by Stone, Layla
Yelena was wide-eyed again, but this time, she seemed in awe of him. And with Hetten. He felt a small victory. When she spoke, he heard the wonder. “That sounds perfect.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll take you the next time the Garna gets a maintenance upgrade.”
“When will that be?”
“Sands has some contractors doing some upgrades now. I can check with him and see if he needs something from there.” The trick would be to ensure that he was the one who took Yelena and not Sasha doing a quick there-n-back like he used to do.
“I’d like that.”
He finalized securing the picture as her default and then pulled up the training directory. He selected Security Travel Training. He waited for it to load and then hit play. As soon as the introduction music started, Yelena said, “Wait, I’m not ready.”
She rushed to the back of the room, took off her other boot, and placed them both in the closet. Then she grabbed a handful of clothes off the rack and rushed into the cleaner. As soon as the door shut, the cabin light was snuffed out. The Minky screen was the only light, and that’s when Yon realized that Yelena never turned on the actual cabin lights.
She had been the light in the room the entire time, and he hadn’t noticed.
Three minutes later, she walked out in fewer clothes. The room was bright again, but this time, he noticed the illumination difference. She gave off a soft light, not a white one. Yelena’s hair was dry, but she was in a simple t-shirt and short blue and white sleeping shorts. Other than her shirt and shorts, he noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra—and she was cold. He didn’t know if she had changed as an invitation or not. If so, he wasn’t accepting. Especially when he couldn’t be sure what her motives were. Reasons were crucial to everything, and when it came to a female who might be hunting for a mate, he proceeded with caution.
Yon watched her sit and use the wall as support. The blanket under her even lit up, and awareness sank in more. She was never in the dark.
His eyes found hers.
“What?” she asked nervously.
“You’re lighting the whole room yourself. Is that why you don’t turn on the lights?”
She scratched the side of her temple. “Yeah. The benefit of being me.”
Yon snorted. “It’s…different, but not bad.”
“Try sleeping in the light night after night. I doubt you would say the same.”
“I do sleep in the light,” he admitted. It wasn’t something he would tell anyone else, but in that moment, for some reason, he wanted her to know.
“Why?”
“I like being able to see my surroundings the second I wake up.”
Yelena didn’t respond to that, but she did look at him and then the bed, and then the screen. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation between her observation and her offer. “I was going to watch from my bed. It’s softer. You can sit there with me or in a chair. Whichever.”
He preferred to watch from the bed too, and since she didn’t sound calculating, he agreed. “Sounds good.”
He didn’t sit down until she pulled back the covers, climbed in, and then pulled the blankets over her legs, not offering to share.
Interesting.
He sat back on her bed, mentally taking in the moment. The last time he had been in a female’s bed… No. He wasn’t going to think about that.
“Did you want a drink?” she asked.
He peered down and to his right. She was close enough that he could see himself in her pitch-black eyes. “No, I’m not thirsty. But I do have a question. Earlier, you said you would notice if you were touched. Why are you so certain?”
The training video narrator was talking, but Yon ignored it, and so did Yelena.
“In the mines, when we worked, we couldn’t break proximity. I mean, we couldn’t get closer than five feet from one another. After work, you could get closer, but it wasn’t like we touched a lot.”
He remembered the briefing about the mines before the mission. One of the minerals was temperature-sensitive. She’d worked in those mines, and it made sense not to let them get too close so that they didn’t heat up the space. But after work, he wondered what that entailed. “After work…as in you all worked in shifts? Did you all sleep in one huddled mass, or did you have designated beds?”
Before she spoke, he watched her lips flatten. “We were separated by tens. I had eight other females and a male who slept in the small cave we were assigned to.” She half-smiled, but it looked bittersweet like she didn’t really want to talk about that time. Which, of course, made him want to talk about it more.
He moved on the bed until his back touched the metal. He peered up to the screen and knew he would have to restart it, but he would get to that soon. “Did the guards ever take advantage of you?”
She hesitated, and that burned inside him. “No. No one took advantage of me inside the mines.”
Yon didn’t know if he believed that, but instead of calling her on it, he told her, “I was a slave on Angny for seven months.” He hoped that Yelena knowing their backgrounds were similar would make her more truthful.
Her entire body turned to face him, her eyes alert and interested. “Where is that planet? How did you get free?”
The images of the past filtered through his mind. “It’s a gladiator planet near Lotus Nexis.”
Before he could explain more, she said, “I don’t know where that is.”
Yon had to remember that she had been a slave for fifty years. She didn’t know much outside of where she was or what she did during that time. Instead of explaining Nexis, he continued to answer her first question. “Since you won’t be going, it doesn’t matter where it is. To answer your question, though, I was freed by another slave named Garr-n.”
“How did he free you?”
“She,” he corrected, and he watched her face go from surprise to uncertainty. He didn’t know why she would feel uncertain, but he didn’t want to delve into that. “She was used by the guards, but Ansel healed her and others like her. From what I understand, her brother fought in the arena sometime after I did. He distracted the guards, and Garr-n freed everyone else.”
“She sounds like a warrior at heart.”
He snorted. “She was tough, I’ll give her that.”
“Do you miss her?” Yelena looked away and shook her head. “I’m sorry, that was personal.”
It wasn’t. And he didn’t miss Garr-n the way he assumed Yelena meant. The question he had now was why did she want to know? “Do you assume everyone is looking for a mate? Because it seems to be something you bring up a lot.”
Yelena’s embarrassment was clear. He’d hit a cord and shook her up. Good, she needed that. Because that’s not why Yon was in her room watching a training video. He wasn’t there to lay groundwork for future matehood.
He was about to push off the bed to restart the video when she said, “I didn’t mean to imply anything. It’s none of my business if you have a mate or not or who she will be. All of it is private, and I apologize.”
He took that in and believed it.
Yelena moved from the blanket and raised her hand to the screen. “I’ll start it over again because I haven’t been paying attention. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
As if he would stay in her room if he didn’t want to. Nonsensical female. “I’m not leaving until it’s over.”
Tapping the screen, she mumbled, “Okay.”
When she came back to the bed, he noticed she was sitting farther away than last time. He wasn’t stupid, he knew she did that on purpose. But he let it go during the intro music and the beginning of the video. But once the narrator said something about planet formalities, he asked, “Do I still intimidate you in a good way?”
Her smile was immediate, and it covered her entire face. Witnessing pure joy was not something Yon saw often, especially when he was the cause of it. A small piece of him liked that.
“You’re a warrior, Yon. I’m always goin
g to be intimidated by that. And as long as I never get on your bad side, it will forever be in a good way.”
That was strange. Why did she word it like that? “What do you think I’ll do to you if you get on my bad side?”
The bright smile faded to a somber one. He should have waited to ask that question. He preferred the smile.
Yelena answered. “I’d rather not speculate. I don’t want to end up insulting you and embarrassing myself.”
And just like that, he was affronted. “Don’t speculate then. Tell me exactly what you think I will do.”
She inhaled slowly and then peered over at him. “If I ever got on your bad side, it would probably mean that I did something wrong. And you’d send the full force of Federation law against me.”
Irritatingly, that was true. “And do you think I would ever hurt you?”
To his surprise, she didn’t look away. “No.”
“Why not?” He was curious because he had killed females before. Not that he ever planned to hurt Yelena, or let anyone else hurt her.
He lost her eyes for a second, but then they were back. Her words were so quiet, he had to read her lips. “Because you care.”
He didn’t have a response to that. In fact, he turned his head back to the screen to see the training video, even though he wasn’t listening. After a second, Yelena followed suit. Out of all the things she could have said, she’d called him on a truth. And he didn’t think she knew that or believed it. But he’d watched her speak, watched her face, and didn’t see an ounce of doubt.
Yon had to think about this. About her. And about what he was really doing in her room. Because if he were honest with himself, he didn’t need to be there. He could have assigned the video to her and made her take the test, but he wanted to be there in case she had questions and…because he didn’t want to leave her yet.
Honor dictated that he be honest about the training and leave.
But…it wasn’t dishonorable to stay.
8
Ask Your Question Carefully
Yelena didn’t know that Yon would take her comment so seriously. He did care, and she knew that, but maybe he didn’t want her to know. Or perhaps he didn’t want to talk about it. Sitting on her bed, she stared up at the Minky screen and watched the training video, not listening intently but enough to get the point of what the narrator was saying.
She wanted to say something to smooth things over between her and Yon, but all her ideas for what to say sounded forced and insincere. And as each moment passed, it felt as if the air around them were holding its breath, waiting for Yon to do or say something.
Finally, he did. “You’re probably the only person outside the captain, Pax, and Ansel who would say that I care.”
“It’s in everything you do. I can’t imagine anyone not noticing.”
She saw in her periphery that he had turned his head towards her. “I don’t care about everyone.”
Thinking back on what he had done to the guard on Lotus Adaamas, she knew that, too. “I know. I’ve seen the way you fight.”
“You speak as if you know me, but you don’t.”
Still keeping her eyes focused on the screen, though not watching or listening to the video anymore, she answered him. “I’ve watched you.”
“Why?”
Yelena couldn’t focus on the training video. But she didn’t want to look at Yon either. Her eyes fell to her lap. She gathered her thoughts, swallowed, and told him, “Because…”
“Because…what?”
“Because you saved my life. Because you’re the strongest person I know. And I honestly believe there isn’t another person alive who could have done what you did on Brica.”
“Ah.” When he didn’t say any more, she looked over to him. That’s when he said, “This is one of those hero-worship things.”
“I don’t worship you.” The words came out so fast, she hoped he didn’t take offense.
“Sounds like it.”
She heard herself laugh. Sometimes, Yon said some utterly absurd things. “I’m grateful to you. Probably the same way you’re grateful to Garr-n. If she were on the ship, I bet you would show her the same respect I do with you.”
“You could be right.”
Yelena smiled bigger. “Could be?”
“So, that’s it? You don’t have any other thoughts towards me other than feeling grateful?”
That sounded like a set-up question, and she wondered why he had asked it that way. “Are you asking if I see you as an authority figure? Because I do.”
“I’m the second highest-ranking officer on the ship, and you’re the lowest-ranking crew member. I know you see me as an authority figure.”
Words said so pointedly made her laugh. Not because it was funny, but because Yon always had to put things so clearly. As if he were testing to see if she would get offended and stomp off. “Like I said, I see you as an authority figure. Are there any other thoughts I should have about you?”
“That’s what I was asking you.” He turned his body towards her this time.
She moved, as well. Crossing her legs under the blanket and facing him, she said, “I am curious about you. Sometimes, I wonder how you are the way you are.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” she said honestly.
“Be specific. Ask a question, and I’ll answer it.” Even as he said those words, there was a hint of, “ask a question, and if I want to, I’ll answer it.”
Yelena bit her inner lip, excited and nervous. Thinking back on her conversations with Cami, she thought about the best question that would yield her the most information. When she finally narrowed it down, she asked, “Will you tell me about your family?”
His lips hardened, and he said, “No.”
Her lips twitched at the sides until she lost control and smiled. “Okay. Do I get another question?”
“Not if it’s as stupid as the last.”
“You said you weren’t afraid of the guard on Lotus Adaamas, why not?”
Yon’s body curved towards her slightly as he asked, “Is that what you really want to know?”
He was breaking proximity again, and it was thrilling. “Yes.” There was something in the air that warmed her. Maybe it was a warning that she was entering a dangerous place. She didn’t care because his words couldn’t hurt her.
Yon lifted his hand to her face and touched her temple. “This is where I hit the guard. It’s between the hairline and the eyebrow. With a solid blow, it will cause the brain to swing violently against the skull lining, causing a blackout.” When he removed his finger, he added, “I chose that because I didn’t want blood on you. Had you not been there, I likely would have broken his septum, making it painful and bloody.”
Yon leaned back, looking her over. “I grew up fighting, and it never stopped because I rub people the wrong way. I say what I think, and I don’t care how others take it. I almost died once because of it, but Ansel kept me alive. Although that was against a scathy barbist. Before you ask, it’s a massive, venomous snake. Its venom eats away at your skin, muscles, and bones. Death in minutes.” He undid the top buttons of his jacket so he could pull it and his shirt aside and show her his collar where his skin was gnarled with a large, dark grey scar. “I killed the beast even with the venom in me. Ansel was able to get to me in time to save me, but during the trip, he admitted that I died. I also died on Brica from being shot to death.”
“I don’t understand,” Yelena said, looking over his jacket and remembering all the blood from the first day she had seen him in the cage. He’d died? And he was still alive?
Her hand almost reached out to touch him.
Yon unbuttoned the rest of the jacket and lifted up his black, sleeveless shirt to point at one of the myriad gash scars on his chest. “Ansel put in a permanent medscope that keeps me alive. The barbist’s venom destroyed so much it couldn’t be healed.”
Yelena heard him, but her eyes were drawn to the atr
ocities that had been done to him. There wasn’t a piece of skin that wasn’t ravaged. Dips and masses of scar tissue made it look like his skin was grey instead of white. Her heart didn’t bleed for him or pity what he had gone through, the sight only underlined what she knew about him. He was a warrior, fierce and deadly.
Yon let his shirt down. “Did I answer your question?”
“Yes.” But she had several more.
“Good.”
“Can I ask another?”
Yon leaned back against the wall, not putting his jacket back on. On the side of his body closest to her, she saw the Red Demon marks. It proved that Yon’s father was a Red Demon. If the marks were on his right, that would mean his mother was a Red Demon. Yelena knew that because almost all the guards on Brica were Red Demons or Krants.
“You can ask, but you do realize that we are going to have to start this section of the training video over again, right?”
Yelena got up to return the video to its previous chapter. Looking at the time, she noticed it was late, and she worked first shift the next day. Her days were twelve hours long, and even if she stayed up asking questions, she wouldn’t regret it. But she didn’t know if he would.
Hitting play, she returned to the bed, but before she got in, she noticed that Yon looked perfectly comfortable where he was, as if he owned the bed.
Crawling back in and pulling the blanket over her, she said, “I won’t ask any more questions. I promise to pay attention to the end of the video.”
“Probably a good idea.”
The narrator started talking, and she found herself wanting to ask Yon another question. Ask if she could do this again. Not the training part, but just talking to him. But she’d told him that she wouldn’t ask any more questions, so she sat and stewed on it.
An hour later, she was still ruminating on it, and the training video wasn’t over. She let out a slow breath of discontentment. When she looked over at Yon, his eyes were closed. The words came out before she could stop them.
