The corporal straightened and bowed. “Yes, Commander. This way, sir.”
Corporal Shensar spun, her long brown braid swinging behind her. As she walked, something drew Lena's attention to her leg. The fabric of the corporal's pants leg stretched over odd bulges. She didn't have any exposed metal, so Lena assumed that was her Nethren limb.
Lena shivered, imagining being born with a metal leg. Or worse, giving birth to a child who was partially metal. Dear convergence, that would magnify the pain of childbirth.
Oh, fuck! Can Nethren and Medeans procreate?
“Are you cold?” Vor asked.
Lena jerked her attention to the Nethren commander. “No.”
Vor nodded and went silent. The corporal was the only one to disturb the quiet, naming rooms they passed to orient the commander. Finally, they came to a door with a piece of vaguely rectangular damage to it at about head height. Grimacing, Lena imagined some half-metal man ripping the general's nameplate from the door. How petty.
“This is it, Commander.” The corporal inclined her head to Vor and then, shockingly, to Lena. “Is there anything you require?”
“A meal for Lena and me.” Vor opened the door and entered without looking at the corporal.
Her gaze followed him. “Yes, sir.” She glanced at Lena, her eyes twitching, and then left.
Lena watched her go. The woman was attracted to Vor. That was the problem. It had nothing to do with Lena being a Medean. She peered into the room at Vor and rolled her eyes. Men could be so oblivious.
Vor turned to her. “Please come in.”
Lena snorted as she stepped inside. “As if this is your quarters.”
“They are for the time being.” He shut the door behind her and looked around the simple entry room. A meeting table stood to one side, near the only window, and several seats gathered near a fireplace on the opposite wall. Going across the room, Vor went to a door in the wall opposite Lena. He opened it and glanced back at her. “The bedroom and bathroom are through here. Would you like to bathe?”
“No, I'm fine.” Lena edged toward the seats and took a chair. Arms wrapped around herself, she watched Vor.
He went to a strange stand near the bedroom door and behind the dark blue couch. It was a wooden post with a crossbeam and a rounded platform on top. With a thump, Vor set his horned helmet on the top platform. Another quick movement, and the straps over his shoulders fell. They hung from his waist as he bent over and unbuckled the straps around his legs that held on the metal plates. With those loose, he unbuckled his belt and removed his lower body armor to hang on the crossbeam by the shoulder straps. There were two more straps across his chest. The first one held on a long arm piece that went on the crossbeam. The second one held only a top piece that protected the upper portion of his metal arm. It had gears embedded in it to make it blend with his arm. Vor set the curved piece of metal on the right tip of the crossbeam.
Devoid of armor, he hesitated, looking from the main door to the bedroom. “I need to bathe. I have the stink of battle on me.”
“Go ahead.”
“I can't leave you in here alone.” Vor sighed. “Will you please come into the bathroom with me?”
Lena's eyes went wide. She wasn't a virgin, but she'd never bathed with a man, or even stood in a bathroom while a man showered. That seemed intimate. Very intimate. “No, thank you.”
Vor grimaced. “I was trying to be polite, but it wasn't a request. You can stand facing the wall if you prefer, but I need you to come into the room with me.” He paused, his expression hardening. “Now, Lena.”
She shivered, but a part of her steadied under this sudden show of aggression. Lena needed to know if Vor's vow not to hurt her was true. This was the perfect opportunity to test it. “No.”
Vor strode over to her, his left eye twitching.
Lena jumped up and backed away.
Vor kept coming.
“You said you wouldn't hurt me!” Lena held up her hand to ward him off.
“And I won't. But that doesn't mean you can disobey me. You are mine, Lena. To protect, provide for, and keep until Source guides me further.” He scooped her into his arms as if she were a child, his mechanical arm pressed into her back.
Lena pushed at Vor, but he squeezed her tighter. “Put me down!”
“No. You are going to wait in the bathroom as I shower.” Vor strode into the bedroom, past the modest bed, made up neatly, and into a modest bathroom done in all white, even cleaner than the bedroom. There was no bathtub, only a shower stall set against the far wall and a toilet near the door, opposite a length of counter with a sink and a small mirror. Vor set Lena onher feet, shut the door, and locked it. “Do not leave, or I will have to resort to more uncomfortable measures to keep you with me. Do you understand, Lena?”
“I'm not one of your soldiers. Don't speak to me like that.” She crossed her arms.
