CHAPTER FIVE
REBECCA
Rebecca woke to the sound of a hoarse shout. Again. For a moment, she thought she was back on a Dorian ship, hearing some poor woman in distress. Who was it? Who would be next? Rebecca shook sleep from her eyes, took in the boxes surrounding her. No, she wasn’t with the Dorians.
She was on Verdan’s ship. This was a spare room. She was safe.
So who had she heard?
She stumbled off her bunk and out of the room. Her first instinct was to check on Farrah. Farrah lay in her bed, her hair a tousled mess and her lips parted as she snored. Sighing in relief, Rebecca pulled the blanket over Farrah’s legs and closed the door behind her. Leaning her back against the door, she took a breath. It wasn’t Min. The beast bleated. No, it had been a voice, shouting incomprehensible words.
That only left one other option.
Despite her dread at facing Verdan again, Rebecca padded down the hallways. The ship seemed eerily quiet, and her bare feet made no noise on the metal flooring.
He’d already reamed her out once for sticking her nose in his business. It wasn’t an experience she cared to repeat. Yet, she doubted he wanted to wake Farrah.
She rapped her knuckles on the door. “Hello?”
A groan answered her.
“I’m coming in,” she said, pushing the door open.
A lamp washed the room in a cool blue light. She’d expected the room to be neat based on how Verdan ran his ship, but the cabin she stepped into was spartan. A bed sat against one wall, but there were no other furnishings. A door to the side led to what she assumed was the bathroom. This was not a bedroom, but a room with a bed.
Verdan lay sprawled on the bed. His arm hung limply over the edge, and his legs were tangled in the sheets. For a second, she was struck by how Farrah resembled him in sleep, but then he moaned and his face twisted.
Rebecca made her way to the bed. Beads of sweat dotted his brow and the scales along his shoulders and chest rippled as they moved.
“Are you okay?” She leaned over him, and reached her hand for his shoulder, wanting to shake him awake. Instead, her hand froze a few inches from his skin. He burned. The heat roiled off him like she’d opened an oven. Wincing, she pushed on, shoving his shoulder. “Verdan?”
His eyes flickered. In the low light, they glowed with a fire inside. He mumbled words the translator didn’t recognize. His eyes rolled side to side, and he groaned again.
“Tysa? Tysa?”
“You’re sick,” Rebecca said. “I’m going to help you.”
Somehow.
High school biology had not prepared her for treating an alien.
The logical choice would be to bring down that fever. It couldn’t be healthy.
“Come on,” she said. She grabbed Verdan’s hand and pulled, but she might as well have tried to move a mountain. “Get up, dammit!”
She stumbled back as Verdan rolled to a sitting position. “Yessir,” he mumbled.
Shoving her shoulder under his arm, Rebecca hauled him upward. “Walk,” she commanded.
When the blanket slipped aside, revealing his naked form, she almost dropped him.
“Well,” she said. “There you are then.”
Despite her best efforts to avoid looking, she peeked. He was well-muscled, but he looked thinner than she expected for such a broad-shouldered man. Scars marred his body across his back and chest. His tummy was tight, and the scales smaller than those on his shoulders, and lower down…
No! Bad Rebecca!
By the time they staggered to the bathroom, sweat soaked Rebecca’s shirt. Lifting the Ennoi took a lot of strength, and his skin felt like a hot day in Arizona. She plopped him down next to the door and fumbled for the light switch. When the light flared on, Verdan grunted and threw his arm over his eyes.
“Sorry!” Rebecca fidgeted with the switch until the light dimmed to a pale yellow. She blinked as her eyes adjusted, and then her brow furrowed.
Oh, so he gets a giant pool to soak in and the rest of us get a piddling shower? Nice.
It took a moment for Rebecca to figure out the controls. Instead of water, thin oil gurgled into the tub, filling the air with a spicy, woodsy smell. Right, Farrah had mentioned the Ennoi bathe with oil. She found a small cupboard containing towels and threw one over Verdan’s lap, while she used another to wipe off her hands. The oil absorbed into her skin without leaving a film.
The bright light revived Verdan somewhat. He blinked slowly at Rebecca, but his body trembled. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Trying to cool you down. You’re burning up.”
He looked down at himself, confused. “I feel cold.”
“Don’t worry, the bath will be warm, just not hot. Can you get in by yourself?”
In the end, she had to support him as he lowered himself into the oil. While it would have held her or Farrah comfortably, Verdan had to bend his legs at the knees to fit. He moaned as the liquid rose up over his skin.
“Is it too cold?” Rebecca asked.
“It is agony,” Verdan said. “But it helps.”
“Your eyes do look clearer.”
He leaned his head back against the back of the tub, and closed his eyes. For a moment, he was quiet, then he slowly began to slip down. Rebecca grabbed his arm.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep! You’ll drown!”
He blinked at her. “S-so tired.”
“Why do your scales do that?” Rebecca said. If she kept him talking, he might stay awake.
“Do what?”
“Ripple like that.”
He scrunched up his nose. “It happens when we are angry. Or upset.” He paused. “When we are excited. Or aroused.”
Rebecca’s face warmed. It took a lot of willpower to keep her eyes fixed on his face. “Farrah doesn’t have scales like that. Or ridges. Do all adult Ennoi have them?”
“Do all adult Humans ask so many questions?”
“No. Just ones trying to save Ennoi lives,” she replied, crossing her arms. “Answer the question.”
He stayed quiet for a while. His hands skimmed the surface lazily, and he watched the ripples fan out with a glazed expression. “The ridges are a sign I found my Avowed. When we Ennoi find our soul mate, our dormant second heart begins beating and we undergo… a physical transformation. It is a symbol of our love. Our Avowal of Infinity.”
“Farrah said she passed away,” Rebecca said. “I’m sorry.”
“As am I.” His attention returned to the ripples.
Rebecca sat on the floor, and leaned her back against the wall. The pain in his eyes broke her heart. What must that be like? To lose a part of yourself to someone and then to lose that someone? She’d never been in love, but she’d always believed she’d have a long life to find The One.
No guarantees in life.
Enjoy it while you can.
***
She must’ve fallen asleep, because she woke with a start. She peeked at Verdan. His eyes were closed again, his head lying against his shoulder. The scales on his body lay flat. She reached out her hand and touched his forehead. Still warm, but cooler now. The oil was icy.
She reached between his feet, carefully avoiding what lay between his thighs, and opened the drain, letting the liquid level drop.
“Verdan,” she murmured. “Time to go back to bed.”
He stirred. “Tysa, let me sleep.”
She jabbed her finger into his arm, making him wince. “It’s Rebecca. Time to move.”
“R-Rebecca?”
“Move!”
“Fine, fine,” he grumbled, rising out of the tub. Oil streamed off his body in sensual tendrils, caressing his muscles as it slipped downward. He buffed his skin with a towel, and his scales grew brighter, gleaming where the light touched them. She couldn’t breathe until he wrapped a towel around himself.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“Groggy,” he said. He swayed, and she grabbed his arm to steady him. He pulled away.
“Don’t be stupid,” she snapped. “Let me help.”
He hesitated before leaning on her. Together, they wobbled back to the bed. As she lowered him to the sheets, he groaned again.
“You missed a spot.” Rebecca grabbed the towel from her shoulder.
“You must think me weak,” he said as she wiped oil from his shoulder.
“I don’t think that,” she said. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she shook her head. “I don’t. Strength comes in many forms. During my time with the Dorians…” She closed her eyes against the memories. “There are all kinds of strength in this world. Well, in this universe,” she amended.
“And you’ve seen much of the universe, have you?” His mouth quirked in amusement.
“I’ve probably seen too much to return to Earth and go back to my small life.” Rebecca scratched the back of her neck. “Okay, I’ve seen plenty of ship interiors. Sometimes I got a peek of stars. Once I saw what I thought was a planet, but I’m not sure. It might’ve been a rock.”
“Then, you have seen nothing of the universe.”
“I’ve seen enough. I’ve seen people. Humans and Dorians. The aliens on New Trades. And now Ennoi.” She sat on the edge of the bed, beside him. “You are strong. Your wife’s-”
“Tysa,” he said.
“Tysa,” Rebecca repeated. “Farrah told me how her death affected you. But you stay alive for her. That is strength.”
She fidgeted with the hem of the towel.
“What is your strength?” His voice held genuine curiosity.
“Me?” She sighed. “I’ve seen women who fought, and women who submitted. Women who fooled themselves into believing they were in love with their masters. Women who locked part of themselves away so nothing the Dorians did could touch them.”
She waited for him to ask what the Dorians did, but his silence let her knew he had some idea.
“I’ve always liked to think I’m the sort of person who finds joy in life, despite the darkness. That maybe my heart isn’t so bruised black and blue that it can’t feel anything anymore.”
“You feel.”
She shrugged. “How can you be so sure, when even I’m not sure?”
“For one,” he said slowly, “you took joy in the sweetness of tea. Horrible, vile, not-fit-to-scrub-toilets tea.”
That made her laugh. She brushed lint off his face, and threw the used towel on the floor. At his wince, she patted his arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll go hang them up in the bathroom.”
When she returned, his eyes were half-closed. She pulled the sheets over him. As she dropped the sheet, his eyes popped open and he grabbed her wrist. Her breath caught. His eyes were wide with fear.
“Verdan? It’s me, Rebecca.”
“Stay with me,” he said. “I cannot be alone now.”
“I-I…”
“Don’t leave me.” Need filled his voice, and his grip on her wrist stayed firm.
The protests she lined up died on her lips. Why couldn’t she stay? She’d sat with countless women in the same situation, where the darkness filled their minds and left no space for the light. She’d held their hands for as long as she could. People who knew suffering had to stick together. They had to work to stop others from suffering.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stay.”
She sat on the bed. His grip eased enough for her to free her wrist and wrap her fingers around his. His hand dwarfed hers. Callouses ridged the palms. She ran a finger over the fine scales on the backs, tracing the pattern of forest-like swirls, and feeling the roughness of his scars.
She protected the weak to the best of her ability. Like Farrah. Like Jenna, the girl she’d lost to the Dorians the day she left Earth. Where was she now? Did Jenna have someone to hold her hand?
Rebecca shivered. She leaned into Verdan, letting his heat drive away some of the chill on her skin. He murmured something, and rolled to his side, but his grip on her hand remained.
Maybe Rebecca needed someone to hold her hand tonight, too.