“I’m not going anywhere!”
“Okay, then I will have an area prepared for the two of you so you can have some privacy. The machines are working nonstop on the burns and throughout the rotation, he will be immersed in a hydro bath. The machines will do this automatically until the old skin softens and falls off, and the grafts begin to attach. I am going to keep a close eye on his liver and other damaged organs. Hopefully, the stem cells I injected into his system will boost his natural healing abilities. I need to do some research on his kind, but he is built like OrO, and if he is part Orc, then he will mend on his own quickly.”
It doesn’t take long for a wall to open behind me, and Falon’s bed to be moved into another area. This one has soft couches, areplicator, and a bathroom, so more comforts than I’ve had for years.
I’ve just sat down next to his bed when there’s a soft knock on the door. Tracy sticks her head in. “Hey, you ok? I brought you a change of clothes and a few snacks, since I didn’t know what they had in here. How is he?”
I pick up his charred fingers, wiping a lone tear on my sleeve. “He’s a mess, and LeX said his chances are slim.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I heard from Mandy what he did and we all owe him our lives. But I thought you didn’t want a mate, especially him … you were pretty adamant and vocal about that.”
“Oh, in my mind he’s still a whore, but I believe the sacrifice he just performed is larger than any mistakes he made before me. He tried to tell me, but of course, I didn’t believe a word of it when he said I was the only thing that mattered. I mean, I should’ve realized it when he stowed away on this ship, but Tracy, if you could’ve seen his face when he realized he might not make it. He said maybe this was his God’s plan all along, and he still did it. Maybe I needed to see this other side of him … I just wish that I hadn’t been so stubborn, then maybe things would’ve worked out differently.”
“Sweetie, one thing I’ve learned is that it all works out the way it’s supposed to. Just think of what it took for you and him to be here together right now. How many pieces had to fall into place in order for him to be here to save all of us? Because if he hadn’t been, we would all be dead by now. Think of the lives affected by both your decisions. This will all work out, and I do believe in the end, you will be happier for it.”
“When did you get so smart?”
“When I realized there was no going back. I had a good life once, and I’m determined to have it once again. You’ve both been given a fresh start so take advantage of that to the fullest. You look like you’re ready to fall over, change your clothes and get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.”
CHAPTER 14
EDIE
People seem to pop in and out at random as I sit here, watching his skin slowly knit back together, leaving small silver scars across his arms and neck. It was late when LeX came back in, and I was leaning over the edge of his bed, deep in thought as the machine worked on his fingers in front of me.
“You should rest while you can, Edie.”
“I’m alright, how’s he doing? I can’t figure out these screens no matter how hard I look at them.”
“His vitals are stable and he is healing which is all good news. If this keeps up, I should be able to take him off the ventilator in half a rising.”
“You know, I sat there and watched his skin bubble from the inside out. I just don’t understand what happened.”
“It was the back-feed; the extra energy that was trapped inside the system when he threw the switch on the warp drive. I have no idea how he handled what he did, given that it was so powerful it overheated two of the three thrusters, and it took the maintenance bots half a rising to restart them. How an organicbody did not melt on the spot, I have no clue. All I can figure is that the Lord of Light was not done with him yet.”
“These machines of yours must be full of magic. I was sure he would lose his fingers, but slowly they’re mending them back together. I wonder if he’ll lose the abilities that saved us.”
“Those leads, or extensions, are part of his essence, what your kind calls DNA. If we can get the big things healed, all that other stuff will work itself out. However, his body will be forever marked by this, even though the scarring looks minimal. Edie, did you notice that the only place on his body without a burn is his mate collar?”
“I did and it’s kinda freaky. Is it like this for all the species in this part of the galaxy?”
“I cannot speak for all, but I will say I have seen it more often than not.”
“I wish I had them; it would sure make things a lot easier.”
“Not in your case, I do not think it would. You feel that if you accept the bond, you are going against the very things you hated. You had already made up your mind that he was, what did Rylie say … oh yes, ‘aman-whore’. Even if you had mating marks, you would have still fought them. Now the choice is yours, and you are scared. My Rylie would also say that is ‘only human’.
So, let me help if I can. This male, a known criminal, put himself in direct danger to follow a woman who clearly did not want him. Put himself on a ship knowing that if he was caught, he could clearly be put to death, then sacrificed his own well-being to save not only the woman he could no longer live without, but the people who would judge him the worst.
The question I ask … is his past worth ruining both of your futures? I was living half a life until Rylie … and I had no idea how incomplete it was until I held her in my arms. Falon is facing that same battle, and if you think you are alone in this, simply look around at the mixed couples. Each of us has experienced the same things you are, just in different ways. Looking back will never build your future, but it can sure weigh you down.”
I run my fingers over the bright markings running down the middle of his chest, disappearing under the covering over his waist. Every time my fingers touch his skin, they tingle and the symbols brighten.
“Falon will be out most of the darkness. You should sleep. I have a feeling that when he awakens, he will be disoriented and hurting but will still beg you to stay with him.”
“Thank you LeX, for all you’ve done for him and the advice.”
“I am just doing my job; he is the one we all owe our thanks to.”
