A needle.
Sheisa nurse. A human nurse.On Calidus?
A quiet moan escapes from between her pillowy lips, and I tense.
“What?” she whispers, her voice carrying with it a thin thread of memory. It is the voice from the other side of the door. She was trying to help me. She mumbles something else I do not understand, and her eyelids burst open. A look of horror takes over her face, and she jumps from the bed, jostling me and sending a wave of pain through my ribs.
“What the hell?” she shouts, breathing heavily and pressing a hand to her chest.
English. She is speaking English.
Gritting my teeth through the pain, I respond in her own language. “You were unconscious. Are you hurt?” The language feels stilted and strange on my tongue, but I am pleased I have not forgotten it.
“Wait … what?” She looks at me with what I believe is confusion, then shakes her head. “I’m fine.”
“Then why did you fall unconscious?”
“I …” she stammers, looking both puzzled and annoyed. “It’s called vasovagal synco— uh, fainting … because—” She lets out a sound of what I assume is frustration before saying, “What the hell is happening right now?”
“Why did you faint?”
“It doesn’t matter! Why did you pull me onto the bed? And … and …youaren’t even supposed to be awake!”
“Me?”
“Yes,you!”
Despite her small stature, she admonishes me with such fervent ferality that I find myself captivated. No one yells at me, ever, and it is surprisingly disarming—at least coming from her. She is fearless. But also making very little sense.
“Would you prefer I pretend to sleep?” I ask.
Her eyes go wide, and she presses a fist to her forehead. “What the fuck is happening right now?” she whispers.
“I am not certain. I just awakened.”Is ‘awakened’ the correct word?
Her hand drops to her side, and her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink. “Well, this isn’t going the way I’d expected. I thought you’d be … messed up? But clearly you’re some sort of alien miracle, because you seem…” She shakes her head. “Are you ok? You lost a lot of blood.”
I move to prop myself up on an elbow, but an intense surge of pain stops me. My injury is worse than I thought.
“Stop moving!” she shouts, rushing towards me. “You’re going to ruin my hard work.” Her hand contacts my shoulder, and a bolt of euphoric electricity shoots through me.
“Zar’vok,” I groan, surprised by the intensity of her touch. “I—” I need to ask her to stop, but the words die on my lips as her hand slides onto my chest and absolute ecstasy spreads across my skin. Gods, is this what a female’s touch is supposed to feel like?
It feels too good, and yet, I know it should not. None of this should feel good. I should push her away. Command herto stop. But instead my eyes are drawn to her face, to her beauty and her fire, to her complete lack of fear. I could crush her head with my hand, and yet, she is more concerned for my well-being than her own.
“Just lie down,” she orders as she drops into a squat next to the bed. She prods the sore flesh on my side, and I clench my teeth.
“Your work?” I ask.
“What?”
“You said I was going to ruin your work.”
“Uh … yeah.”
Another prod sends hot agony through me, and I suck in a breath. “And what work is that? Torturing me?”
“I’m trying to help you.”
