And I still don’t, not really. Only that Indiz expects there to be retribution. “What will they do if they find out?”
“I don’t know.” But he seems concerned.
I wish I’d never looked. I wish I’d found a cave to camp in while I waited. But I can’t wish we hadn’t met. I want to see his smile again. “What areas am I allowed in?”
“All the communal areas.”
“And how do I know which ones they are? There’re no signs on the doors.” I laugh. “There are no doors.”
If people are worried about their stuff being rummaged through, putting a lock on things would be wise. Not that I peeked in any of the chests.
“The ground floor is all common. Then there are communal rooms on every floor. They have a wider door.”
I’d noticed that downstairs, but not on this level. I’d have to pay more attention. “Will you be in trouble?”
“It will be all right.”
But I don’t believe him. There’s more he can’t or won’t tell me. Why does he need to keep the secrets of the people who live here? I want to press but I doubt he’ll tell me more and I don’t want to be rude. An uneasy silence grows between us.
Indiz opens the chest and pulls out a robe, then holds it open. “Would you like to bathe?”
I remind myself that there’s nothing in the lake and that washing my hair, and clothes, would be delightful. I don’t want to be a dirty grot, but that amount of water makes me uneasy.
“Sure.” I get out of the bed and he walks over, and I slide into the offered robe. The cloth is thick and luxurious. “Thank you.”
His hands skim down my arms and I turn around. I forget how tall he is. I’m not even shoulder height. I tip my chin to look up at him. There’s a light in his pupils like he holds an entire universe in his body. I want to explore the possibilities.
“What are these?” He touches the bruises on my chest with a claw.
“From the crash.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Better bruises than dead.” I lean a little closer.
Indiz steps back. “I’ll get you some other clothes. Warmer ones and meet you at the lake.”
I stifle a groan. I want to taste his lips. What’s wrong with me? Hooking up with an alien while stuck on his planet is definitely not in the rule book. But maybe some rules don’t matter anymore.
He leaves the room and I take a moment to gather myself before following. He’s only interested in holding me, not kissing me. Maybe his kind doesn’t get cozy with aliens…after all, to him I am the odd one with blue eyes and brown hair and beige skin. From the walkway I see him stride across the foyer. There must be a storeroom that he’s raiding for me. I hope he’s allowed to do that…or is that another thing he’ll eventually be in trouble over? I lift my gaze to the other levels, the bridges and the walkways and the dark shadows of the doorways. Each one could be hiding someone or something.
I go downstairs and return to the lake. The vastness still stuns me. I’ve seen smaller algae ponds. The steam coils around me as though to lure me closer, but the water doesn’t appear anymore welcoming than it did yesterday. That there is an indoor lake is nothing short of amazing. It would be a waste not to use it, even though my heart is fluttering, and my stomach is tight.
Indiz appears quietly next to me. He places the clothes on a ledge, then sits. Is he expecting me to go in there alone?
“You aren’t bathing?”
“You didn’t want to join me yesterday so I will wait. Shall I leave?”
I glance at the water and then at him. He’s already getting up. “Stay…I can’t swim, and it looks deep.” And anything could be hiding in there. “Do animals live in there?”
“No.”
That doesn’t reassure me. Even though I grew up on an algae farm surrounded by growing ponds, none were deep enough to swim in. Working on ships I never needed to learn either. Now instead of enjoying a bath in a hot spring, I’m freaking out. “Bathe with me?”
He smiles, fangs peeking between his lips. “You really want me with you?”
There’s something in the way he says it that gives me a moment’s pause, but honestly the idea of getting in there alone is more terrifying that being in there with Indiz. It’s not like I haven’t already seen him naked.
