by Heather Karn
He was silent for a moment, not leaving the doorway. “There has to be another option.”
“They only get shorter.”
Growling under his breath, Kilani crossed the room to my dresser where he dug out the black shorts. I watched through the crack in the door and almost laughed when he found one of the workout shorts I used that even my mom yelled at me about and had tried to throw away more than once. Grunting, Kilani shoved them to the back of the drawer and brought the shorts to me. He pushed them through the opening.
“You will not wear those in public.” The warning was lost to me as I closed the door on his words and sat on the toilet to pull the shorts on.
“But I’m hungry.”
“I’ll bring you food. How is the pain?”
I wanted to grumble about not being able to leave the room, but the reminder that I couldn’t even walk from the bed to the toilet cooled me down. Opening the bathroom door, I stared at Kilani, who had stepped back several feet to give me space. His eyes landed on the shorts and they hardened, still not liking them.
“It hurts,” I murmured, and his eyes softened.
“I will have Yulaki bring another injection. Once he has done that, I will bring you food.”
“Thank you. Can you help me to the bed? If I have something or someone to lean on, I can make it. I can’t stand on it yet.”
Kilani crossed to me, allowing me to wrap an arm around his neck to use him like a crutch. Once at the bed, I sat down and he helped me lift my legs up. That walk from the bathroom to the bed alone had worn me out.
Groaning, I rubbed my face. “I’d better heal fast or I’m going to go stir crazy.”
It was over a week of Lutharian time before Kilani would allow me out of his quarters, and since by then the stitches had been removed, I was now wearing pajama pants instead of shorts. They were soft and loose, a combination that Kilani approved of, or at least the loose part, and long. I still limped, but the pain wasn’t nearly as devastating as it had been those first few days. And during those days Kilani had sat down with me and helped me figure out how to tell time in Lutharian culture.
Turned out that their days, months, and years were longer than those on Earth, so I was definitely eighteen. It had been depressing to realize that such a moment had come and gone without me realizing it and without it being celebrated. However, after I’d mentioned it to Kilani, he’d made me teach him, Maltak, and Mortan the birthday song, and when they had it perfect, they sang it to me while Kilani lit the candle I’d remembered was in my nightstand drawer from the time I’d baked my mom a cake and had to hide the candles since it was a surprise. Since they didn’t know about cake, I’d chosen my favorite Lutharian food to stick the candle into.
When I wasn’t stuck in Kilani’s quarters after that, I was making my rounds around the ship. Maltak had helped me limp to the spare room a few times where I changed it to the gym once again and worked on my arm strength, ignoring leg day. We’d managed each time to arrive back to Kilani’s quarters with him being none the wiser. The first time, Maltak had been a nervous wreck, but I’d finally convinced him I’d go insane if I couldn’t get out of the bedroom and that if I had to, I’d change the bedroom. I’d lost that argument when Maltak had informed me the room was designed to only change to places I’d actually consider sleeping. The gym wasn’t one of them.
I’d taken to spending time on the deck as well, and after growing too bored, I’d started hopping around from station to station like Kilani did, only I was there to learn what each person did. The first few men were quite uncomfortable with my presence, and each looked to Kilani for approval, to which he would nod and they’d explain their job to me. I didn’t understand half of it since their technology was so advanced and some of the words didn’t translate, but I did my best. I would’ve liked to have learned how the ship worked, but I doubted Kilani wanted me anywhere near the ship’s guts.
Mortan even took his turn babysitting me. He taught me what each food was that he used to cook with and how each tasted. I ate so many samples of what he was creating, or the raw food, that Mortan kept asking if I was sure I wouldn’t be sick from eating so much. I had to remind him over and over that I ate several times an Earth day, let alone a Lutharian day.
Every day at the same time, Kilani would find me wherever I was and escort me back to his quarters for me to go to sleep. Since I had no way to regularly check the time, it was the one time of day when I actually knew what time it was. It was also one of my favorite parts of every day.
As time went on, Kilani had to do more captain business, leaving me with Maltak and Mortan more often, and sometimes Galdro and a man named Ollian. So, when Kilani came to take me to his quarters and he asked me about my day, I couldn’t wait to gush about what I’d done...or recount how bored I’d been. On those nights, he’d promised to spend more time with me the next day.
The first day he’d taught me how to play a Lutherian game that was a mixture between dominos and chess. It had taken forever to learn it, but every chance I could, I pulled him into a game.
Of course, he won them all, but every game I got closer and closer to winning.
It was on one such night when he was walking me back to my room, with me leading since I was finally able to navigate the ship, or parts of it, that I brought up a question I’d been dying to ask him, but hadn’t been sure how. He’d either answer me, or try to redirect the question. I was hoping for an answer.
“Kilani?”
“Yeah?” He moved to walk beside me since it was a slow night in the current corridor.
“What happened to the human man you took when I was taken?”
The captain slowed, and I matched his pace. “He’s...working down below. Kiltron, the lead mechanic, is training him how to fix some of the machinery.”
“What?” I breathed, unaware and shocked this was happening. “How long has this been happening?”
“On and off for a week. Saren is almost done with the tests, so we thought we’d have him integrate into the ship’s team. Thanks to you, we knew how to care for him and that he’ll need more breaks than my men.”
We walked for a few more paces. “But what about his family? His home?”
Kilani lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “We watched him for days before we took him. He didn’t associate with anyone regularly, and he slept outdoors. Our accommodations are much more to his liking; his words, not mine.”
My eyes narrowed. “So...how did you mistake taking me?”
A long, heavy sigh echoed up the corridor and Kilani had to move behind me to let a man through. Then he was back at my side.
“Saren...changed his target at the last minute and I wasn’t aware of it. Apparently, he thought you’d be younger and healthier. I’m not sure that makes a difference, but we’re willing to try anything.”
“Could I maybe talk to the other human?”
Kilani stared at me with narrowed eyes. “I suppose. I’ll have Maltak take you to Saren’s laboratory tomorrow morning. The human is scheduled to give more blood and tissues. Then you can speak with him.”
“Thank you.”
He smiled down at me. “Of course.”
Sleep didn’t come easy that night as I was too excited to be able to talk to another human being for the first time in weeks...or Earth months by now. When I finally did sleep, I dreamed of home. Waking up in my room that wasn’t my room put a damper on the start of the day, but I didn’t let it get me down. I was going to be talking to another human.
By the time I was finishing brushing out my hair, the last of my morning routine, Maltak was calling on the comm unit. Kilani had warned him to use it more after our embarrassing incident. Neither of us spoke about it, but I was sure Maltak knew something had happened.
“I’m ready.” I grinned at the Lutharian leaning against the opposite corridor wall.
He shook his head at me, leading the way down the corridor. “I guess so. I haven’t seen you this full or ener
gy and smiles in a while.”
“Well, imagine being cut off from your kind for weeks and then finding out you can see and talk to one.”
“If you put it like that, it’s understandable.”
I hadn’t been to the laboratory since my first day on the ship, and all the memories came flooding back. Everything had felt so foreign then. Now I’d finally found my new normal, and it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be. I still missed my mom, and I hoped she wouldn’t mourn too much for me, but I was finally finding that I could be happy here if I had no choice but to stay with them.
Saren sat in the far corner at a computer, right by the table I’d been laying on when I’d first woken up on the ship. That was still one of my least favorite memories. When he caught sight of us, the older Lutharian stood and approached us.
“Good, you made it. Maltak, the captain called ahead of you. Apparently your comm unit isn’t working because he’s been trying to reach you. He’d like for you to meet him on the deck.”
Maltak looked down at the comm unit on his uniform’s wrist and nodded. “Of course. You’ll keep an eye on her until I return?”
“Yes, I would be happy to.”
After a long look at Saren, Maltak nodded a farewell to me and left the laboratory, the door closing behind him. Saren gave me a kind smile and returned to his computer. Having nowhere else to go, I followed him and stared around.
“Where’s the other human? Captain Kilani said that I could speak to him.”
“He’ll be brought here shortly. He has an escort much like you do for the time being. But for right now, I’d like to make sure that you’re doing well.” He turned in his seat and faced me where I stood beside the same hated table. Motioning to it, Saren stood. “Please, have a seat. This will be quick.”
A sick twisting in my gut was my warning that something was off. While Saren hadn’t done anything to harm me in the past, the twinkle of eagerness in his eyes stated he had an alternative motive other than my wellbeing. And it was just a bit odd that Maltak’s comm unit wasn’t working and the human hadn’t been brought up yet when that was supposed to be done first thing.
“I’d rather wait for Maltak or someone else to be around for that,” I murmured, stepping back.
“Oh, come now. I just want to check that your wound has healed how it’s supposed to and that your physical wellbeing is being met.”
“Yulaki said my wound is fine.”
“Yulaki is young. I’d feel more comfortable if you received a second opinion.”
And if I hadn’t been seeing red flags before, I was now. “If Captain Kilani trusts my physical well-being to Yulaki, then the captain must find him qualified enough. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find my way to the mess hall. I’m hungry.”
“I will have something brought up for you once I finish your examination.” Saren’s voice hardened and he stepped closer to me. A small device in his hand caught my attention. It appeared too much like the one used by Yulaki on my first day here to draw blood.
My eyes snapped to Saren. “The human male hasn’t given you the answers that you want, so you plan to study me.”
“It would’ve been easier for both of us had you willingly let me check on you. Actually, it would’ve been the best if I’d been allowed to study you first instead of being assigned the male. Yulaki had to go and warn the captain that I’d taken a female.”
“You didn’t randomly change your mind,” I accused, retreating as he continued his approach. “You knew I was female and you wanted to study me.”
“Only studying males is a disadvantage to our search for a cure for this virus,” Saren spat. My back hit the wall and a grin lifted Saren’s lips as he pulled a short stick from his belt. A faint memory of that device flashed across my memory. “I see you remember this, and you know what it does. You can save yourself a lot of pain if you give your blood willingly.”
“I’ll just take unconsciousness, if it’s all the same to you.” Did I want to be unconscious around this man? Nope, but I’d never willingly give him my blood.
Saren pressed a button on the device and a dim blue glow emitted from the tip of it. “Unfortunately for you, this device has settings. It was on the highest when I found you. It is fairly low right now. I don’t want you unconscious, so for now, it will provide pain only. You will hold still while I take your blood, or you will be punished for opposing me.”
Extreme pain or give the man my blood? Not great options to choose from. However, I knew which one I’d rather start with.
Taking a deep breath, I met Saren’s gaze with a hard, stubborn one of mine. “I will never give you my blood, and if you think a bit of pain is going to make me change my mind, then you’re wrong.”
The scientist closed the distance between us. With the table I’d laid on blocking me in on one side and a wall on the other, I was trapped. I could only pray that someone noticed me missing at some point before I gave in to the lunatic.
His grin widened. “I can promise you that it’ll be more than a bit of pain. Even on its lowest setting, it can be quite excruciating.”
Before I could even open my mouth to ask why they even had that thing on this ship, Saren struck out. He jabbed it at my stomach, the blue light pressing against my thin t-shirt before blinding pain shot through my entire body. I crumpled to the ground in a heap, but the stick never left me, the pain continuing to grow worse as my agonized cries filled the room.
I wasn’t sure how long that went on, me praying for death to come swiftly and Saren shoving the stick harder into me. It was both an eternity and mere seconds, though it had to have been much longer. All that I knew was that when it ended, it was as abruptly as it started. The stick was pulled away and the next second I was airborne before being tucked against someone’s chest while they moved.
When my feet touched ground a few seconds later and we stopped moving, I blinked my eyes to clear the spotty vision from the blackness caused by the stick. Maltak’s troubled face came into focus as violent noises exploded behind me. I tried to move my head to look, but Maltak grabbed my face and held it, keeping my vision fixed on him. That alone startled me even if his eyes, wide and wild with concern and worry, hadn’t.
“Look at me, Cammie,” he ordered, moving his face closer to mine. “Just keep looking at me.”
This wasn’t the face I needed to look at right now, but I had a sickening feeling in my gut that that face was the one tearing this room apart behind me. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I held Maltak’s stare longer, shock still stealing over my body that Saren had attacked me in such a way.
“It’s okay, Cammie,” Maltak murmured, rubbing his thumbs against my cheeks. It was an intimate touch for his kind, but it kept me grounded until the sounds behind me ceased.
“Cammie?” Even with his voice haggard and strained, I’d know it anywhere.
Twisting out of Maltak’s light hold, I came face to face with Kilani. His gaze was filled with the same wild worry as Maltak’s, but also a desperation I felt all the way to my bones. In that moment, I didn’t care about custom: I moved on instinct.
I launched myself at Kilani, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and burying my face in his neck, as sobs tore up my throat. Clinging tighter, I held on as I was lifted into his arms and carried. I didn’t care where we were going as long as we left that place and I never had to return to it. Even when we stopped moving and I was settled on Kilani’s lap, I couldn’t rein in my emotions.
After time had passed, I slowly began to be aware of a warm hand rubbing circles on my back and soft, murmured words rumbling up from Kilani’s chest. Opening my eyes as I sniffled, I found us in his room, sitting on the bed. Well, my room for the time being. My nose ran, but I didn’t care. I needed Kilani’s strong, protective arms around me, and it wasn’t like I hadn’t soaked his uniform and skin with my tears already.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out a few minutes later, fighting another wave of tears when I’
d thought there were no more left to cry.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Kilani’s voice was huskier than normal and ragged. “Once again it is I who is sorry.”
“You came for me.”
“I will always come for you, Cammie. The very moment I knew something wasn’t right, I ran for you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t fast enough to save you that pain.” He pulled me closer to him, if that was possible, and I clung tighter.
“He wanted to study me. If it was Yulaki, I would’ve done it, but there was something about Saren that made me wary.” A hiccup interrupted me. “He said he changed his mind last minute so he could grab a female on purpose. You were never supposed to know until after he’d studied me.”
Kilani shivered. “That is disgusting.”
“Saren? What happened to him?”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Ki?”
He growled at my firm tone. “I’d only planned to stop him and imprison him so he could face the full judgement of our people, but once he used that stick of his on me...let’s just say he won’t be hurting anyone ever again.”
“You killed him.”
“I promised you I’d kill anyone who hurt you. That includes my own men.”
“Why would he do this?” I tried to shift my position and whimpered when I twisted, and my ab muscles screamed at me where Saren had jabbed me with the stick.
“Shh. It’s okay.” Kilani moved his hand from my back to stroke my hair. “Honestly, I think we’ve all become a bit desperate that we’ll try anything. He stole you in the first place, we’re taking males from their homes, I refused to take you back, especially once I knew your Mate level, and he attacked you to retrieve blood. Our desperation is turning us into the very people that we despise.”
Kilani held me until Maltak spoke to us through the comm unit that Kilani was needed on the deck. I wasn’t ready to be alone, so Maltak escorted me to the mess hall where a distraught Mortan stood waiting to embrace me. The man literally hugged me, which he’d caught me do to Kilani once in my excitement, so he understood what it meant to me. Being the huggee instead of the hugger had me crying all over again. After reassuring Mortan that they were happy tears and that I was recovering from the attack, he led me over to a table with a crystal plate of food and their traditional domino/chess game.
