Chapter 13
Nia’s stomach growled, then clenched. So hungry. She didn’t know how long it had been since she’d eaten anything. But she was comfortable and didn’t want to move, even to relieve the insistent pressure of her bladder.
Something beeped.
“Five more minutes,” she whispered, snuggling deeper.
“Okay, five more. But that’s it.”
The accented voice rumbled beneath her cheek. Her fingernails dug into fabric and felt pectoral muscles with no give. Her cheek was pressed against abdominals, her shoulder against—
She pushed away, scrambling. Mace’s arms and a blanket dropped from her shoulders and the cold of the room rushed in, chilling the exposed skin of her throat and hands. Against the opposite bulkhead, she shivered and wrapped her arms around her body, willing away the involuntary reaction she’d had to his nearness.
Amusement twinkled in his eyes. Nia clenched her hands, the embarrassment heating her cheeks quickly replaced with anger. Exhaling an irritated breath, she jumped off the bed and dashed to the washroom. Her limbs shook as she braced her hands against the edge of the counter. She blamed it on fatigue and hunger. It took her a minute to collect herself and use the facilities, finishing with a splash of water on her face. Her stomach cramped again.
Leaving the washroom, her gaze went to Mace sitting on the edge of the bed, legs over the side. Eyes narrowed, she aimed past him for the refrigeration unit. She needed carbs and proteins first. Halfway there, Mace stopped her with a hand on her wrist.
She glared at his fingers, hating how his touch no longer repulsed her—if it ever did.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Her gaze flew to his, and her heart lurched at the concern in his tone, the way his eyes searched her face. Nia swallowed around the sudden dryness in her mouth and touched her overheated cheek. “What do you mean?”
“You passed out when we returned yesterday.”
“I did?” She scanned her memories of the previous day, knew she’d been exhausted when returning to his quarters. She’d just needed to rest and thought she’d made it to the bed. Apparently not.
He hadn’t let go of her wrist, warmth turning into pleasant tingles. She licked her dry lips. “It was probably from fatigue, dehydration, and lack of food.”
When he pulled her closer, she didn’t resist, and stood between his legs, the heat of his thighs warming her hips.
“Fatigue and dehydration?” His deep voice rumbled through her, doing unwanted things to her blood pressure. “Doesn’t sound healthy, doctor.” He was close enough that she could feel his words in her chest, and see the lights above reflected in the blue of his irises.
The hand on her wrist increased in temperature with each passing second. Nia cleared her throat. “I’m used to pumping myself full of stimulants during a shift. The medics here don’t seem to indulge, so I didn’t either.” And for the first time, reaching for a mood modifier seemed odd—when no one else was doing it.
“And again, doctor, that doesn’t sound very healthy.”
“It’s not,” she said, staring at his mouth. How could his lips look soft? They’d been so angry yesterday. He’d threatened that man. He’d abducted her from her home, destroyed her station. Killed people. It was what he did for a living, he killed people.
Struggling between her emotions and common sense, Nia pulled away. He let go of her wrist. She retreated to the kitchen, keeping her face averted as she searched for each of the four food groups in his refrigeration unit. She continued to ignore him as she sat at the table and ate her meal but felt his eyes on her. Finally, he rose from the bed and went to the washroom.
As soon as the door closed, her shoulders sagged forward, hands shaking.
He scared her—and not in the way he was supposed to, not as a Tellusian, her enemy. It was something different altogether, something that made her more aware of him than any other man in her life.
The thought took her back to Elara Five, where she’d dated because why not? No person had caused her heart to race the way it was now. When she’d been with Calvin, she’d needed enhancers to make their intimacy tolerable. Now every touch, every look of Mace’s made her stomach flutter and her chest squeeze.
It has to be because I’m stuck here. It had to be because he was the only man she spent any length of time with and her psyche was latching onto him—any other reason created a tide of panic.
She embraced her anger instead, the injustice of it all, even as her hand itched to touch her PALM and order a suppressant to calm her. Mace had taken away her choices, taken away everything. It felt good to get herself worked up, to block all the other uninvited emotions.
When he stepped out of the washroom, she jumped to her feet to confront him.
“Why do I need to ask you about the prosthetic?” It didn’t make sense. She should have been able to order it through the med bay, but no one allowed it, not even Kessy who’d turned out to be sensible.
After a hesitation, he stepped around her. “What do you need?” he asked over his shoulder, heading toward the refrigeration unit.
Her ire deflated at his question. After encountering so many obstacles yesterday about it, all he asked was what do you need?
Licking her lips, she rattled off the specs for the prosthetic she wanted for Kilian and watched as he ran his fingers over his vambrace like he was ordering it right then and there.
When she fell silent, he raised his eyebrows. “That’s it?”
She nodded once.
“I’ll find it.” He sat to eat his meal.
Nia remained in the middle of the room, staring. Her conflicted emotions continued to tumble inside her, making it hard to concentrate.
He pointed at her uneaten rations. “You going to finish?”
She shook her head, face heating. “I don’t want to make myself sick.” But really, she didn’t want to sit across from him, didn’t want to act civil when all she wanted to do was scream at the absurd nightmare she’d found herself trapped in.
His eyes narrowed on her, then after a hesitation, he scooped all the remains off the table and took them to reclamation.
They left his quarters in the same way they had in previous days, her hands bound, and walked in silence to the med bay. Nia stopped short when she noticed a new addition to the room, a blond warrior who introduced himself as Elec and spoke to Mace with deference before her warder left.
She stared at the young man, realizing he was only there for her. I’ve turned the med bay into a prison for everyone. She couldn’t decide if she were mad at Mace for the added security, or if it was thoughtful of him to care about her safety.
Her brain struggling with contrary emotions, Nia moved to Kilian’s bedside. Kessy ran a scanner over the unconscious boy’s head, torso, and leg. “He’s doing remarkably well,” she said with a smile, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ear. “No complications overnight.”
Nia returned the smile, liking the other woman’s enthusiasm. “That’s great news.”
“Should we wake him?” Kessy asked. “I was waiting for you.”
Glancing around the bay, Nia noted all the patients were being attended to, and the teenagers who’d arrived yesterday with Kilian looked to be recovering nicely with an adult each at their bedsides. She ignored the hostile looks Mayra and Faas sent her way.
Nia nodded at Kessy. “Let’s do it.”
The medic pressed a dermal syringe to Kilian’s neck while Nia raised the head of the bed.
Kilian’s forehead crinkled first, then his eyelids opened. The boy saw them both, jerked upright, and tried to scramble off the bed. There was as jumble of words in a language Nia didn’t understand before he asked in Common, “Where’s my dad?”
Nia laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, nudging him against the built-in pillow of the med bed. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Lie down a moment.”
He stared at Nia’s bonds and thrust her hands away from him. “No! Don’t touch me. You’re CORE. I’m not supposed to be around anyone CORE. They should all get thrown out an airlock.” His accented words turned into deep sobs.
Heart pounding, Nia stepped back. Elec moved toward them, but she gave him one shake of her head and he returned to his post next to the door. Kessy tried to calm the boy with hushes and gentle hands.
Nia didn’t know what to do. Kilian hated her on sight. How was she supposed to be his physician?
“Where’s my dad?” he asked again when his sobs subsided.
Nia remained where she stood, arms by her sides. “Kessy, could you see if you can find Kilian’s father, please?”
Kessy hesitated, then nodded before heading to the wall terminal.
The boy stared at his amputated leg, eyes refilling with tears. “I’m a freak.”
Nia’s chest tightened. “No, you’re not. Not at all.”
Ignoring her, he began to cry again, the tears silent.
Nia’s heart pounded an erratic rhythm as she tried to think what to do. Kessy returned to the bedside, glanced beyond Nia’s shoulder, and grimaced.
Nia’s spine straightened. One of the other medics was going to suggest they take over Kilian’s care. Unacceptable. She wouldn’t allow anyone to insinuate she gave substandard care, no matter the situation. She acknowledged it was her pride talking and didn’t care. Those two other medics were complete assholes, and she would not stand their interference.
Taking a breath, she stepped forward and resumed her place beside the med bed. “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked, keeping her voice gentle.
Kilian turned his head so fast, she realized he hadn’t been aware of how close she stood. But instead of retreating this time, she held her place. “It’s an important secret,” she added.
Interest lighted the boy’s eyes before he scowled. “I’m not supposed to talk to CORE people. No matter what.”
Trying to keep her face neutral, Nia ignored the comment and leaned forward. “Do you want to know the secret or not?”
Kilian stared at her, then nodded. Nia bent close to his ear. “I know what to do to make your leg better than new.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
Nia straightened, smiling. “Yes. The proper prosthetic will make you the envy of all the other kids.”
Kessy made a strangled noise. “Doctor, can I speak to you a moment?” She jerked her head away from the table. “In private?”
“Yes, of course.” Nia glanced at the other two medics who’d returned to their patients.
Kessy pulled her out of earshot of the boy. “You shouldn’t have spoken about the prost—”
“Did you find Kilian’s father?” Nia interrupted. The prosthetic didn’t worry her. Mace had said he would find the right one. She believed him.
“Sort of,” Kessy answered. “He was in the brig until a short time ago. They’re not from Orion, so I’m not sure where to check next. We’ll have to wait until they’re assigned quarters or—” Kessy stopped mid-sentence when the door to the medical bay opened, her mouth freezing in an O.
Nia turned, every part of her body going on alert at the sight of Kilian’s father. Mace hadn’t killed him. Her relief was replaced by the sharp sting of anger at what the man had done to her until he rushed to his son, his shoulders shuddering as they hugged each other. Heads bent, their light brown hair matched.
Hand on his gun, Elec spoke low into his comm.
“Are you okay, boy?” Kilian’s father asked. “Did they hurt you?”
“I’m okay, dad. My leg feels better than it has—” Kilian wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “The doctor said she could fix me better than new.”
The father’s narrowed eyes swung to her, lips twisting in a snarl. “What’s this about?”
When Nia stepped forward, Kessy tried to stop her with a hand on her shoulder. Nia lifted her hands, fingers spread wide in a placating gesture. “I started to explain about prosthetics to Kilian.” She shrugged off Kessy’s hand and kept moving forward. “With the proper one, it’ll be like he has his old leg back. I promise.”
“I don’t want you to give him false hope,” he ground out, still holding his son tightly.
“It’s not false hope.” She kept her hands up to make sure he knew she meant no harm. “I’m a trauma surgeon by trade, and I’ve dealt with amputations in the field. With the surgery I performed yesterday, Kilian’s leg is primed to take a prosthetic.”
A glimmer of hope entered the man’s features, and Nia gave him a nod of encouragement. She wanted the best for his son no matter where she came from or what he’d done yesterday.
The man’s face relaxed. He bent his head, nodding, and Kilian wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.
She lowered her hands. It would work out. Kessy came alongside her to give her shoulder a light squeeze. Nia didn’t shy away from the touch, needing the support the medic gave.
Then Mace stormed in and ruined everything.