Chapter 4
Han
Throwing off the many covers layered on top of her, Han sat up. A cascade of pillows fell off the open side of the bunk, creating a small mound on the floor. Despite all the pillows falling to the floor, she was still surrounded by dozens of them!
When you spent as much time traveling as she did, it was common to wake up to unfamiliar surroundings.
She’d slept in hammock-like beds, on plenty of floors, curled up in a chair, and of course, on the standard bunk bed most ships offered.
This was the first time she woke up surrounded with pillows like a nest.
Did Zeph think she was going to thrash in her sleep and hurt herself?
Oh, wait, she vaguely remembered thinking she was being stung by stilm bugs. She’d batted at the bugs and probably accidentally smacked Zeph or the wall. That must be why he tucked all the pillows around her.
“You’re awake!”
She looked down to see Zeph pushing pillows off himself and sitting up. She couldn't help the giggle that burst out of her.
“Hey, sorry about burying you,” she said, swinging her legs off the bed and sending more pillows tumbling. She looked around the interior of the small ship and noticed this was the only bunk. “And I stole your bed.”
He moved to kneel next to the bed, tossing the pillows back up next to her. “I willingly gave the bunk to you. Though it would be better if I had the fluffy bed pads so I could build a proper nest on the floor for you.”
Oh, he had deliberately built her a nest on the bunk.
How cute! Humans were so rare most individuals she met had never seen one of her kind before; although this was the first time she’d been mistaken for an avian nest-building species.
He couldn't have known what kind of arrangement she liked to sleep in.
He made a guess and the sincere effort was adorable.
It was too bad she was going to have to turn him in.
“I’d like to look at your wounds,” he said, pointing to her arm.
She only vaguely remembered swallowing an entire vial of medication and him treating her arm. Curious to see what he’d done, she tugged up her sleeve. He’d done a good job! The dressing was tight enough to stay but not so tight it cut off circulation.
“I know it hurts, but if you hold still, I’ll unwrap and redress it,” he said.
“Sure, thanks,” she agreed, holding her arm out. He unwrapped the dressing with gentle care. When he was finished, she took a close look at the puncture.
“I don’t see any signs of infection,” he murmured. “But I’m going to use more gel.”
“Yes!” she agreed. With the wrap off, the puncture was really starting to throb. The gel had analgesic qualities and would help with some of the pain.
He pulled an old med box close and popped it open. He rifled through it and pulled out a new wrap and packet of gel. He was quick, and almost as soon as the gel was applied the pain eased.
She let out a sigh of relief. “That feels a lot better.”
He started to do that purring thing again. It was a nice, comforting sound.
“Can I do the same thing to your leg?”
Her leg wasn’t hurting at all so she’d forgotten about it. Curious, she lifted her leg and tugged up the pants. All the skin patches were in place and looked clean. That was surprising! Considering the difficult time Jacks had making any of the old patches work, it was amazing they looked so good.
Wait, these patches were a slightly different shape than the ones Jacks had.
“Did you replace these?” she asked.
Zeph was leaning in close, staring at the patches. “Yes. The old ones were mostly falling off, and you’d started bleeding again.”
That’s why she’d thought she was being stung by bugs!
“You did a great job,” she complimented, letting go of the pants and dropping her foot back to the floor.
“Hopefully these will stay, because we’re out of supplies now. You need to see a real med tech.”
“Yeah, about that,” she said. “Where are we going anyway?”
“You’re amazingly calm,” he noted. “You wake up on a strange ship and asked me about our destination as if you’re not overly concerned.”
“I travel a lot for work, and sometimes I save money by catching rides on random ships.” She wasn’t completely lying, but she was definitely not telling the entire truth.
Unfortunately, she was going to have to dip into the realm of complete fabrication next.
“I don’t know why those two guys decided to attack me, but I’m glad you were there to get me out.
I’m sure I can find my way from wherever you’re going next. ”
She hoped he’d name a station with a broker office. Otherwise getting him back to Filsin was going to be a challenge.
“I didn’t know humans could be so resourceful," he said. For some reason, that didn’t sound like a compliment, but she kept her mouth shut. “I have things to pick up on Yormun; we’ll be there in two rotations. I’m sorry, but I can’t return to Filsin Station.”
She chuckled, thinking of how pissed Maslo was going to be when he saw the vid captures of the fight. “Neither can I.”
“Why not?”
“I bet I’m in trouble for starting a fight,” she said. “I think I’m at the maximum number of incidents allowed there.”
The same angry buzzing sound came out of Zeph like the two Talins from Filsin. “You didn’t start a fight, you were attacked!”
“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder. “I’m used to dealing with trouble.”
“No!” he said with another angry sound. How did these guys make those sounds? “You’re a human. You’re small and delicate. They never should’ve treated you like that. It’s deplorable! They call me dishonorable and then send men like that after me. How dare—” he suddenly stopped talking.
Damn, he must’ve realized what he was saying.
“What makes you think those guys were after you?” she asked. He’d basically admitted he was her bounty, but now she was curious what he’d done to get the label of treason. He was the first bounty she’d ever seen with that.
He dropped his gaze and went quiet. “I know they were attempting to hunt me down, but I’m uncomfortable telling you why I’m a wanted male. I promise that I’m Zeph.”
She blinked, confused. Had she messed up and called him by his name? The vial of medication she’d taken was potent, and she probably shouldn’t have swallowed all of it.
“Is your name Zeph?” she asked cautiously then thought to add, “I’m sorry if I don’t remember you telling me earlier. I was in a lot of pain.”
Raising his eyes, he started purring. “You called me Zeph. You said the word meant an honorable male. I’m that. Even though my empire might not agree, I’ve only ever done things that would make the ancestors proud. You should continue to call me Zeph.”
It took her a moment to remember calling him a good guy. She almost laughed at the misunderstanding, but at least he didn’t suspect anything.
“Great, I’ll call you Zeph, and you can call me Han.”
“Yes, Han. Not Hannah because Han is a strong name,” he said.
Wow, she must’ve been chatty earlier. Thankfully she didn’t seem to have given anything away, or he wouldn’t be so friendly.
“I’m going to make you food. It’s important that you eat.
I’m sorry I don’t have a large selection of food, but the reconsitutor packs I have should be agreeable with your biology. ”
The mention of food made her realize how hungry she was. “Don’t worry about what you’ve got. I could eat anything right now.”
“Even beetle stew?” he asked and made a sound that reminded her of marbles clinking around in a cloth bag. That Talin version of a laugh was kind of adorable.
Had she talked about beetle stew? Damn, it seemed she was a real blabbermouth on pain meds!
“Even beetle stew,” she agreed, standing up at the same time Zeph rose to his feet. They ended up standing only a few inches apart, and she was overwhelmed by his presence.
Inviting warmth radiated from him. She always ran a little cold, and it didn’t help that humans tended to like a slightly higher ambient temperature than just about every other species out there. Stations and ships were usually kept colder than comfortable for her.
Having this purring male pouring off heat made her want to wrap herself around Zeph and never let go.
The scent of hibiscus made her want to lick him. Would he taste like he smelled?
Would he put his hands on her while she ran her tongue all over him? What would his keratin plates feel like? What about that strip of exposed skin at the base of his neck?
Urges she hadn’t had in a long time swamped her. Before she realized what she was doing, she flattened her hand on his chest and ran it up to his neck.
He tensed and let out a sound that reminded her of a bunch of metal tools being dropped on the ground. That noise brought her back to her senses. Snatching her hand away, she hastily stepped past him.
“I’m sorry!” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. Suddenly she felt horribly cold. What was she doing? He’d been kind and considerate to her, and she was molesting him at the first chance she got.
He focused his sapphire eyes on her. “I’m sorry I startled you with my rattle of surprise. I didn’t expect you to touch me so soon.”
“I shouldn’t have done that,” she admitted, even though she wanted to do it again.
He started purring. “You can touch me any time you like. I’ve never been near a human before, but I know they need a lot of physical contact to stay happy and healthy. I might not be a fellow human, but you can clutch or cling to me any time you need.”
The motion he made with his arms as he spoke made her think he was talking about hugging and snuggling when he said clutch or cling.
“Um, thanks,” she said. “But I still shouldn’t have put my hand on you without permission.”
“Consider permission granted now and for the entirety of our future together. However long that might last,” he stated quickly. Still purring, he stepped close with his arms open, inviting her to hug him. “You look upset. I’d like to comfort you.”