Myrum
By the time they got to the guest room Lorse originally put them in, someone had piled their stuff on a table pulled down from the wall. Amina let go of his hand to rifle through their bags until she found something fluffy that looked a lot like the Jinjoo wool scarf Amina had given him.
She took it to the bed, shook it a few times, then laid it out. She set Ruby on it then folded it over in half, completely covering the lizard. Crouching down, she lifted an edge to peer inside.
“You’re amazing and beautiful, Ruby,” she murmured. “You saved my life, and I’ll be forever grateful. For now, I need youto stay in here. After we’ve cleaned up and changed, you can snuggle up to me or Myrum again.”
There was no movement or sound from inside the fluffy cloth. Amina seemed satisfied and stood back up. Myrum rushed to her side when she swayed a little. He wrapped his arm around her.
“Amina?”
“I’m okay,” she said, but he could feel her shaking. “I need to get clean, right now. I can’t stand this another moment.”
Myrum picked her up and carried her into the cleansing unit. After he set her down, she pushed him away.
“I can do this,” she said but stumbled the moment he let go. “What’s wrong with me? I was fine a moment ago.”
“There’s no more emergency,” he said. “Everything that happened is catching up with you.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she muttered.
Memories of struggles and the scent of blood came back to him. Not from fighting with the guards, but when he was under the influence of Lorse’s drugs back in the dining area. He couldn’t make sense of it at the time, but it explained the blood already on Amina when he came to in the hall.
“You killed the guard Lorse left with me.”
Amina lifted her eyes to his and nodded. “I, uh, yeah. I did. I’ve knocked a lot of people out and maybe even broken a few bones, but never…that.”
“Taking a life is a heavy burden,” he said, although he felt no guilt about the pile of bodies he’d left behind. He didn’t remember most of his murderous rampage but knew those Ossisos deserved their end. They could’ve walked away, but instead they were ready to enforce Lorse’s evil orders.
“She would’ve killed me,” Amina continued. “And Lorse wanted me to die. I don’t regret their deaths, but…” she paused,as if searching for the right words. “Shouldn’t I feel guilty? All I feel is relief. Does that make me as bad as them?”
“No!” Myrum held her close with a comforting rumble. “You acted out of self-defense and defense of others. They used their strength and power to hurt anyone in their path.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, he saw determination. “You’re right.”
“Aren’t I always?” he asked and got the smile he’d hoped for.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” she said, then grimaced. “Enough of this, I need to get clean.”
He helped her strip down, tossing the soiled garments into a waste receptacle. Using one hand, he pulled off his belt and ripped off his pants—they were ruined anyway. He ordered the unit to turn on the sonic cleanser.
The lights dimmed and the floor under their bare feet vibrated slightly. The filth melted off their bodies and was absorbed by the specialty plating on the floor.
The sonic cleanser had gotten all the gunk off, but Amina was still shaking in his arms. He knew she enjoyed hot water, so he ordered the unit to shower them next.
A low bench slid out when he tapped a section of wall with his foot. Lifting Amina into his arms, he sat on the bench and cradled her against his chest.
She let out a sigh and tucked her face against his neck while hot water rained down on them. Her bright blue hair fanned out across her back and was soon saturated with water. Something about the color of her hair triggered a connection in his head.
Then Amina let out a sob and the thought fled.
“I’m here,” he murmured, rocking gently. “For as long as you need me, I’m here.”
He’d read that it was better for humans to let out their emotions than hold them back. It was hard to listen to her sob, but he kept telling himself it was necessary.
As she cried, more of the fight in the bay came back to him. He’d thought she’d killed Lorse also, but no, that wasn’t right. He’d seen a glimpse of Ruby on Lorse.
“Ruby killed Lorse!” he exclaimed.
