by Angel Lawson
His eyes soften. “Yes, of course. I was just worried and frankly ashamed of myself for not making sure you got to safety myself.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I’m the one that took the risk of going back in the building.”
“Still, I would hate for anything to happen to you, Ms. Ladd.” His voice lowers. “You know I’m very fond of you.”
Two days ago, hearing this would have made my heart race. Now it just made me uncomfortable. Things had changed that much in a matter of hours—all it took was one sandstorm and the four of us trapped in a small space where we couldn’t hide from our emotions. I give Dr. Kane a tight smile. “You’ve taught me a lot, Dr. Kane, it’s been a privilege to work with you.”
The statement seems to work and the professional façade returns between us. The day is busy and we double the number of patients we normally see, trying to make up for the lost day of work.
When Kai shows up to escort me home, I listen as he speaks to Dr. Kane in the outer office.
“I hear you kept Mercy safe during the storm.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I should have been more diligent with her welfare,” the doctor says. “The severity of that storm took me by surprise.”
“Things were chaotic and it’s not your job to look out for the safety of the residents. It’s mine.”
“Yes, that’s true, but,” I hear Kane pause, “Mercy is important to me. I owe you a great debt for keeping her safe.”
Kai says nothing in return, or at least nothing I can hear from the other room. I take the opportunity to make my presence known, making sure my expression is neutral. Kai looks at me with no emotion, but my heart thumps anyway.
“Good night, Ms. Ladd. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Doctor.”
We exit the building and walk the few feet toward the statue. The shattered rock hasn’t been cleaned up yet. Kai hesitates. “I don’t know what I would have done had you been seriously injured, Mercy.”
“Nothing happened,” I reassure him. “You found me just in time.”
He glances back at the clinic. “Seems I’m not the only one worried about your safety. He’s very interested in you.”
“I think Dr. Kane may be the type that likes to control what isn’t his.”
Kai frowns. “Are you certain he knows that you don’t belong to him?”
I walk forward until we’re in the shadows of the building. I grip Kai by the front of his uniform and pull him down. “I belong to the three men that saved my life,” I tell him in a whisper, “not the coward that left me in the storm.”
Not willing to reveal himself, Kai simply grazes his lips against mine—a hot warning for what would come later, when we find time alone. “I’m willing to share you, Mercy Ladd, but not with that man. I don’t like him.”
“Jealous?” I ask, walking out of the dark. We keep our distance and our voices low.
“Ridiculously.”
I love to know this side of him exists—that I bring such passion out in him. I give him a smirk and together we walk to the dormitory with our secret desires, the rest of the world oblivious of what’s bubbling beneath the surface.
“Close your eyes,” Alex says one night, when he’s on duty and I’ve just come downstairs for the night. I’ve got my blanket in my hands.
“What?”
“I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes.” He’s standing by the desk looking absolutely adorable with an eager and excited expression on his face. I touch my hand to the wall for balance. “Don’t move.”
“Where would I go?” I hear him walk across the lounge and open a door. A few moments later I hear his footsteps again. They stop in front of me.
“Open your mouth.”
I tilt my head. “What kind of surprise are we talking about here, Custo?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, babe.” I feel the heat of his mouth near my ear. “And when we do stuff like that? I want your eyes open, okay?”
I nod and swallow slowly before following his directions and opening my mouth. “Should I be scared?”
“Of course not,” he says, and I trust him completely, so much that when I feel the chill of the spoon in my mouth followed by something sweet, I swallow it eagerly.
“Oh my god. Is that…” I open my eyes. Alex stands before me with a dish in his hands.
“Chocolate fudge sundae.”
“Alex!” I grab it from him and take another bite. It’s not quite the same as Dairy Queen, but it’s pretty damn close. I take another bite then offer him one. He takes the spoonful and then closes the distance between us, kissing the sweet sugar off my lips. “How did you pull this off?”
“I heard that on the ships they bring all kinds of Earth stuff with them—food and supplies. Most of it goes into storage, I think to see if they can replicate it or if it will last in this atmosphere. I asked around and my friend, Sai, he got me the things I needed. Although, no peanuts are allowed out of quarantine, but he suggested Manka root as an alternative and the chef at the dining hall gave me some.” He picks one off the top of the sundae and pops it in my mouth.
“It tastes a lot like peanuts.” I kiss him again, this time a little longer, and he hums against my mouth.
“You told me it was one of the things you missed most about home. I wanted to do something special for you.”
“It’s definitely special.” I smile at him. “Just like you.”
I finish my sundae before it melts, licking the chocolate off the bottom of the bowl.
“You’ve got a little right here,” he says, kissing my nose. It doesn’t take much to escalate and we fall into an hour-long make-out session.
“If Kai walks in here, he’s going to kick my ass.”
“Or join in,” I counter. He shivers every time I kiss his neck. I can’t stop doing it.
“You’d be into that? Two of us at once?” He pulls back and looks at me.
“Or three.” I shrug, acting like the idea doesn’t scare me. It does—a little—it’s new and something I’ve never done before, but the idea of being with the three of them excites me in a way I’ve never felt before. “Do you have a problem with it?”
“I thought I would,” he says thoughtfully, “but what we have is so different from what I ever had with a woman on Earth. You’re different—this place is different. Love shows itself in a new way. I’m open to that.”
We fall into one another again, Kai forgotten for the moment, well, at least I forgot him. Alex pulls back and takes a deep, settling, breath.
“Mercy, I really need to go on patrol.”
Yet he kisses me again, slow and lingering, like he has all the time in the world.
We’ve moved to a small alcove off the lounge. He’s got me against the wall, hard-muscled bodyweight against mine. I love the way he feels, I love his slow-burning intensity. But I appreciate his dedication to his job also. It’s something that ties us all together.
“Go, I’ll wait for you.”
“You should sleep.”
“You know I don’t sleep.”
He tilts his head. “You should—what’s keeping you up at night?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I think I got enough rest on that ship for a lifetime.”
I don’t tell him that lately it’s more about how I can’t stop thinking about him, Kai, and Dimka. Other nights I still get paranoid, wondering about the girl that went missing and if there could be a Trad in our presence. If they knew I worried, they’d up my security and that isn’t necessary. Dr. Kane already had too many questions and I didn’t want others to catch on to our intensifying relationship.
“I guess I shouldn’t complain. If you hadn’t been a night owl, we wouldn’t have found the time to get to know one another.”
I kiss him quick. “Exactly. Now go. Kai will be all over your ass if you don’t patrol and check in.”
Alex gives me a slow, lopsided grin that I’m sure made a million hea
rts explode on Earth. “How did we luck out and end up on a planet a billion miles away together?”
“Fate, I guess.”
He leaves me with another kiss and a racing heart and as I watch his strong, broad shoulders walk away, I can’t help but think that I never want these days, or nights, to end.
The first time I see Dimka after the bunker is in the early morning light as he waits to escort me to the clinic.
He’s quiet, as usual. Brooding, as usual. Handsome as ever. He’s also got the slightest spark in his eye that I know is just for me even though we don’t touch, or kiss, or anything remotely intimate.
He does watch me closely as I adjust my shoe for a moment on the path, eyes dark and focused. When I stand, he whispers, “Laird, you’re beautiful,” and my heart threatens to leap from my chest.
“I’m not even doing anything,” I argue, but I understand the feeling. It’s the little things that make me love him. The way he watches me, the way he holds the door. I see the small smile on his mouth when he thinks something’s funny but doesn’t want to admit it. I also love the cranky line that creases his forehead when he’s overthinking.
When he drops me at the clinic, I feel warm and fuzzy inside, a boost of adrenaline that gets me through my appointments, the women I’m here to serve, and Dr. Kane’s sly comments. Truthfully, every moment becomes about the next time I see them.
Later, when I meet Kai at the door after work, I know we’ve set a routine, a way of life on this planet. He’s less secretive about his work—sending messages to his friend Damon or discussing issues in the facility while I’m nearby. He trusts me and in turn, I trust him, and the new life established between me and the men I’m increasingly growing attached to. I know changes are coming but I think, between the four of us, we can come up with a solution.
No.
I don’t think, I know, because in my mind and heart, this is it for me.
Together, we’ll get through anything.
23
Mercy
“Ms. Ladd, I have a message for you.”
I glance up at the woman that operates the appointment desk. It’s fully computerized and there’s no reason to have a person working there, except it makes the humans from Earth feel better to talk to another human about their health needs. That’s been tested and proven.
“Thank you,” I say, looking at the data pad on my wrist. I swipe the surface with my finger and the information comes up. It’s a notice from my assignment officer. I’m to report to him immediately.
“Tell Dr. Kane I’ll be out of the office for a while. I’ve been called to the Admin building.”
“Of course.”
The Admin building isn’t far—just a few blocks over from the clinic. It’s two stories and made of the same impenetrable stone the rest of the buildings are built from. Other than a few battered shrubs outside, there’s little evidence of the storm that happened the week before.
It’s the most formal building on the campus and when I step inside, the main focus of the lobby is the large, engraved design of Emperor Elrin displayed prominently on the back wall. His hair flows long around his shoulders and his beard thick. To the left, I find my name listed on a wide, blue screen. No humans here. Bureaucracy on Athion is just as impersonal as it is on Earth. Something else we have in common.
My name is third on the list and I sit quietly with the other women as they go in before me. I get a message on my wrist.
K: Why did you leave the clinic? Is everything okay?
M: I was summoned to the Admin office.
K: Do you know why?
M: I have my suspicions.
K: As do I.
There’s little doubt why I’m here. It’s why my heart is pounding and my stomach feels like lead. I’m going to be transferred.
K: We’ll talk about it tonight. Don’t worry.
I don’t get a chance to reply. My number is called.
I enter the office door and this time do find a being—an Athion—sitting behind a desk. He’s thin with a pointed nose and light blue skin.
“Ms. Ladd, the midwife.”
“That’s me,” I say, taking the seat that he’s gestured toward.
His eyes are focused on the screen on his desk. “As you’re aware, you’re coming up on six months at the transitional facility—one full year since leaving Earth. Your records show that you’ve proved to be an exemplary assistant to Dr. Kane and are ready to enter society.”
I’m proud. And scared.
“We will start the process for your transition and you should be on your way to your new assignment within the week.”
One week. No. I need more time than that. I have one card I can play and I lay it on the table.
“As eager as I am to get to the birthing centers and begin my career on Athion, I do have a small concern.”
He glances up, almost like he forgot I could speak. “A concern?”
“We have several pregnant women that I have been assisting since they first conceived. I’m sure you’re aware, but human women do not like to be stressed or upset during their pregnancies. Consistency in their medical treatment is a high priority.”
“What are you implying, Ms. Ladd?”
“I think it may be upsetting for me to leave them right now.”
He stares at me with muddy eyes. “I’m sure Dr. Kane and his other assistants can handle any changes.”
“I’m sure he can, but I know how important every birth is here on Athion. I would hate to be the reason for any problems with their labor and delivery. I also think the educational experience could be extremely helpful when I begin my mid-wifery in society.”
Even this bureaucrat knows the importance of every live birth.
“How much longer do you need?”
“Six months, maybe. All of the babies will be at full term by then.”
He considers this with a calculating expression on his face. “Six months of you here is six months you’re denying mothers of your expertise at the birthing centers across the planet.” He taps his chin. “But you have a point. Experience is crucial. I’ll have to discuss it with my supervisor.”
“Of course,” I say, refusing to show any emotion. “Thank you for taking it into consideration.”
“No promises. We have a whole new ship of sleepers coming into the facility. At least two are qualified mid-wives. Your position is needed.”
“I understand—just a few more months, to make sure the patients are given the best care.”
“I’ll have an answer to your request by the end of the week.”
“Thank you.”
He stares at me blankly and I realize I’ve been dismissed.
It doesn’t take me long to get back to the clinic, and I have messages from all of my men checking up on me, but I’m late and Dr. Kane is short-tempered with me when I return.
“That took long enough?” he says with a snap in his voice.
“Sorry. The Admin office needed to see me,” I say once I’ve put on my scrubs and dive into work.
“Admin?”
“Yes, about my assignment.” I consider asking him to put in a good word with the office, but I don’t want to owe him anything. Not with how things are now.
At the end of the day, long after I clean up the examination rooms and work stations, sending the instruments to be sterilized and sorted, I wait by the front door of the lobby. I’d received a message mid-day from Kai saying that Dimka would escort me home today. It’s a blip in the routine but the day had been nothing but irregular.
I’m still waiting for my Athion escort when Dr. Kane walks out of his office. A small bag hangs over his shoulder. He looks up at me in surprise.
“Oh, Ms. Ladd, you’re still here?”
“Yes,” I say apologetically. “My escort never arrived.”
He frowns and check his data pad—probably for the time. I’ve just done the same thing. Dimka is at least fifteen minutes late, which is unheard of.
“Oh, um.” My skin heats with a flush. “I’m really not supposed to leave without a Custo escort. You know how particular they are about the rules.”
“I’m aware that your Custo are exceedingly protective of you, but it seems inappropriate to leave you waiting like this. They do have other obligations, you wouldn’t want to be a burden.”
They do, and the last thing I want is to become a priority over their work. I’m also wary of how closely Dr. Kane is watching my relationship with them.
I’m still wavering when he adds, “It would give us some time to get to know one another better.”
Crap. Now I’m in a worse position. If I say no, I’m rejecting him. He’s also suspicious, and the last thing I need is for him to report any of my men. Maybe I can use this time to make it clear to Kane that I’m not interested. Or, I consider, maybe I can talk to him about putting in a good word for me to stay at the clinic longer.
“I’d hate to get you in trouble,” I say, not very convincingly.
He laughs. “I’m an OBGYN with a specialty in high-risk pregnancies, around here I’m akin to a god. There’s no way they can get too angry.” His eyes sweep over me. “With you either, and not just because of your skill as a midwife.”
“W-why else?”
He takes a step closer and I smell a waft of his enticing cologne. “Because you’re very beautiful, Mercy, as well as charming. Why do you think those Custos are sniffing around here all the time?”
I’m stunned by his admission of my beauty, but I swallow and try to keep my expression neutral. If he’s acting this weird when he thinks they just like me, what would he do if he knew our relationships had progressed to a level of intimacy. I didn’t want to find out. “It’s their job to protect me—that’s all.”
He shakes his head. “Oh sweetheart, you just don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“That they want you. Athion and human alike. They’re infatuated with you,” he takes another step closer, “just like I am, too.”
