She laid the blaster down. "Well, that's good to know," she said as she fluffed her skirt.
He accessed his internal chronometer. He'd been in a sleep mode for almost eight hours.
"Have you been asleep all this time as well?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I was up and down. Listening."
"Did you hear anything?"
"No one seems to know where we've gone. At least, I've not heard anything. I did access the data stream here from the pad over there."
The access point was designed for cybernetic implants. The fact that she was able to glean anything was impressive. "What were you able to learn?"
"There are humanoids, though I could not be sure if they were Charro or Terran, on one of the nearby islands. I couldn't extrapolate more."
"I appreciate your attention and protection, Lady in Waiting.” He noticed how tired she looked. Her eyes were red and puffy.
Had she been crying?
“You seem exhausted and need rest. So I will resume my duties while you sleep. I am at my full capacity now, and I can protect you."
She shook her head.
He blinked.
"It's fine. I'll be fine."
"Why do you resist rest?"
She sighed again. She certainly did that a great deal. "I am ready to continue. Try to find my friends. To learn what happened to the ship.” She paused, her voice choking on the last few words.
She found her voice. “The crew of the ship, were they able to get away?"
He had no answer for her. He had seen no other escape pods but hers.
His non-response must have been enough for her. "I assumed as much." Her expression hardened for a moment, and her eyes brimmed with tears.
What could he do for that?
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
He reached for her, and she accepted his hand. She scooted toward him and wrapped her arms around him. He mimicked the embrace, feeling awkward at first, but he let her lead the ritual. Embracing was not part of Rhimodian culture, but he had seen many other humanoids do it.
He did not realize that they cried when they did it. Her tears poured down her cheeks, and he felt them on his chest.
The Craving surged under his skin.
But not like he’d experienced it before, which had always been a desire for sexual release. This was different. As intense as any Craving built-in sexual desire, but this was not sexual. This was protective.
This sensation was a caretaker’s instinct. It was different, yet he trusted the feeling. It swelled inside him and built on what he had experienced before—the need to keep her safe.
To always protect her.
Not just on this mission. And to make sure she didn’t ever cry again.
Trusting his impulses, he stroked her shoulder and caressed the back of her neck. She exhaled another breath, but this one was not the exasperated sound from before.
This was something else.
