“Like a wound, per say?” Aker continued. “The faster I can identify what caused the infection, the higher the likelihood of saving her.”
“She was cut in the forest,” Ajos murmured as he moved some of Keh-reh-nah’s filaments from her face. Her face was flushed and even a little swollen. Still, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.
“Hmm,” Aker said. “Possibly contamination with some form of bacteria.” He motioned to one of his interns. “Make capsules to fight infections from every known bacteria found on…Choria G622?”
Ajos nodded.
“Choria G622,” Aker confirmed, and the intern hurried away to do his bidding.
Meanwhile, Aker injected Keh-reh-nah with a vial as he pressed his fingers at the side of her neck.
“What the hell happened out there?” Xul’s mate, Athena, turned to him.
Ajos’ throat moved.
“A lot.”
Behind him, he heard the door close and he could feel his brother’s stare on his back.
“Do you think she’ll be all right?” Ajos addressed the medic.
Aker shrugged, his fleshy nose twitching a little. “I cannot be positive.” He gave Ajos a sideways glance. “She is near death.”
Something wrung inside Ajos.
That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
His eyes refused to see that reality; his life organ refused to believe it…
“She needs a private room, and I will do everything I can to revive her.”
With that, Aker and the interns around him began pushing the gurney toward an empty room.
Ajos followed behind when he felt someone grasp his arm.
It was Akur.
His brother opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. Releasing him, Akur shook his head before storming out of the med bay.
It felt like ages before the interns brought the medication and Aker administered it.
Grasping her hand, Ajos brought it to his lips and held it there.
She was still hot, burning up.
An infection that could kill her…
He felt so guilty, he didn’t know if he was the cause or not.
Time passed with no change, and he couldn’t be quite sure whether it was minutes or hours that he sat there beside her. He couldn’t move.
Through all this, he stayed by her side. Everything else was like background noise. He hardly noticed the beings that came in and out of the room. The door opened and closed as humans came in to check on her, as members of the Restitution came in to ask him questions about the mission, and as the interns did their rounds.
He didn’t hear when they spoke to him.
He didn’t care.
He’d done this.
His nefre pulsed with a deep pain that was boiling in the pit of his stomach.
He was the reason she was fighting for her life.
Time passed.
How much?
He wasn’t quite sure…and he didn’t really care about the outside world to find out.
He stayed by her side, staring at her face for moments on end.
It looked like she was just asleep. He wished she’d wake up.
It was because of this preoccupation that he saw the first signs of movement.
It was her nose that scrunched up first. Then her fingers moved.
Ajos held his breath.
She was there.
She was back.
Relief shot through him, but he didn’t dare to speak.
Keh-reh-nah groaned and twisted a little as her eyes flicked open and she squinted.
“Wha…”
For the first time in what must be hours, his shoulders sagged a little with relief.
But that was short-lived for another fear bubbled in the pit of his stomach.
How would she react when she realized he was the reason she almost died?
It seemed to take a moment before she realized she was awake and then she tried to sit up, grimacing as her body protested.
“Stay still, Keh-reh-nah.” He used a hand to press her gently against the gurney once more and her eyes flicked to him.
That’s when he found he was holding his breath. Waiting.
“Ajos…” she whispered before her body fell back against the gurney. “I thought…” Her bottom lip quivered a little and she took a deep breath. “It’s so cold. I thought—I thought those bad guys got me again.”
“Never.”
She shivered underneath his hand. “It’s so cold.”
Ajos frowned.
Cold?
She was burning up.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’m so cold.”
She stretched toward him and Ajos’ eyes widened a little. Immediately, his nefre began to pulse, spreading need throughout him and he almost snarled at himself.
“Please,” she whispered again, as another shiver went through her.
She wanted him to comfort her not qef her but his body didn’t know the difference.
Something else wrung inside him as his instincts moved faster than his thoughts and he climbed atop the gurney to lie by her side.
She didn’t hesitate; she settled against him, but she was still shivering.
She needed his warmth.
Without thinking about it, Ajos began stripping, throwing his garments to the floor below.
“Me too,” she whispered as she tried to remove hers.
He helped her with that, slipping the small tunic from over her head and letting it fall somewhere on the floor. Then he pulled her toward him, settling her against him so she could take from his warmth.
A sigh left her body as she snuggled against his chest.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
He couldn’t answer.
His throat worked but no words came out.
This was…
This was too much for him to process all at once.
It felt…forbidden.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Did she not feel any different? She’d been unconscious for days. “Back at the base,” he managed to answer and as she moved against him some more, her naked skin rubbing against his.
“We made it back? I don’t remember leaving the forest after—” she paused and he felt her stiffen.
After they mated.
Maybe she didn’t remember…
“You went unconscious. I took you back to the ship.”
“Oh,” was all she said.
She snuggled into him some more. “I hope you don’t mind me doing this. You just feel…so good.”
Ajos’ throat moved again. So did she.
What had he gotten himself into?
Life would never be the same after this.
…after she revived fully and came to her senses.
…after she decided to leave him.
Her words came back to him immediately. She wanted to forget him.
He was a warrior, yet that single line could make him crumble.
He tightened his
