Danek inhales a deep, shuddering breath. His face contorts in agony, and his hand grasps mine.
Hold it together. He needs you.
“Move aside,” the scientist instructs, her tone brusque. I get out of her way, but I refuse to let go of Danek’s hand.
She examines him quickly. “Resonance sickness,” she murmurs. She slants a look at the man next to her. “A severe case.”
The man nods soberly. “I’ve never heard of someone reacting so quickly. It bodes—”
“Not now,” the scientist snaps. “Not here.” She turns to me. “You’re his bondmate?” she asks gently.
I can barely hear her over the roaring in my ears. “Yes,” I whisper, my heart in my mouth. “What’s happened to Danek? Is he going to be okay?”
“Let’s take him to the med facilities,” she replies obliquely, avoiding a direct answer. “Sidrx and I have a duty of care, but not without consent. Do we have your permission to treat him?”
“What?” I give her a blank look.
She sucks in an impatient breath. “Your bondmate is affected by the resonance sickness,” she says. “He cannot consent to treatment. You are his bondmate, and you have to make this decision on his behalf.”
She cares about ethics? This is a first. The scientists that tortured Cassie and me sure as hell didn’t ask for permission before they hurt us.
What should I do? If the scientist treats Danek, she’ll find out he’s a Draekon. Then what? Will they arrest him? Will our mission fail?
Then again, I have to let her intervene. I don’t give a damn about the mission, not when the big Draekon’s life might be at stake. He’s unconscious. He could be dying. Even the thought of that sends panic flooding my senses. The world starts to darken around me, and my breath comes in short gasps. The scientist and the healer are staring at me impatiently, waiting for me to make a decision, and I don’t know what to do. I can’t possibly be in charge. This is inconceivable. Simply inconceivable. We hadn’t planned this. None of us could imagine a situation in which Danek would be incapacitated.
“Naomi.” A woman pushes her way next to me, her expression concerned. “It’s me, Resi. We talked in the departure lounge, remember?”
She looks familiar. I manage a nod.
“Your bondmate is sick. You have to allow the healer to treat him, okay? Just say yes.”
The words penetrate my terror-soaked fog, giving me the direction I’m so desperately searching for. “Yes,” I whisper.
“I don’t know,” the scientist begins. “This is all very—”
“Just treat him,” Resi snaps. “His bondmate consented. You have witnesses.” She turns back to me and pats my shoulder awkwardly. “Go with them, dear. I’ll find out where your residence is located, and I’ll make sure your luggage and your pets get there.”
They load him on an automated stretcher and transfer him to the only hospital on Noturn. There, the healer injects him with a clear solution, and then immerses him in a healing tank.
God, I hate hospitals. They bring back memories I’d rather shove to the background. It’s the vaguely antiseptic smell that triggers me the most, part cleaning solution and part the acrid, coppery tang of blood. Human blood. My blood.
The healing tank doesn’t hold pleasant associations either. I hated them when I was immersed into one at the Rebellion, and I hate it now.
“People affected by resonance sickness feel like their brains are being squeezed in a vice,” the healer explains. “Their blood pressure rises to dangerous levels. Our scientists have developed a temporary solution. I just injected your bondmate with a dose of cranisum. It will take the pressure off temporarily.”
Danek has tubes snaking out of his nose and mouth. His eyes are still closed, and if he’s aware of what’s going on, he gives no sign. Lazy sparks travel through the gelatinous solution. The healers back at the Rebellion tried to explain the sparks to me. Something about the body’s built-in electricity, blah blah blah. From experience, I know that when the sparks connect with skin, they send a jolt through you. I can still feel them on my body.
He looks so helpless. He looks like he’s never going to wake up again.
And I can’t take it. I want to be brave for him. But I can’t. I can’t stand it. Bile fills my mouth, and I escape, lurching outside, and lose the contents of my stomach into a nearby bush.
Danek is immersed in a healing tank, fighting for his life. I should go back inside. He was there for me in the dark times. He was the light at the end of the tunnel. He was the lifeline I clung to to keep from drowning.
But I cannot. I command my legs to walk into the hospital, but they have turned to jelly. They will not obey. My fear is a solid wall, and though Danek’s on the other side, I can’t penetrate it.
She’s a liability, he’d said. He was right.
I’ve never felt more useless. I’ve never felt more like a failure.
14
Naomi
After about an hour, the scientist emerges outside. Her gaze rests on me, and I swear I can see judgment in her eyes. I can hear the questions she’s asking herself. What sort of wife doesn’t even care that her husband is in hospital? What sort of wife hovers outside, too terrified to go inside? What sort of wife isn’t there when her husband needs her?
“Is Danek…” My voice trails off. I can’t finish the thought.
“He is still unconscious, but we’ve given him a shot
