sloan knew what those first few moments of freedom felt like and how uncertain things seemed. How could you be sure that it wasn’t all a trap and that you wouldn’t be punished for it? Pushing back memories of the time before she captained the Arrow, Sloan made her way back to her quarters.

The walk to her quarters was less hurried than her departure to the med bay had been as she thought about Xan. It wasn’t until after she’d scanned her hand to unlock the hatch to her quarters, opened the hatch, and stepped into the room that the tension finally ebbed from Sloan’s body and the fatigue set in. She washed the sweat and grime off herself and set the alarm for nine hours of shut-eye, then finally got into bed after almost twenty-two hours awake.

She could finally let all the craziness of the day fade away. The warmth and comfort she’d felt when touching Xan came back to her as she lay there. She was asleep when her head hit the pillow and had dreams filled with a place she had never been but where she felt warm and safe.