Chapter 50
CHAPTER FIFTY
The trip back to the Dawn was fuzzy for Aiden. He mostly remembered being pissed off at himself that Evelyn was crying because he’d been an idiot, and the way the stretcher had jostled him along while he stared up at leaves.
He’d fallen asleep before they’d made it back to the ship and woke up in his quarters to Evelyn gently washing caked on blood from his neck with a washcloth.
Aiden had started to protest, telling her he could clean himself up, but she’d just shaken her head and continued to work the cloth across his skin with gentle, sure swipes that had lulled him back to sleep.
The next time he opened his eyes, the room was dark.
Aiden felt the familiar press of Evelyn curled next to him, her arm wrapped around his waist, her face tucked against his chest. She’d managed to get him into clean clothes.
He listened to her breathe for a minute and twirled a strand of her hair through his fingers as he marveled at the woman in his arms.
Aiden had felt what she’d done. In some liminal space in his mind, he’d known he was dying.
He’d lain in that forest, full of regret and shame and fury at himself, and then he’d felt the press of energy entering his chest. Gentle threads, a little at a time, tenderly luring his body back into a functional state of operation.
The anguish he’d seen on her face before she’d opened her eyes, seen him breathing, was one he’d never forgive himself for putting there.
Normally, Aiden was careful, precise, controlled.
But the idea of being able to jump in and save the princess, play knight in shining armor, had gone to his head.
He’d rushed forward without thinking and nearly gotten himself killed.
Won’t be doing that again. Careful experimentation was his way for a reason. This was a dramatic reminder of why.
“You’re thinking too hard. Go to sleep, baby,” Evelyn said, without opening her eyes or moving her head from his chest. Aiden’s heart swelled. She’d never called him anything but his name before.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. She gave a disgruntled huff into his chest and tightened her grip on his waist.
“You scared the shit out of me,” she said, voice wavering.
He wondered if all conversations would be easier for her in the dark, if the lack of light lessened the fear of truth on her tongue. Like speaking into the void.
He abandoned the strand of hair he was twirling and ran his hand over her head. “I’m sorry, dollface.”
“I know.” He felt her smirk against his chest. “You talk in your sleep.”
Well, shit.
It took Aiden a few more days in bed before he shook off the worst of the fatigue.
Evelyn left him to sleep alone during the day, popping out on short missions with the others to line up the rest of the outstanding bits and pieces of Corvinia’s vision.
She’d return in the evening, bringing him plates of food and stories of her day.
She’d run a red rinse through her hair and worn a pair of his chunky horn-rimmed glasses to obscure her beautiful hazel eyes today while she accompanied his mom on an arms deal.
Aiden had been nauseated thinking about Evelyn brushing arms with the man Elenor was meeting, but he knew that she and his mother could both take care of themselves very effectively.
Evelyn handed him a plate, removing the lid with a flourish. A towering sandwich, piled high with turkey, bacon, lettuce, and ripe tomatoes was nestled with a pile of crisp chips. He took the plate from her as his stomach made a gurgling noise.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better. Stronger. I think today’s the day I leave the sickbed.”
“Excellent news,” she said, placing a water bottle on the bedside table.
“How’d it go today?” Aiden asked as he picked up a triangle of sandwich. The bread was perfectly toasted, spread with just the right amount of mayo.
“So, your mom is scary,” she said as she plopped down on the bed next to him. “My translation implant wasn’t programmed for whatever language that deal went down in, but that crazy bastard pulled a knife on her.”
Aiden offered her a chip, and she popped it into her mouth. “And Elenor didn’t take kindly to that, I take it?”
“She did some crazy ass move that my brain couldn’t compute, took his knife away, and removed two of his fingers before I could even grasp what happened. After he stopped blubbering, he gave her the entire shipment and a bonus box of blasters. And then she gave him his knife back. In his thigh.”
Aiden nodded as he chewed his sandwich. “Sounds like a typical Elenor negotiation. I never buy a car without her.”
Evelyn laughed. “Sensible. I’d want her on my side if I have to negotiate any contracts in the future.”
“Surprisingly, Elenor and Veselko are a really good team. People underestimate him and are terrified of her,” Aiden said around a mouthful of chips.
“Yeah, he’s a lot smarter than he likes to let on, isn’t he?” Evelyn stole another chip and crunched down on it. “I watched him charm the pants off a trader yesterday and double our money before we left.”
“The himbo charm never fails him. Hasn’t since we were teenagers.”
“If it ain’t broke,” she said. “There’s something to be said for sticking with what works. That said . . .” she trailed off.
He offered her another chip, but she waved it off. Aiden popped it into his mouth while he watched her think. The red hair was nice on her, made her fair skin gleam, but he preferred the gold of her natural color.
“I’ve been checking on that Amplification sheen you’ve acquired.
It’s still there, hovering around your energy signature, and it’s making me wonder if I can activate it without having to touch you.
I learned to Amplify by touch, but now I’m wondering.
. .” She shoved her hand through her hair, trying to find words.
“For lack of a better term, you seem to be sort of . . . marinated? In Amplification energy, I mean, and I’m wondering if I can just direct it to you instead of having to push it into you. ”
Relief washed over him. Aiden had been worried she’d written off working with his psychic talents at all after the tree incident. He was grateful she still wanted to work with him, let alone was worrying through possible experiments.
He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. “That sounds a lot safer than trying to lift six thousand pounds unaided.” He laughed at the incredulous look on her face. “I asked L.I.N.D.A. the average weight of a maple tree.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, much safer to see if I can guide a tiny bit of Amplification to you from a distance. I was also thinking of practical telekinetic things you could do in a fight situation, and Nannette has volunteered some of her uncharged blasters to the cause. They’re a good weight to test with before and after Amplification. ”
He put the empty plate on the bedside table and threw off the covers to get dressed in real clothes for the first time in days.