Chapter 25
Mara
Mara woke feeling achy in all the right places. Vaelor had made love to her several times throughout the night. She was a little tired but didn’t care one bit.
He was gone again but had wrapped her up in the thick fur he had gotten for her.
She ran her fingers through the thick velvety fur.
It reminded her a little of Vaelor’s skin.
Though it was harder and thicker, it still felt smooth, warm and soft.
She wanted to touch and explore him all over.
Maybe the next time they made love, she would do just that.
At the bottom of the bedding, she found her thinner thermal skin and her biosuit. The pack was not brought inside the tent and she needed to release her waste. It was too embarrassing to do it inside the tent. So, she quickly got dressed and went outside the tent.
Vaelor wasn’t there. For once, she wasn’t worried. She knew he would never leave her for long. So she went to the outcrop of ice trees and relieved herself. Cleaning up after herself, she went back to the campfire and began to take the tent down and pack it up.
She wanted to be useful. Pulling out a food pack from Vaelor’s pack and one from hers, she put them near the fire to heat them up. Her stomach growled. She worked up an appetite after last night’s activities. Vaelor was a fierce lover. He would not stop until he made her come every single time.
No man had ever cared so deeply about her comfort, her needs, her joy. Every past experience felt shallow in comparison, as if she’d been accepting scraps without realizing she deserved more. Vaelor had shown her what it felt like to be truly seen, truly valued.
Ruined, she thought with a helpless, breathless laugh. She was absolutely ruined for anyone else. How could another man ever compare to him?
He was strong—stronger than anyone she’d ever known—but never careless with that strength.
He was responsible, steady in a way that made her feel safe without feeling small.
He was caring, in quiet, deliberate ways that caught her off guard.
Smart enough to challenge her. Brave enough to stand between her and danger without hesitation.
And somehow, impossibly, he looked at her as if she mattered.
Mara brushed a strand of blond hair from her face and let her gaze linger on the fire. The thought of him made her feel something warm in her chest, something she hadn’t expected, something she wasn’t sure she could stop even if she tried.
She was falling for him.
Hard.
Shaking her head as if that would clear her thoughts of him, she pulled the packets from the fire and opened hers. A strange smell filled the air, but she assumed it was because this was a new packet she had not tried before. She began to eat.
Ten minutes later, Vaelor returned and he had more furs with him. He placed them near the fire to dry them. The moment he was close he halted and turned to her.
She smiled. “Hi. I made breakfast.”
He practically leaped in her direction, startling her. She moved back.
“What’s wrong?”
Vaelor grabbed the food packet from her and lifted it to his nose.
“You’re scaring me, Vaelor.”
“Did you eat this?”
“Of course. Your packet is over there,” she pointed to a large boulder with a flat surface.
He picked up his packet and opened it, then sniffed. Vaelor put it back down.
He knelt down in front of her and took her face into his big hands, staring intently into her eyes.
“How much did you eat?” he demanded.
“I just started eating it, maybe less than half. Why?”
“I detected a toxin in the air when I arrived. You’ve been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?”
“Yes. It was in your food packet but not mine.”
“Why am I the only one being targeted?”
“I suspect that they put it in yours because I would have scented it right away.”
Right, because he was an alien with superior senses. She quickly admonished herself for having resentful thoughts. She was just scared and didn’t want to die.
“What do we do?”
He considered. “Dropping out would get you quicker medical assistance.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not dropping out.”
“Then we’ll need to get the toxins out of your system.”
“Okay. How do we do that?”
“This planet is very similar to mine. There are certain porous frost-lichen that we can use to push the toxins out of your system. I’ve seen a few crevasses on our way to the campsite that should have the lichen.”
He helped her stand. She shivered.
“Maybe I’ll use the coat you got me.”
“Actually, the cold will help slow the toxins down.”
“Great. Now I have to stay frozen to keep from dying. The irony of it all,” she grouched.
“As soon as we get the toxins out of you, I’ll warm you up.”
She nodded and allowed him to lead her away from camp. She didn’t even bother to insist that she carry her own pack. Her whole body started to feel like it was on fire. It must be the toxins.
They walked about a mile away, in the opposite direction than where they should have been heading for the next campsite.
“Here, I’m going to have you sit here against this ice boulder while I go down the crevasse.”
Her legs were feeling numb now. He had to help her lower down.
“I’ll be here,” she told her. Her words were slightly slurring.
He left without another word at a speed so fast it didn’t even register in her mind completely.
Left alone, dying on the ice planet, she thought about her dad.
She should have told him what she was doing.
Mara had never told him that she had gone to meet her mother.
That woman was a disappointment. But her father, he had been everything to her. She wished she had told him that.
“I love you dad,” she whispered.
Her thoughts turned to Vaelor. She wouldn’t get that chance to explore his body like she had planned. They were just starting to get to know one another. To have him taken from her now, was just too cruel.
“Vaelor,” she whispered.
Suddenly, a wind rushed through, and a body appeared above her.
“I’m here.” His warm fingers stroked her cold cheeks.
“You’re beautiful,” she told him.
“Mara, chew on this.”
She opened her mouth but started to refuse the cold glob he put between her teeth.
“Yuck!”
“This will help your body push the poison out. It’s bitter—don’t spit it out.”
Mara grimaces but obeys. She chews it and swallows.
He stroked her hair and cheeks. “The lichen should react with your stomach contents almost immediately. I’ll warn you now, it will cause mild nausea. Your body will purge itself of the toxin.”
No sooner had he explained all that, then she leaned to the side and started to throw up.
Vaelor supported her, steady and calm.
“Good. Let it out. Your body is doing what it must.”
There was no stopping it on her end. She kept throwing up and throwing up until finally, there was nothing left.
“That’s it, my valla. The toxin is gone.”
“I feel like a wet noodle,” she told him.
“I don’t understand that?”
“I can’t move or stand. I have no strength.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Vaelor lifted her and began to carry her back to the campsite. He started the fire again and wrapped her in all the furs that he had collected. He curled up next to her and leaned her up to drink some water.
“We need to get to the next campsite,” she told him.
“We will leave once we have you warmed and fed.”
She shook her head. “I can’t eat anything right now.”
“I have soup warming. It is just a vegetable broth. It will be gentle on your stomach, and I’ve made sure it does not have any toxins.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
He snuggled closely and inhaled her scent. “You can save me next time.”
That brought a laugh. She couldn’t have picked a better partner.
“Rest for now. When the soup is warm enough, I’ll wake you. Then we’ll travel to the next campsite.”
She was starting to doze off when she whispered, “I love you.”