Faith

Rylan keeps me laughing as the day wears on and he tells me stories about his childhood on Aragran. His family tried their best to keep their heritage alive despite the powerful influence of the Itharene and Hradun on their culture. So, he grew up not so different from me, living something of a mountain life, hunting and fishing.

“How weird that we both found ourselves in tech jobs,” I point out.

“Looking at things now that I’m grown, it isn’t the path my heart would choose. I thought I would find a profession that would…I don’t know, make an impact. Instead I do upgrades in brothels.” He sighs. “At least I know there will always be work for me.”

“I feel the same about the work I was doing before,” I admit. “I’m lucky I did choose the tech industry though. I’d have been lost out here without some kind of background in computer science. I mean, my planet has nothing like the advancements floating around out here, but at least I have a foundation, you know?”

He grunts and passes me the carb ration we’ve been sharing. The fresh fruit we stole from the ugly Makaan was finished before midday and all we have left are rations. Rylan’s face is a grimace as he chews the synthetically sweetened bar.  

“Not your flavor?” I ask, taking a bite.

“There’s a station on the way to Aragran that sells these small sweet cakes with cream on the top about this thick.” He holds up his talons, demonstrating the size for me. “That is the first place we will be stopping after this wretched planet,” he tells me quite seriously.

I take a bite of the carb ration. It’s as dry as cardboard and the synthetic sweetener leaves a waxy coating on the roof of my mouth. “I didn’t know you had a sweet tooth,” I tell him.

“Bah, sometimes. All these rations have me craving something with some damn flavor.”

Crawling on a rock nearby is one of those spidery lizard things that we’ve hunted and I point innocently at it.

Rylan lets out a frustrated growl and rakes his fingers through his pulled back hair, making it look messy and disheveled. “I don’t understand how you can have such endless patience for these meals, Faith. I envy you.”

“Hey, tastes better than—”

“Starving,” he finishes for me. “I know,” he says, his tone sour.

I frown and look at Rylan like a puzzle to be solved. His energy seems a little less light than usual, so I keep talking in an effort to cheer him up. “Food doesn’t bother me as long as there’s something to eat. But I’m not impervious to certain cravings…” I trail off but peek up at him from under my lashes. A little flirtation might perk him up.

“Cravings?” he questions. His brows are raised and he’s suddenly appraising me with interest. I can’t hide the smile that spreads across my face.

“First thing I want when we get out of here is a nice bath. Something long and hot,” I confide in him, hoping that maybe the thought of me naked in a tub sparks a friendly reminder of our night together on Nydor.

But to my surprise, Rylan smacks himself on the forehead. “Oh Faith, I am sorry. My mind has been elsewhere. Would you like to bathe?” he asks me apologetically.

“Wait, what? I can get a bath around here?” I ask, my voice shrill with surprise.

“I should have thought of it. I know how my sisters can be over such things. Just a moment,” he tells me as he types something into the personal comm on his wrist. I see an image projected and we look at it together. It is a map. “There’s a stream not too far from here. It would make a good place to camp for the night. It will be cold, but we could wash up there.”

The thought of rinsing clean is so enticing I nearly swoon and it’s all I can do to nod my approval.

There’s a renewed vigor in our steps as we walk, having something tangible to look forward to. In no time at all, I find myself looking down at a small pool of water. The stream originates from a rocky ledge, not quite making a waterfall, but the sound coming from it is a soothing babble. At the far end of the pool, the stream resumes, slowly heading downhill.

It’s late in the day and I estimate the temperature is nothing even remotely close to being comfortable, but my body is in serious need of this bath, so I’m willing to overlook the cold. I peer down at myself. My nails look brown from all the caked-on dirt and my skin is splotchy. I’ve gone nose blind to my own odor and I hope to God that Rylan has too. I run my fingers through my tangled hair. Feels like I swam through an oil slick.

“Are you getting in on this too?” I turn to ask Rylan. His vest is already tossed to the side and his pants are around his ankles.

“I guess that’s a yes,” I laugh and he gives me a big, cheesy grin.

I’m not a modest person. Maybe I was once upon a time, but modesty is a luxury I haven’t been able to afford since my abduction. So, I pull my scrap of a shirt over my head and wiggle out of the tight pants I stole from a sexbot.

“It’s going to be cold,” Rylan reminds me as he approaches. Out of politeness or something we keep our eyes locked. It’s the closest thing to privacy two naked people can offer each other, I guess.

I bite back a smile. “I know,” I say with an anxious excitement. “But I want this bath so bad!”

“Together then?” he asks, holding his hand out to me. I nod and link my fingers with his. His touch is gentle, even with those razor-sharp talons and my hand is dwarfed in his. For the first time since Nydor I can’t help but notice the differences between us.

Rylan has been the only person I’ve really talked to since Earth. He’s been my only friend. Somehow, I haven’t viewed him as alien as all the others I’ve come across. But now, in the fading light of the day as our hands are joined together and we go splashing into the chest-deep water, I notice how pale and dirty my hands are compared the earthy green tones of his flesh. I notice his monstrous height, the breadth of his muscular shoulders, and the sharp, angled lines of his face. Then there are those eyes, shining bright like they’re lit from within. He is really stunning and I can’t help but feel boring and ordinary next to him. Only…he doesn’t look at me like I’m boring.

“Not as nice as a hot bath would be,” he says as we face each other in the water. His hands go to my arms and he rubs them in an effort to keep me warm.

“Yeah, I think a hot bath will still be my number one when we get out of here,” I admit.

“And what will follow?” he asks, his expression troubled. He really didn’t seem to like the idea of me pirating.

“I don’t know. I think I’ll check out the nearest space station, find a kind and unassuming guy… Then I’ll knock him over the head with something heavy and steal his station badge. Eat like a queen for a few days.” I shrug. “Maybe steal his ship.”

“And here, I thought I was special,” he teases.

“Oh, you were!” I tease. “If it weren’t for you I’d have never known how easy it is to knock someone out.”

“Watch yourself, little human,” he tells me before he dunks his head under the water. “Remember, I have sisters. I know how to spar.”

“Yeah, siblings will do that to a person,” I agree as we begin to scrub ourselves. I dunk my head to get the worst out of the way and rub my fingers along the roots. There’s no soap, but it’s better than nothing. Next, I turn my attention on getting my nails clean, but the temperature is starting to get to me now. I begin to shiver and my body tenses against the cold.

“Okay, I have an amendment to make. The first thing I want is still a long, hot bath. But I want it in a jacuzzi tub,” I say, fretting over my dirty hands.

“What is a jacuzzi tub?” he asks, splashing water up onto his shoulders and back.

“A beautiful little invention, really. It’s a tub that has water jets and these lovely jets hit you in all the right places on your back and neck to help relax you and work out the tension in your muscles.”

“Ah, this is yet another one of your wishes I can make come true,” he tells me. “Remember on your long and lonely nights as a pirate, that you left behind a male who could grant all your wishes,” he says in that teasing voice of his as he moves behind me in the water. Once again, his hands are on me, but this time they find my shoulders. He pulls my hair over to one side before he begins massaging me. As cold as the water is, I relax immediately.

“Mmmm.” I close my eyes and moan. My body wants to go limp. “Careful, my knees are going to buckle,” I warn him in a sleepy voice.

“Relax if you like, Faith. I will simply hold you against me,” he says.

“Don’t tempt me,” I mumble. All this touching and being naked together in the water…well, it’s getting me amped up and a flush creeps up my cheeks at the realization. It would really convolute things between Rylan and me to bring sex back into the equation. A friendship with him is important to me, and after everything he’s done for me, all he’s sacrificed, I shouldn’t let myself fuck up whatever it is we have. So, abruptly, I pull away from him. “Want me to do you?” I offer casually, motioning to his back.

He groans and reaches for me, running his hands up my arms again. “More than anything,” he tells me with a heated voice, but he holds me in place.

We’re so close our bodies are almost touching. I can feel the heat coming off of him, calling to me. All I have to do is push myself up on my tiptoes and I could kiss him. His gaze is penetrating and slowly, we inch closer together. But before our lips can collide Rylan freezes, cocking his head to the side, like he can hear something.

“Out of the water,” Rylan whispers urgently. Adrenaline rushes my system.

As quickly and as quietly as we can, we make our way to the bank of the stream. Rylan’s eyes dart around, vigilantly searching for signs of danger. He picks up a charger and passes me his vest before pinning me against a tree. He keeps his back to me so I’m guarded while I dress. “Dry yourself with that,” he orders, motioning toward his vest.

Somewhere, in the distance, I hear the blast of a laser.

I startle and hurriedly wipe myself down, yanking my clothes on and keeping my charger within reach as I do. I’m dressed and have my bag slung over my shoulder in less than a minute, but Rylan is still naked as a jaybird. I pat him down quickly with the vest and pass him his pants before I offer him the same cover he gave me.

I search the hillside with my eyes, but the sun is nearly gone now and the shadows of the trees stretch toward us. I get the sense Rylan can both see and hear better than me. Still, I do what I can to help.

When Rylan is ready he pulls me away from the stream, and hopefully away from any danger that might be lurking nearby. Both of us keep our chargers drawn as we disappear into the forest.