Violet was breaking down, and I didn’t blame her. When she opened the door with tears running down her face, holding out a bedpan of medical supplies, I ignored them completely, and pulled her to my chest, wrapping my arms around her.

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, her tears collecting on the front of my chest. I stroked her hair, letting her cry it out. I held her for several minutes, the sounds of her choking sobs filling the small room.

“I shouldn’t be crying,” Violet breathed against me, as her tears started to subside. “We still have work to do.”

I placed a finger under her chin, tipping her head back so she was looking at me. Her eyes were like twin storm clouds, threatening to spill over again. Deep dark bags had formed under her eyes, and her face was streaked with blood and grime.

She had never looked more beautiful. Without thinking, I dipped my head and pressed my mouth against hers. For a second, she was still, frozen under my mouth, and then she softened, her lips parting. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling her body flush against mine. I cupped her face and her neck, feeling her pulse beating strong under my fingertips.

After savoring her for a long moment, I broke the kiss, and rested my forehead against hers.

“We’re alive,” I whispered, using my thumb to stroke away her tears. “You saved us all, Violet. We’re safe.”

“I lost Samuel,” she wheezed.

I shook my head. “Samuel is smart, and better equipped to survive. We’ll find him.”

She nodded, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m so tired, Viggo,” she whispered, and I could see the exhaustion was more than just physical. She needed to rest.

“Okay. Tell you what. Help me move Ms. Dale to a bed. I’ll patch both of us while you get a little sleep, okay?”

She hesitated, her eyes searching mine. “What about you? You need to sleep too.”

I nodded. “We’ll sleep in shifts.” I had no intention of waking her up, of course. She could forgive me this one little white lie.

Violet needed sleep more than I did. She was on the verge of mental breakdown, and we couldn’t afford for her to have one, not at this juncture. Besides, I was worried about her. I wanted her to feel safe and secure, and get some much-needed rest. I didn’t mind suffering for that.

Violet nodded, and then paused again. “This place… we have no idea where the people are or when they’ll be back. We need to search it. Do you think it’s a Matrian facility, given that it’s on Matrus’ side of the river?” she asked.

I nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “It probably is Matrian, but until we know for sure I’ll secure the floor and barricade the doors. If anyone is here, we’ll know it, and handle it from there. It will be all right, Vi. We’ll handle it as it comes, together. I promise.”

The look of relief on her face was worth it. She leaned into me, pressing her ear against my chest and wrapping her arms around my waist. I bound my arms around her, and she gave a soft little sigh in response.

I gave us a moment to just hold each other, because we both needed the comfort the other provided. We shared the knowledge that we had both nearly died, multiple times, and we just needed a moment to feel alive and safe.

After the embrace was over, we went back for Ms. Dale. I had managed to drag her through the inner airlock door, but my strength wasn’t limitless. Together, Violet and I pulled her onto our shoulders, her legs dragging between us as we took her into the medical suite.

Violet slapped a blood patch on me, which began working immediately. I noticed things were a little brighter, my focus much clearer. I began inspecting Ms. Dale. I had limited medical knowledge, but luckily the medical supplies made it much easier.

I put a blood patch on her, and then began cleaning her up, cutting her outfit off of her so I could assess the damage. Of the three of us, she had the most red fly bites. They were everywhere—the flies had even penetrated the rubber soles of her shoes to get to the bottom of her feet.

“Alejandro told me red fly saliva was an anticoagulant,” I told Violet as she helped me undress the woman. “They bite the victims, leaving a puncture hole no bigger than a needle mark, but blood will continue to flow until the chemical in their saliva is neutralized.”

Violet nodded, her eyes wide. “So even though we have the blood patches on, it’s only a stop gap measure?”

I nodded. “In the cabinet, did you see any packets that look similar to this?” I held out the white packet with the yellow diagonal slash running through it. Violet nodded, and went over to grab a few.

I ripped one open with my teeth, and began pouring the powder over the bites. It immediately foamed when it came into contact with them. Violet stared for a second, then grabbed a packet and began helping me apply it. We started with her back, which was the worst, and then flipped her over to work on her front.

If Violet was uncomfortable with Ms. Dale’s nudity, she gave no indication of it. She remained focused and professional in her assistance. Eventually, we got all the bites, and I began working on her shoulder. I cleaned it out, making sure that there was nothing in it, and then applied the same paste that I had used on Violet’s thigh. She was going to have a scar, but I didn’t think there would be any long-term damage.

After she was patched up, I hooked her up to an IV bag. I pumped in a few milligrams of antibiotics. That was all I could do.

I turned to Violet. “Let me check you over, and then you can get some sleep.”

She nodded, smoothing some of Ms. Dale’s hair out of her face. “She’ll be okay?”

I nodded. “I think she’ll pull through, but…” I hesitated, unsure of how Violet would take what I was about to say.

Violet glanced up at me, her face neutral as she studied me. “You want to lock her up,” she said simply, looking back down at the older woman. Smoothing a lock of hair from her forehead, Violet stared at the older woman for a long moment. “It’s for the best,” she whispered. “Even if she’s not here for me, she’s still dangerous.” I watched as she pulled a blanket over Ms. Dale’s body.

“Give me the cuffs,” she said, holding out her hand. I pulled them out of my pocket, and handed them to Violet. She slipped one onto the hand without an IV, and then secured the other end to the bedframe. The bed was bolted to the floor, so it was unlikely that she could move it.

I looked at Violet. “Just until we know why she’s really here,” I said, trying to reassure her. She shrugged and I suppressed a sigh. Violet’s melancholy was deepening, her exhaustion playing havoc with her emotions. We both knew the reason Ms. Dale was there—for Violet.

“I know. I’m tired. You’re tired. Let’s get patched up and find you somewhere to sleep.”

She bit her lower lip, and stared over my shoulder out into the hall. “I think we should explore more,” she said finally.

I sighed, and shifted my weight from one leg to another. “Violet, you need to rest. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, and so have I, for that matter. After we rest, we can explore.”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious? What is this facility doing out here—why was it built and when and for what reason?”

I shrugged. “All good questions, but not important at this moment. The facility will be here when we wake up.”

“Unless whoever is here finds us and arrests us.”

“Like I said, I’ll stay awake.”

“Then we’ll have to run again. The red flies are probably still waiting outside. I am wearing clothes covered in blood. If we have to escape, we’ll probably just run back into them.”

I processed her logic, and in spite of my exhaustion, I found myself agreeing. “Okay,” I relented. “But only after we get this bleeding handled. A few bites can kill you from blood loss, if you don’t stop it.”

I handed Violet a few packets of the powder and took a few for myself. I watched her disappear into the room across the hall.

“Call me if you need help with your back,” I said.

She nodded, and offered me a ghost of a smile as she slowly closed the door between us. I returned it, and then moved to the next suite, uncomfortable with the thought of Ms. Dale waking up to a naked male in the room.

Blood was still streaming from them, with no sign of abating, so I began to pour the powder over my bites. It stung, but it was tolerable.

I was able to reach most of the spots, but my back was a problem, and I was guessing Violet’s was as well. I slipped my pants over my hips, buttoning them, and moved out into the hallway. Violet was already there, her shirt clutched to her chest.

She shuffled nervously, and then turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder. I sucked in a sharp breath as I took in the curve and shape of her back. It was wrong of me to feel attracted to her in that moment—she had several bites that were leaking blood—but I did. It took me a moment to jerk out of it.

I grabbed the packet and began pouring it over her wounds. She watched me from the corner of her eye, but I worked quickly, reminding myself she needed medical attention. Then I handed her my packet and turned around.

I tensed as I felt her finger press against each bite, applying the powder directly. I suddenly recalled the night we had kissed in my cabin, and the bite of her nails and fingers as she dug into my shoulders, our mouths devouring each other.

I was tired—exhausted, really—and incredibly attracted to her right now. It was difficult to maintain control at that moment.

As soon as she was done, I snatched the packet from her hands and retreated to my room, grating out a very insincere thank you as I did so. As I closed the door, I saw her smirk at me, a mischievous twinkle playing in her luminous gray eyes, and I grit my teeth, closing the door.

I got dressed quickly. The clothes were dirty and soaked with blood, but it was all I had. While I dressed, I tried to get Violet’s bare skin and the feel of her hands on my back out of my head. It was hard, but I managed.

I opened the door and stepped into the hall, to find Violet waiting. “You ready?” I asked, keeping my voice more clipped than necessary.

She nodded, and pulled her gun out of her pocket, checking the magazine. I did the same.

We stood there for a second, staring at each other. Violet went up on her tip toes and pressed her mouth against mine for a chaste kiss.

“Sorry,” she whispered as she lowered herself back down.

I nodded wordlessly, and nodded my head to the door, unable to speak for fear of unleashing all of my pent up passion on her. She nodded, and headed toward the door while I followed from behind, trying to keep my mind on the mission at hand.