Timber
I was such an idiot.
Not only did I let N’kal risk his life, but I foolishly fell for my charge—again. I couldn’t believe I had let this happen twice now.
At least I didn’t get him killed … yet. I still had a few days with him under my protection, so the chance of something bad going down was still there. I’d have to be on high alert if I wanted to get him back to Xalan safe and sound.
When we got back to the hotel room, I sat on the bed and took off my boots. I looked up as N’kal removed his shirt and gasped, rushing to his side.
The dummy opened up the wound on his back when he jumped in to help me.
“N’kal, why didn’t you say anything downstairs? We could’ve gotten an ambulance, had someone check this out.” I prodded the edges of the stapled wound, frowning as dark blood seeped out from the torn spots. “Shit, I hope it’s not too bad …”
He turned his head as if he could see behind his own shoulder. “I’m sure it is fine. It does not hurt.”
“You thought you were fine enough not to say anything when you first got injured.” My words were harsh, but the hitch in my voice probably gave me away. I was scared. Twice now his life had been in danger, and twice he’d wound up bleeding. My record as a police escort was shit.
I had N’kal sit down on the bed while I tended to his wound. I blotted the blood with a hotel towel—Jesus, I was glad the AARO was paying for the room, because the hotel was probably going to charge this to the card—until the seeping finally stopped. It wasn’t as bad as I’d originally thought, but I cautioned him against anything too strenuous for a couple of days just in case.
“Does that mean no sexual activity?” he asked with a frown.
“Well …” I hesitated to answer because any restrictions I put on him would be punishing myself as well. It was a tricky situation. “Maybe we should limit our, uh, positions to ones where you’re doing less of the work.”
His eyes lit up with excitement. “I would be amenable to that!”
I groaned and shook my head. This guy was insatiable. “First thing’s first, though. We need lunch.” I checked my watch. “I didn’t realize how long that whole deal took this morning. You’re probably starving.”
N’kal cocked his head to the side. “I am hungry, but I will not starve.”
Gotta love those literal Xalanite translator nanites. “Okay, well, let’s stay ahead of the whole starvation thing by ordering room service. Since the media frenzy is only just starting, we shouldn’t leave the room unless we absolutely have to. If they catch us on-camera and some industrious anti-Xalanite zeroes in on our location, we’re screwed. I’d rather not have another hotel shootout on our hands. That, of course, means you’restaying away from the windows, and I’m the one who answers the door for the remainder of our time here. I don’t want any surprises.”
He nodded. “That is fair.”
I had several orders of burgers and fries sent to the room, along with a couple diet sodas and some fried cheese sticks. I steered clear of desserts and sugary drinks to avoid another episode from N’kal. He was horny enough without the Xalanite version of a crack-Viagra combo pack.
We ate in silence for a few minutes until N’kal had his first taste of soda. His eyes popped open wide, and he stared at his cup in shock. “This drink is attacking my tongue!”
I blinked in confusion until I realized he’d probably never experienced carbonation before. “It’s okay, N’kal. That’s just the bubbles. Humans enjoy some of their drinks carbonated. They put concentrated carbon dioxide in the liquid to make it fizzy.”
“Fizzy?”
“The little bubbles. The tickling you feel on your tongue when you drink it.”
He took another sip. “Hm. Interesting.”
“This is the same stuff I had in the car the other day, but no sugar. It’s called diet soda.”
“Diet? You think I am fat?”
I giggled. “No! They call it diet because it doesn’t have any sugar. Too much sugar can make humans gain weight. A lot of ‘diet’ products are just low-sugar or sugar-free.”
“Do you thinkyouare fat? Because you are not.” He smiled and patted my hip. “You have excellent proportions. Very desirable. You could have sugar, and it would not adversely affect your physique.”
I took his words for the compliment they were meant to be, awkward though the phrasing was.
After we finished our lunch, I turned on the TV and flipped until I found a show I thought we might both enjoy. It wasn’t a procedural, but rather an animated action show. I’d seen several people dressed up as characters from the show in the convention halls, and I thought a little light programming might be what we’d need after such a heavy morning. N’kal put an arm around me and pulled me into his lap while we watched, resting his chin on my head. The fit was comfortable, and I relaxed into him.
We watched several episodes of the show before the events of the past few days caught up with me. I hadn’t realized I’d dozed off until the TV clicked off, and my eyelids fluttered open at the sudden silence.
