by Cynthia Sax
She procured some sweet treats from a fabricator known for his skill, filled her container, headed toward the perimeter. Her nipples tightened as she neared the edge of the settlement.
Allinen knew what that meant – her cyborg was close by, was likely watching her from the shadows.
She offered each guard a treat and made light conversation. Some of them gave her curt replies. Some of them pretended they didn’t hear her.
All of them took a treat. Her fingers brushed theirs as it was transferred.
She moved to the next guard.
By the time she had completed the full circle, her container was empty and she was exhausted. She glanced toward the forest once more.
Her outsider was hidden but he was there. She sensed him.
When the sun was high in the sky, she’d see him again. Until then, she would rest and then resume her gathering of information.
Allinen trekked back to her domicile. She grimaced when she saw who was waiting for her there.
“Your daughter isn’t with me.” She told her sister.
“I found this hidden under her dirty garments.” Sisko flung a small white medic pack at her.
Allinen caught it. The pack had belonged to an outsider. Doc was right. Her niece had entered the settlement with it. “This isn’t mine.”
“It belonged to them.” Her sister waved her hands at the forest. “I know that. Everyone else does too. By the time I found that…that thing, my daughter had showed it off to all of her friends, to her mate, and to his disapproving parents.”
Allinen groaned. Her niece would do something like that. She would be too excited to keep it a secret.
“She bragged about taking it from an outsider. Bragged.” Sisko’s voice loudened. “This is all your fault. You and your unusual ideas have corrupted her.”
Beings would be listening. Allinen stepped toward her. “Sisko—”
“The elders are considering banishing her.” Her sister’s eyes were wild with anger and fear. “That would kill my daughter.” She pressed her hands against her womb. “My daughter will die because of you.”
Allinen was partially responsible for the mess. By accompanying her niece on her jaunts outside the settlement, she might have inadvertently signaled to the girl she approved of the illicit excursions.
She certainly hadn’t tried to stop her…until recently. Having been a rebellious child herself, she thought that would do nothing. Except prompt Vauva to keep her activities a secret.
That logic, as her cyborg called it, might have faulty.
“I’ll say the pack was mine.” Allinen wouldn’t allow the girl to be banished. “Vauva took it from my domicile.”
“I told the elders it was yours.” Sisko shook her head. “They didn’t believe me.”
Her sister had condemned her to banishment, to death, without a second thought. Pain pierced Allinen’s heart.
“They’ll believe me.” The elders would want to blame her. She was unmated…to one of their kind. Her punishment would only affect one being. They had never liked her…due to her unmated status. “No one would admit to taking an object from an outsider unless that was the truth. That confession would result in their death.”
Sisko tilted her head. “They might believe you.”
“They will believe me.” Weariness weighed down on Allinen’s shoulders. “I’ll speak to the elders at sunrise.”
Sisko gazed at her for a moment.
“Thank you,” her sister finally said.
Allinen nodded.
Sisko headed toward her own domicile, her light brightening. She had hope again, a being to blame, someone no one would truly miss.
She believed her unmated sister would die after she was banished. Instead, Allinen would return to her cyborg’s side, leave the planet forever.
She entered her domicile.
Low light shone from the sleeping support. A niece-sized lump was concealed by the covering cloth.
Paha teeth. Vauva hadn’t left.
Allinen set the medic pack and her container on a horizontal support. “You can’t hide from your problems here, Vauva.”
The girl turned to face her. The light around her remained dim. “C-c-cold.” Her teeth chattered.
“You can’t be cold.” Allinen frowned. “The domicile is warm and you’re shrouded in fabric.”
“I d-d-don’t f-f-feel w-w-well, A-a-auntie.” The girl drew the covering cloth up to her chin and sniffled.
Alarm filled Allinen. Vauva was many things—rebellious, reckless, emotional—but she would never lie about her state of health. She would never feign illness.
“You must be injured.” She rushed to her niece’s side.
Chills were usually caused by injuries.
The girl shook her head. Her hair was damp.
Allinen sat on the edge of the sleeping support. She pressed the back of her hand against Vauva’s forehead. It was hot, very hot. The girl was burning up.
“You must have an injury you don’t know about.” She pushed the covering cloth down, stripped the garments off her niece’s body.
Vauva didn’t like anyone to see her nude, yet she didn’t protest the undressing. She was quiet and docile, allowing her garments to be removed.
That scared Allinen. Her niece never submitted to anything easily.
Allinen ran her hands over the girl, searched for breaks in her skin, bumps or swelling.
There were no signs of trauma.
Allinen dressed her. Vauva’s light was dim. The girl might have consumed some of the outsider’s beverage.
She grasped a container of Khambalian liquid, pressed it to Vauva’s mouth. Her niece drank thirstily.
Her light didn’t brighten. She perspired heavily yet shivered. Her eyes were glassy, her gaze unfocused.
Allinen wished Doc was with her. Being a healer, he might know the cause of the illness and how to treat it. She, unfortunately, hadn’t any more ideas. Non-injury related chills or fevers were rare with her kind.
She touched Vauva’s forehead. It felt hotter.
“You’re not improving.” She told the girl. “I’m sorry. I realize you don’t want to see her but I have to get your mother.” Sisko would know what to do.
Vauva moaned and huddled under the covering cloth.
Allinen tucked the fabric around her niece, kissed her fever-scorched forehead and exited the domicile yet again.
She dashed along the pathways, too worried to touch passersby, too distraught to complete her cyborg’s mission.
The door to her sister and her sister’s mate’s domicile was open. Her heart squeezed. The couple must be waiting for their daughter to return.
She slipped inside the home. It was much larger than hers, a domicile for a family, not a solo female.
The horizontal support was set with three servings of nourishment, three containers of beverage. Everything looked perfect.
She expected that from her sister. Their mother had drilled into them the many ways they were expected to please their mates, and Sisko had been a keen recipient of that knowledge.
Her sister sat with her back partially facing her, her head resting on Lanko’s shoulder. He rubbed Sisko’s shoulders and murmured words Allinen couldn’t hear, the expression on his stunningly beautiful face loving and concerned.
It was an emotionally moving private moment and Allinen didn’t want to interrupt it but she had no choice. Their daughter needed them.
“Vauva is in my domicile.” Her voice filled the chamber, the loudness of it surprising even herself.
The two of them jerked, turned their heads toward her.
Lanko frowned. The male had never approved of her—the unwanted, unmated sister, had made that opinion of her known. Many times.
Sisko sighed. “Of course, she’s in your domicile.” She pushed herself to her feet. “I was a fool to believe you, to trust your words.” Her sister scowled at her. “Getting my daughter banished was part of your plan all along. Y
ou knew the elders planned to banish all of the unmated. You want to take Vauva with you.”
What in paha teeth was her sister talking about? She knew nothing about the elders’ plan and, at the moment, didn’t care to hear about it.
“Be quiet.” Allinen shut the door. “Beings could be listening.”
“You will not tell my mate to be quiet, not in our own domicile.” Lanko drew himself up to his full height…which was less than her cyborg’s.
Allinen didn’t have time to soothe egos either. “Vauva is ill.”
“You allowed her to be injured.” Sisko glared at her.
“She’s not injured.” She ignored her sister’s tone. “I checked. She has chills and a fever and her light is dimmed.”
“She must be injured.” Lines etched between Lanko’s eyebrows. “That’s the only cause of chills.”
“I’ll examine her.” Sisko rushed around the space, placing a covering cloth, containers of beverage, a change of garments, herbs, and other items in a large container. “She’s my daughter. No one knows her like I do.”
“I’ll accompany you.” Lanko pushed Allinen aside as he guided his mate out of the domicile. “If this is a ploy, beings will be held accountable.”
She was those beings. Allinen’s lips flattened. The male was threatening her.
That was her reward for telling them about their daughter’s state. Lanko would blame her if nothing was wrong. Sisko would blame her if Vauva was ill.
Her planet rotations with her niece had come to an end. They’d never allow her to see the girl again.
She’d accept that fate if it meant Vauva was healthy and happy.
Her sister and her sister’s mate entered Allinen’s home without pausing, treating the space as though they owned it. Sisko rushed to her daughter’s side. Lanko crossed his arms and leaned against a wall.
Allinen sat in a chair and watched.
Her sister examined Vauva, tidied her form, applied herbs to her chest before dressing her in clean garments and wrapping her in the covering cloth she’d brought with her. More herbs were mixed into a container of beverage, given to the girl.
“It was an injury.” Lanko voiced that conclusion.
“No. My sister was right.” Sisko’s troubled gaze met Allinen’s. “There were no signs of an injury.” She looked back at Vauva. “I’ve never seen any illness like this.”
It was beyond any of their experience. “I’ll get the healer.” Allinen stood.
“No.” Sisko surprised her with that response.
She raised her eyebrows.
“We can’t tell anyone about this.” Her sister leveled a hard glance on her. “Ever.”
Allinen didn’t understand that thinking. Vauva needed all the care they could give her. “We require the healer’s expertise, Sisko. Your daughter’s light is very dim.” That scared her.
“My daughter is also very strong.” Sisko wiped the sweat off the girl’s forehead. “And she has her mother with her now. To take care of her. She’ll be well by sunrise.”
“You don’t know that.” Allinen pushed back. “As you just said, we’ve never seen any illness like this. It’s too risky not to get help.”
“It’s too risky to get help.” Her sister scowled at her. “If we contact the healer, she’ll inform the elders of Vauva’s condition. The illness will scare them. They’ll try to get rid of the perceived threat and banish her. My daughter will die…because she has a little bit of a fever.”
“It’s more than a little bit of a fever.” Allinen stared at her sister. “Your daughter’s skin is hotter than a lava pocket.”
“My daughter.” Sisko’s jaw jutted. “That’s exactly it. She’s my daughter and I’ll decide what is best for her.”
Her sister was determined to do this, to hide Vauva’s mysterious illness, heal her daughter herself.
Allinen didn’t concur with that plan, thought it was foolish. She looked at Lanko. Surely, he didn’t agree with his mate.
The male’s gaze locked with hers. “You’ll abide by my mate’s wishes.” His tone was solemn and certain. “It was your poor judgement that put our daughter at risk. I won’t allow you to inflict any more damage on my family.”
“I love my niece, would never wish her harm.” She’d get no help from him. “I want it noted that I think this is a very bad idea.”
“It’s noted.” Sisko rolled her eyes, looking very much like Vauva when the girl was in one of her moods. “Now, be quiet and allow us to care for our daughter.”
Allinen couldn’t stay in the domicile and silently watch as her niece shivered and sweated. She picked up the medic pack, the cause of much of the conflict, and moved toward the door.
Lanko stepped to the side, blocking her exit. “We said we didn’t want the healer contacted.”
“I’m not contacting the healer.” She needed to put space between them before she did and said something that made the situation worse. “I’m finding somewhere else to sleep, giving you some privacy.”
The male looked doubtful.
He was worried about his daughter. That’s why he was acting like an ass. Allinen swallowed her aggravation. “I give you my vow.”
Lanko glanced at his mate, as though seeking her input.
“Let her go.” Sisko waved her hands.
The male moved.
Her sister ruled their domicile. Allinen looked once more at her niece and slipped out of the overheated space into the cooler outdoors.
She hadn’t lied to her sister’s mate. She did plan to find somewhere else to sleep.
The search wouldn’t be extensive. She headed toward the forest and her secret domicile.
The remainder of the rest cycle would be spent with her outsider, her cyborg, her healer. She tucked the medic pack into the folds of her garment.
Her gut told her that was the key to her niece’s illness.
It also told her Doc could help her find a cure.
Chapter Eleven
Doc stood in the shadows and waited for his female to reappear.
His brethren patrolled the perimeter. Truth flicked twigs at sleeping guards. Dissent was attempting to train Gnaw, his new pet, to follow commands and refrain from eating everything it encountered.
According to the transmissions, the J Model wasn’t experiencing much success with that task. The miljoonasuut had more processing power than the pahas but it was stubbornly determined to follow its own routine.
Doc was as resolute about his self-assigned mission. He’d protect his female, would linger outside the settlement until she reappeared.
That wouldn’t be soon. She had four hundred and sixty-six beings to collect information on. That would take—
Awareness coursed through his circuits. His cock hardened against his body armor. His spine straightened.
Only half of the rest cycle had passed and his female was approaching him.
Something was wrong.
She sprinted in his direction, holding an object under the folds of her garment. Her light was muted, not by much, but the variance was detectable by his enhanced vision system. Lines were curved around her lush lips.
His female was damaged. Doc pressed his lips together, suppressing his howl. He should have accompanied her into the settlement, safeguarded her.
That had been an error. He wouldn’t make it again.
Just inside the forest, his normally graceful humanoid stumbled, tripping over a downed tree limb. That was how upset she was.
He raced forward, caught her as she fell, scooped her into his arms. The contact soothed some of his beast’s agitation.
He had her. He would protect her.
“Doc.” Allinen rested against him, holding the unidentified object in her lap. The fabric of her garment concealed its shape. “I need your help.”
“You have my help.” Whatever she required, he would provide to her.
He ran at cyborg speed toward their secret domicile. They could talk there without fear of
her kind hearing them.
“My niece is ill.” She gazed up at him, her eyes reflecting her concern.
Concern for another being, not herself.
His female was physically fully functional. Her damage was emotional and that had been caused by the state of a loved one.
The tension in Doc’s shoulders dissipated. His machine regained total control and he slipped into his medic role. “If you touched your niece, I will have access to her specs.”
“I touched her. And…” She scanned their surroundings with her visual system.
“We’re alone.” He carried her into their domicile.
“And I have this.” His female revealed a small white medic pack.
It was the same one he’d seen the not-yet-mature female of her kind carry into the settlement. That female must have been her niece.
Doc lowered with Allinen, sitting on the covering cloth they utilized as a sleeping support. He turned his female to face him, set her securely on his lap. Her garment lifted higher. Her long legs straddled his waist.
He ran his fingers over her lean form, needing to reassure himself her damage was solely emotional. Her musk intensified.
She wanted him and he wanted her, but now was not the optimal time for breeding. Easing her concern for her niece was his priority.
“The medic pack has relevance to your niece’s illness.” He converted his question into a statement, as was her kind’s way.
She had brought the object with her because she projected it was important.
“It might have some relevance.” His female appeared uncertain. “Before I touch objects left by the outsiders, I rub leaves over them. That removes the scent of the beings, the imprints of their hands.” Her lips twisted. “Vauva, my niece, isn’t as cautious as I am. She wouldn’t have done that.”
Everything on the planet was slightly acidic. The leaves would cleanse the objects, removing bacteria and other organisms.
“You are a clever female.” He gazed at her with open admiration.
Her light grew brighter. “If I was clever, I would have quashed my niece’s fascination with the outsiders.”
