There was another hallway leading off the central hub on the right side of the house and she wondered if that led to a kitchen, or a second bedroom, since she didn’t see either.Where did he eat?Was the bedroom that she was sleeping in…was that hisbedroom and she’d just commandeered it?Was he going to expect to sleep there that night with her?Should she offer to sleep somewhere else?
She nibbled on her lip as she pondered these questions.Dammit, she had no experience with this.In regards to her past boyfriends, two had been during high school, when she’d been living under her parents’ roof.There was no worrying about who slept where.Her last and final boyfriend had lasted all of two months and they’d never even made it to sleeping over at each others’ places yet.
So there she was…overthinking everything.
Just calm down, she told herself.It wasn’t that big of a deal.Plus, she knew that Rixavox wouldn’t push her into anything she didn’t want to do.Hell, he’d had ample opportunity before now.And Kate said that she would be completely safe with a Luxirian warrior, hadn’t she?She got the sense that they were a race that respected tradition, honor, and discipline.
Rixavox led her through the bedroom and she eyed the soft, cushioned bed on the floor, piled high with furs.She remembered the smell of them now, so distinctly Rixavox.She flushed.Thiswashis bedroom.
They passed through a steel door, that swooshed open at Rixavox’s touch, situated in the far corner of the room.Inside, Cecelia saw a small pool of water, not unlike theRillirax, but with more structured edges and a rectangular shape.Steam drifted off the surface and floated up into flaps near the ceiling that seemed to work as vents.A strange structure in the corner caught her eye, which, at first glance, seemed to be the Luxirian version of a toilet.She spotted no mirrors, but the walls were lined with a metallic finish that reflected a fuzzy image back.
“Cloths are here,” he murmured, moving over to a hidden panel and pressing it in, which sprung out a compartment filled with what looked like tan linen.He rummaged inside and then returned with a medium-sized blue vial filled with liquid that resembled oil.“For washing.”
“Soap?” she asked, plucking the vial from his fingertips.
His features were puzzled for a moment but then jerked his head.“Tev.It turns to foam.”He looked behind her at the pool…or rather bathtub.“You will not need to wash again this night.Unless you wish to.”
She gave him a small smile.“I think I’m good.I might bathe in the morning though.”Especially if she got night sweats.
Rixavox nodded, looking down at her.She was aware of how closely they stood together and he reached out a hand to smooth back her stubborn hair.It probably looked like a bird’s nest after that hovercraft ride home.
“I will start the fires,” he murmured.
His touch retreated and she resisted to urge to follow his hand.He backed away and then disappeared through the doorway.The steel shut behind him, giving her some privacy.
She went about her business quickly and just when she was about to rejoin Rixavox, she caught sight of her reflection on the metallic wall.The image was hazy, but she could see herself relatively clearly.She frowned, lifting up her tunic, noticing that she’d already lost quite a bit of weight.Her hips bones looked sharper, more prominent than they’d been…well, since before she’d been taken by the first round of aliens.Her face looked pale in the lighting and she saw dark shadows under her eyes.
Cecelia frowned, her shoulders sagging a bit.She turned her head away for a moment, listening to the quietness, to the bubbling of the water that continuously filled the bathing pool behind her.Then she looked back at her reflection.Her spine straightened.She gave herself a small smile and then she touched the door.
She stepped through without another glance and she felt lighter for it.
Rixavox had already built up the fire in the living room when she appeared at the entrance of the hallway.The fire created a soft, orange glow, illuminating the room and yet casting long shadows in the corners.His skin soaked in the color, turning a golden hue, and Cecelia looked at him in awe, trying to memorize the shades of amber that swirled over his arms.
His eyes were still blue when he turned to look at her and he rose gracefully from his crouched position in the fire pit, bringing a small pouch of supplies towards her.
Starting from her feet all the way to her hair, his gaze roved over her and she wondered what he thought.Did she look strange to him?She was so unlike the Luxirian female that had been in his home earlier.She’d been beautiful, strong, and long-limbed.And Cecelia was pale, thin, and barely came up to Rixavox’s shoulders.
He led her back down the hallway wordlessly.Cecelia hovered around as he crouched and sparked a fire inside the pit with his supplies with little effort.She supposed that in a cold place like the northern lands, he’d had a lot of practice making fires.
“Is this your bedroom?” she asked.
He neatly bundled his fire supplies and rolled up the pouch, securing it with a cord.He looked at her.“Tev.”
“Oh,” she murmured, swallowing.“I, um, can sleep in the living room, if you’d like.I didn’t realize I was taking over your bed.”
Rixavox frowned at her.“I will sleep in the central hub, female.”His tone didn’t invite any arguments whatsoever and Cecelia thought it was better to keep quiet when it came to something like this.
Without waiting for her response, he crossed to another hidden compartment that sprung open at his touch.He procured a fresh shirt and handed it to her, which she took gratefully with a quiet thank you.
The tension was palpable and the fire hissed behind them, the loudest sound in the room.
“Frixavir, luxiva,” he murmured, reaching out a hand to skim her arm lightly.“Rest,” he translated.“If you have any need of me, do not hesitate to wake me.”
Then he turned on his heel with one last glance and he disappeared down the hallway until he was out of sight.The door swished closed behind him, until it was just her, standing in the room, alone.
Cecelia sighed and quickly changed out of her slightly damp shirt into the new one he’d given her.She resisted the urge to inhale the scent on the impossibly soft fabric since it smelled like the alien that currently filled her thoughts.
She settled into his soft bed and dragged the furs around her, shivering slightly until they warmed with her body heat.
