She bites her lip, and her expression softens. “The head nurse mentioned it. Said I couldn’t help you even if you were sedated, but I took a chance and assumed you didn’t want to die. Did I get that wrong?”
Somehow, I do not think she knows who I am. But my mind is foggy from the pain and blood loss, and it is clear I cannot trust my own judgement. I feel distracted. Distant.
“Why?” I ask plainly.
“Why what?”
“Why did you enter my cell? I assume you are aware of the consequences, so why did you do it?”
She picks absentmindedly at the dried blood between her fingers, but her eyes stay fixed on mine. “As I already said, I assumed you didn’t want to die, so I decided to help.”
Gods, she is difficult. “What I am asking is whyyouchose to risk your job—and possibly your freedom—for me.” Gaius takes his laws very seriously, and I doubt her transgression will be easily forgiven. In the best possible scenario, she will lose her job, but there is a risk of far greater consequences.
She stares at me for a long moment, as if she is trying to work out some complex question in her mind. “I don’t know.”Lie.“I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I let you die.”
I wait, hoping she will elaborate. She does not.
“Why are you lying to me?” I ask.
Her brows furrow. “I’m not.” I bobble my head, and her lips pull back in a sneer. “I’m sorry, are you mocking me right now?”
Wait, what? “No, I am not mocking you.”
“Then what the hell was that?” She mimics my head bobble with a rude expression.
“It is a gesture of uncertainty.”
“Oh…” she says slowly. “Sorry, you just … well, you’re speaking English and it’s kinda hard to remember you’re an alien.” She twirls a finger next to her head, and I assume she is referencing my horns.
“Do you know who I am?” I ask. If she does, her actions will make much more sense.
She throws her hands up. “I don’t know. I was told your name is Vexar. Is that wrong?”
I cock my head. “Did Gaius send you?”
“Who?”
I shake my head, dismissing the question. The name did not spark any familiarity on her face, and I believe her. She does not know who I am. Gaius did not send her.What am I missing?
“You risked your job and possibly your freedom to save my life because … it was the right thing to do?” Humans aren’t known for their self-sacrificing behavior, are they?
“I did it because the alternative was worse.”
“The alternative?”
Her eyes narrow before she shrugs. “Maybe it was the wrong choice, but at least it wasmine.”
She has stopped lying, but her words are cryptic, and it is clear I cannot trust her. My vow may be broken, but my discernment is not.
“Thank you for saving my life,” I say, bringing the questions to an end.
She lets out a humorless huff. “I— Uh… Well, that was a quick 180.”
“Are you aware that your speech is very unclear?”
“Are you aware that you’re a bit of a twat?”
That was an insult, but I am not sure what it means, so I ignore it. “Well, thank you anyway. For saving me.”
