by T. J. Quinn
She heard the shower stall working, and she glanced at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. That allowed her to relax a bit more, and closing her eyes she soon started to feel the effect of the massagers on her body. It was just fantastic; she felt she could stay there for hours.
But a few minutes later, the bubbling stopped, and she opened her eyes. The king was standing out of the tub, wearing some sort of tunic that covered his whole body.
“Ready to come out?” he asked her, smiling.
She sank her body a bit more in the water, feeling her cheeks flush once more. How long had he been there looking at her? She hadn’t noticed the shower was off.
“Yes, thank you. Do you have some sort of towel, something to dry the water off my body?” she asked, avoiding his eyes.
“Yes, of course.” He replied as he pushed another button and all of the water on the tub disappeared in a matter of seconds. He walked to one of the bathroom walls and pushed another button, revealing a concealed closet, with several towels and what looked like tunics similar to the one he was wearing. He picked a towel and handed it to her.
She quickly dried herself. She had noticed the night before this orange water didn’t stick to your skin like the water on Earth, so she was able to dry herself quite easily.
He entered the empty tub and picked her up from it, helping her sit on the edge of the tub, while he helped her finish drying her hair before he handed her one of the tunics.
But before she could put it on, he finally noticed the ring on her left nipple.
“What’s this?” he asked, tracing the ring with his finger, sending jolts of energy rushing through her whole body.
She gasped, feeling her arousal get to unexpected levels. “The Slythonians mark. They put one in all of us.” She explained covering it with the towel.
“I’ll make sure they are removed as soon as possible.” He decided, clearly not happy with it.
“I would rather you removed this.” She replied, pointing at the damn collar.
But he shook his head. “Not yet. Those will be removed in due time.”
She snorted and looked at the tunic he had given her, making a tremendous effort to ignore her arousal. It had no place in her life, she was sure of it.
“I’ve ordered clothes to fit you and your friends, and some are ready, but I don’t have any of them here, so you’ll have to put this on.” He explained while he helped her put the tunic on.
It was very big for a person her size, but it covered her, and that was what she needed.
“As you can see I need a lot of help. That’s why Sasha suggested staying here to help me. She’s used to it.” She told him when he returned her to the bedroom.
“I’ll help you.” he insisted.
“I thought you were the king. Are you leaving that position to become my nurse? It’s insane, and you know it.” She tried to put some common sense into his stubborn head. “You can’t be with me all the time.”
“I’m sure you won’t need me all the time. Once you have your chair, you’ll be able to move around freely, and I’ll help you with all of the rest.” He wasn’t budging on that.
He didn’t want anyone near her. She was his and his alone. He was surprised with the sense of possessiveness she awakened in him, but he wasn’t trying to fight it.
“Why are you so stubborn?” she ranted, frustrated.
“Get used to it.”
She snorted and pulled herself up a bit on the pillows over the bed.
“How are you feeling after the bath?” he asked her, changing the subject, abruptly.
Surprised, she realized most of the soreness and pain was gone. Last night the water had helped her, a lot, but tonight, it had washed away all of her pain. “I’m feeling much better. The pain is almost gone.”
“Do you want me to bring Colborn? I’m sure he can get you something for the pain.” He asked, taking a seat on the bed.
“No, I’m alright. The bath did an amazing job on me.” She assured him.
“Have you eaten?”
“I had breakfast this morning.”
“It’s mid-afternoon; you must be hungry by now.”
“Yes, I am.” She admitted.
“Allow me to take you to the other room. We can get some food there.” He said, picking her up and taking her to the living room.
The truth was she was starting to love that a little too much, she had no doubt she could get used to being carried around by his strong arms, feeling the warmth of his body and loving every single second of it. But she had to fight those feelings, they wouldn’t take her anywhere, she was certain of that.
He dropped her gently on one of the puffs that immediately assumed the form of a comfortable chair before he took a seat next to her.
“What would you like to eat?” he asked her, pulling up a screen from the small table.
“I’m still not familiarized with your food as to choose, so I’ll leave that up to you.” she replied, squirming on her puff, looking for a better position, until she was pleased.
“Very well, I’ll order us some meat and vegetables, I’m sure you’ll like them.” He nodded, as he pushed a few buttons.
The characters from their alphabet looked like a mix between ancient Greek and ancient Russian, utterly incomprehensible for her. She would have to dedicate long hours to learn that if she was allowed to stay that long. Her future was still not clear, after all.
“There, it will only take them a few minutes to bring us the food.” He said, returning the screen to the table.
“Your technology is a lot more advanced than ours. We have barely been able to travel to our Moon, and send a few probes to other planets in our solar system.” She commented, watching him.
“Does it interest you?”
“I was a system engineering back home. That means I programmed computers and designed some software programs for those computers.”
“What’s a computer?”
“It would be a much simpler version of the screen you’ve just used.” She explained.
“We call it AIMs, artificial intelligence modules. We used them in all aspects of our life.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed that.”
“You can learn about them if it really interests you,” he offered, smiling.
“Yes, that would be nice; it would give me something to occupy my time.”
“We want you all to feel at home here. All we can do to make that happen will be done.” He assured her.
“You can’t include me in that group.” She protested.
“Why not?”
“No one will claim me, as you call it, and you know that.” She stated, in a cold tone.
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” His enigmatic tone puzzled her, but she was sure he was only being kind to her.
The food arrived, brought by a male servant. He left the tray on the table and left immediately.
“Is he also a warrior?” she asked, curious. Though it was evident, he was a Drogon, he wasn’t as tall, or as strong as Brynjar or any of the men she had met so far.
“No, he isn’t. It’s true that we are mostly a race of warriors, but we have people working on all of the fields. We all receive military training, even our females, but only half of our population chooses to follow a military career. And even amongst the warriors, you’ll find all sorts of specializations, like Colborn, that is also a doctor.” He explained, serving food into a dish and handing it to her before he served one for himself.
She was so hungry, and the food tasted so delicious, she devoured all he had served her, relishing on all of the strange flavors. Her body was getting used to them.
When she was done, she allowed her body to bury itself a bit more on the puff smiling pleased.
“Did you like it?” he asked her, clearing the table.
“Oh, yes, it was delicious.” She covered her mouth to hide a yawn, but she wasn’t very successful.
“You must be tired.”
“It was
a full day.” She admitted.
Without saying anything else, he picked her in his arms and took her to bed, laying her there gently.
“Thank you.” she murmured, as her body slowly surrendered to the slumber taking over her.
“It’s my pleasure, believe me.” He whispered, leaning down and brushing her lips with his, in the gentlest kiss. So gentle, she even thought she had imagined it.
Chapter Ten
Brynjar stood next to her sleeping body for a few moments, enjoying her beauty, before he went back to his room, right across from one the doors connecting to hers. He would hear her if she needed help, and be there for her in just a few seconds, especially since he had activated the communication system between both rooms.
He changed clothes quickly and called Colborn, summoning him to his office. He had to know all he had found out about Eleanor’s problem. He was determined to find an answer, and quickly, because though he knew his people would eventually accept her, as she was, he didn’t want her to experience any more rejection.
“Did you want to see me?” Colborn asked as he entered his office.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you about Eleanor.” He was sure Asgar had told him the latest news on that matter.
“What do you want to know?”
“She told me you had explored her body.”
“Yes, I did. Asgar had told me about her problem, and I was curious to know if there was something we could do to help her,” he confirmed.
“And what were your findings?” he asked inviting the other man to take a seat in front of his desk.
“Her spine is severely damaged, but not completely inoperative, that’s why she still can stand and move around, but with great pain.” He replied, stating something Brynjar already knew. “Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the human body or how they work as to venture on doing much more. We could easily make things worse or even kill her. Their bodies are quite different from ours, and it would take us years to know how they function.”
“I see.” Brynjar got up and walked to the window. “She would have to be one of ours to be able to heal.” He said after a few moments.
“Yes, if she were a Drogon, she would heal immediately. But she isn’t.” Colborn replied.
“But she could be.” The words came out astounding the doctor.
“Are you talking about the conversion?” he finally asked, incredulous. “That’s only a myth; there is no real evidence that proves that ever happened.” He protested.
“We thought the same about the soulmates, and yet, a few of us have found them. What if the rest of the myth is also true? What if she could be converted? She would heal immediately.” He wondered.
“We would be on uncharted galaxies. There are minimal records on those so-called conversions; they could even be dangerous for her.”
“Yes, I guess they could be, but I really think it’s a risk worth taking.” Brynjar insisted.
“Perhaps. That would be a decision she would have to make with her soulmate. But we don’t even know if she will be mated.” He replied.
“She is.”
For a moment, Colborn was too surprised to utter a word, but soon all of the pieces fell into place, and he realized what was going on there.
“She’s your soulmate?” more than a question, it was a statement.
“She’s my soulmate,” Brynjar confirmed, returning to his chair behind the desk. “And though I accept her the way she is, I know our people won’t. And I don’t want her to feel their rejection.” He explained.
Colborn sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Give me some time. I’ll gather all of the information we have on the conversions, and once we’ve studied all of it, you’ll be able to make an informed decision.” He suggested.
“Thank you, Colborn, that’s exactly what I need.”
“Then, I’ll get to it, as soon as possible.”
“Have you met the rest of the women?” Brynjar asked, changing the subject.
“No, not yet, I have been busy, so I decided to wait for the official presentation.” He explained, apparently not too eager to meet the human females.
“I can introduce you to them if you want.” He suggested with a wicked grin on his face.
He could sense his friend wasn’t too eager to find out if any of the women were his soul mate.
“It’s alright. I can wait.”
“What’s the problem? Are you sure none of them is for you or is it the other way around?” he insisted.
“I’m not sure. This whole soulmate thing seems very complicated, and I’ve always been a disaster around the females.” His friend finally admitted.
“You’re only delaying the inevitable if one of those women is meant for you.”
“I know, but I’m sure I’ll do a better job for you without distractions.” He added with a naughty grin.
“True, so I’ll stop insisting.” The king accepted, chuckling.
“I suppose you want me to keep all of this information to myself.” He said, getting up, ready to leave.
“Yes, please. There’s no point letting the people know I’ve found my soulmate when we’re still not sure of what that really means.”
“Yes, of course, I understand.” He nodded. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have new information,” Colborn assured him before he left the room.
“Thank you.”
It was time to see the so-called wheelchair. Asgar should have brought it by now, and he wanted to take a look at it, before taking it to Eleanor.
By the time Eleanor opened her eyes again, the room was lit by a soft light, coming from the wall behind the bed. She couldn’t see any lamp, and come to think of it, she hadn’t seen any so far, the rooms seem to be always lit naturally, but looking out of the window, she could tell it was still night outside.
She moved in bed, trying to lift her body and looked around to see if her chair was around, but it wasn’t. She guessed Asgar hadn’t been able to bring it by.
She was about to let herself slide to the floor when the door to her room opened up, and Brynjar walked in, wearing another of those tunics.
“Do you need any help?”
She looked at him with a frown. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you moving, and I assumed you might need help to get to the bathroom. You have been asleep for many hours.” He explained, moving closer to her.
“You heard me? How come?” she asked puzzled.
“My room is across from yours.” He explained, with a naughty smile, as he picked her in his arms.
“I can do it alone.” She grumbled, as his musky scent filled her nostrils, igniting the fire within her.
“I’m sure you can, but I’ll help you anyway.” He took her directly to the bathroom and dropped her gently on the toilet. “Call me when you’re done.” He demanded, giving her some privacy.
Eleanor snorted, but by now, she knew it was useless to discuss with him. She used the toilet and wished she could brush her teeth, but she hadn’t seen anything similar to a toothbrush. On the Slythonians vessel, they had some they had taken from Earth.
“Brynjar.” She called him, and he entered the room immediately.
“Are you ready?”
“No, wait, not yet. Do you guys brush your teeth?” she asked him.
“Brush our teeth? Why would we do that?” he asked, puzzled.
“To keep them clean and healthy, perhaps?” she asked back.
“We don’t have to do that. Our teeth are always clean and healthy. I guess they clean themselves, I really have never thought of that.” He replied.
“Well, lucky you. Unfortunately, we humans have to wash our teeth, or we’re bound to lose them.” She explained, scowling.
“I’ll need you to draw that for me, as well as the wheelchair you used to have. The one Asgar and Egil improvised for you is not suitable for you.” He asked, frowning.
“Of course, I can do that. But meanwhile, I would like to use that chair.
I can’t depend on you for everything.” She replied.
“Yes, I know. The chair is in the other room.”
“Good.” She nodded. “Can you take me to the sink? I would like to at least rinse my mouth.”
“Sure.” He picked her in his arms and took her to the sink, holding her in his arms while she washed her mouth.
The orange water tasted metallic but it wasn’t so bad, and she was able to wash her mouth as much as possible.
When she was done, he took her back to the bedroom.
“Are you going back to sleep?” he asked her before he put her in bed.
“No, I can’t sleep anymore.” It was already dawning outside.
“Alright, then.” He took her to the living room and put her down on the hovering chair.
He watched her move around on the improvised gadget with a frown. “I need to get you something better.” He said, shaking his head. “I want you to show me how your wheelchair was.”
She let out a sigh, impatient. “Then get me some paper and a pencil, I’ll draw it for you.”
“I have no idea what are you talking about, but you can draw it here.” He took a seat in front of the table and pulled up the screen, touching a few buttons until he had a virtual sheet in front of him. He made a few lines on it, showing her how it worked and then erased it.
“Alright, that doesn’t look that complicated.” She said, approaching the screen with the chair and making a few lines to see how it worked.
Pleased with the results, she erased it and started to draw her chair. Good thing she had always been good at drawing. Soon she had a sketch of her chair, and was explaining to him how it worked.
“These you call wheels… we would replace that with a similar system to the one you have on that slider.” He said, examining her sketch.
“That would be even better because I wouldn’t be limited by the stairs or uneven grounds.” She nodded. “The controlling mechanism should be here.” She pointed to the armrest. “It should be able to take the chair in all directions, including up, to a certain height.”
“Yes, there won’t be a problem with that. Show me your brushes.”
Quickly she drew a toothbrush and a hairbrush. “This one is for our teeth, and this one is for our hair.”
