by Linda Mooney
She turned to Vall. The young man remained sitting and staring up at the figure hovering overhead.
“She…is…my…Will.”
She hadn’t imagined the pain. Neither had she hallucinated about the man’s eyes drilling into her skull.
Stark fear, the kind she had never felt before in her life, began to grow in the pit of her stomach. Icy cold, hard, and poisonous, it threatened to take over every organ in her body, leaving her unable to breathe, or even think.
“She…is…my…Will.”
She had misinterpreted what he’d meant. All this time, she hadn’t fully realized what he was saying. What he meant by that remark.
Not until now. And it was almost scaring the life out of her.
Chapter Thirteen
Warmth
“Ready?”
“As much as I’ll ever be.”
“All right. Just watch your balance.”
The sterile glow faded, and Will felt the bed start to tilt, feet first.
“Let me know if you sense any pain,” Killjorn instructed.
The bed continued to tilt, until the soles of her feet touched the cool floor.
“Stand.”
The bed halted its descent, allowing her to lean forward until she was clear of it. Next thing she knew, she was erect.
Killjorn stepped in front of her after scrutinizing every inch of the Captain’s body.
“Talk to me, Willis.”
Will straightened. “No pain, although I feel like I’m still wrapped up.” She glanced down at herself and giggled softly. “I’m as pink as a Protean amoebae.”
“Your skin will lose that tint the longer it’s in contact with the oxygen in the air. You’re certain you don’t feel any pain?”
Nodding her head, Will answered. “Certain.”
The physician sighed loudly and backed away. “All right. Take a few steps.”
Will walked slowly to the door and turned around. Holding out her arms, she smiled. “Do I get a clean bill of health?”
Killjorn grinned widely. “I’ll give you half a bill. Will that do? I won’t give you a full release until you can erect your shields.”
“About how much longer before I can attempt it?”
“Two days. No, make it three. I don’t want you to push it. Remember, I did my internship at a skin retrieval medi-lab. Too many times I saw warriors sent right back into the isolation sheets because they tried to erect their auras too soon, and sheared their fresh layers of skin. It nearly tripled their recuperation time.”
Will stared at her arm. She tapped it to check the new skin’s resilience. Tiny vibrations quivered over her muscles and nerves, like rings of water rippling away from the center of impact. It tickled to the point where she involuntarily shivered. Will looked up at the doctor. Killjorn nodded.
“Your nerves are still adapting to your new membrane. Your sense of touch will remain heightened for another couple of days.”
“What if I bump against something and bruise it? Or tear it?”
“That’s something you’re going to have to be very careful about. Small wounds we can deal with. But anything that makes you bleed outright could be fatal.” Killjorn went over to her console. “I’m sending in a prescription for a pain med to your room. It’ll be available when you need it.” She gave Will a motherly look, although she was only two years older. “Don’t hesitate to take it, Willis. Any time you feel distressed, the medicant will dull your nerve endings and also speed up the healing process as much as your body is able to tolerate. Understand me?”
Will rolled her eyes as she grinned. “Yes, Mother.”
Killjorn responded by sticking her tongue out at her. “For your insolence, I’m also kicking you out of the medical bay. You are ordered to return to your own cabin and rest.”
“More rest? Why? I’ve been resting for what seems like days.”
“Just hush and do as I say. You’re not as strong or as sturdy as you think you are at the moment. By the time you reach your room, you’ll be washed out. Go to bed. Then, when you wake up, if you want to spend a little time on the bridge, go ahead. But as soon as you start to flag, go back to your cabin. Remember, the more rested you are—”
“The sooner I’ll heal,” Will said in sync with the doctor.
“Oh, and set your in-cabin computer to make your uniforms about two sizes larger than usual. You want to prevent the fabric from irritating that new epidermis.”
“Got it. Meds, rest, saggy uniform. Anything else?”
Killjorn sighed. “I know you’re trying to be mentally positive about your healing, but you must also realize I’m not being over-protective. What you suffered has killed many Nions.”
Giving the doctor a wan smile, Will shuffled over to lay a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I know, Killy. I know what a struggle it was to take care of me, and I am deeply grateful to you.” She looked at where her hand rested, and added, “I can’t believe how cold I feel. You’re as hot as a blue sun!”
“Until your capillaries finish seeding your outer layer, you’ll remain chilled. Don’t change the temperature in your cabin. Your skin has to thicken a bit more, and your body has to learn to adjust to it. Just pile on the clothing, or change the heat setting on your bed and chairs.”
For good measure, the physician retrieved a robe and slippers from one of the storage cabinets, and draped the thin coat over Will’s shoulders. She raised the hood to cover the Captain’s bare head.
“There. That should help some.”
Will shoved her feet into the oversized scuffs. “I look like an escaped patient.”
Killjorn laughed. “It’s the third shift. I’ll be surprised if you run into anyone at this time of night between here and your cabin.”
“You’re not going to escort me?”
“Great heavens, woman! Want me to tuck you in, too?” Killjorn snapped, then winked. “No, really, you don’t need anyone to hang on to. You need to stretch your legs. Get your muscles back into shape. Build up your energy again. Just don’t go bouncing off the walls. Oh, and I left a dispensary disk in your quarters. If you need a little boost, don’t hesitate to use it, but don’t abuse it.”
Will turned around to give the doctor a gentle hug. The woman still put out heat like a furnace, making the Captain wish she could just snuggle against her and doze off. Instead, she accepted Killjorn’s return embrace without pain, and left the medical bay.
As the doctor predicted, she didn’t encounter anyone while on her way to her room. Once inside her cabin, she ordered the door locked. It was difficult to resist the urge to turn up the heat in the room, but she trusted the doctor explicitly to know what she was doing.
“Guess I’ll just have to huddle under the bedcovers until I acclimate.”
Killjorn had been correct about another thing. Her stamina was shot. After traveling the short distance from the medical bay to her cabin, she was exhausted, almost to the point of collapse. She gasped for breath, and her muscles trembled from the exertion. Gratefully, she slid into bed, robe and slippers included, and realized how wonderful it felt to be back in familiar, comforting surroundings.
She was asleep almost immediately after resting her head on her pillow. There was no way for her to know how long she slept, when she was awakened by the sound of someone patting at the door.
Will frowned. Patting? Not a knock? Who would pat the door?
Maybe someone who hadn’t been taught to knock? a little voice in the back of her head answered.
Who wouldn’t know how to knock?
The answer came to her before she could finish the thought.
The patting sound came again, with a rubbing sound following close behind. Someone was running his hand over the panel, as if seeking a way to open it.
“Door open.”
The portal smoothly disappeared into the side recess, and she could see the young man standing in the dimly lit hallway. For a moment, the look of surprise remained on his face, u
ntil he glanced over to see her sitting up in the bed.
Will smiled. “Lights, fifty percent.”
The room brightened slightly. Vall flinched and squinted, but didn’t enter.
“Don’t just stand out there. Come in.”
When Vall continued to stare at her without moving, she realized she couldn’t translate what she was saying. And the room wasn’t equipped to do the task, either. Guess we’re reduced to hand signals, she decided, and waved for him to enter. “Come on!”
Waving seemed to do the trick. Once he crossed inside, the door closed behind him.
“All right. I know you can’t understand me, but it’s good to see you. I thought you were going to come back and visit me when I was still in medic.”
He remained by the door, watching her. There was no way to tell how long he had been wandering the ship, or if he had come to the cabin before, looking for her. How had he known this was her room? Or was he checking every room on every floor in an attempt to find her? The crew knew who he was. If they had seen him outside of his cabin, chances were they wouldn’t have challenged him.
“This is ridiculous. I have to find a way to get you to understand me.” Maybe I can pull up a translator on my monitor.
She carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. As she moved away from the bedcovers, her robe got tangled in them. As she got to her feet, the coat was pulled back, slipping off one shoulder far enough to reveal her breast. Will quickly pulled the robe back together, but not before Vall had caught a glimpse.
She stared into his face. At his emotionless face. On the man whose eyes and expressions spoke more profoundly than any speech, his countenance was utterly blank. His lack of reaction unnerved her.
Will forced herself to smile. “Sorry about that, Vall.” She continued toward the monitor, pretending as if nothing had happened. “I’m hoping I can pull up a translation device through the ship. I lost the one I had embedded in my shield. And I’ll have to wait until we return to a Regency Base before I can have another one implanted.”
“Uli.”
She paused. “Uli to you, too. I wish I knew what you were saying.”
“Will.”
She felt her jaw drop. Two meters away, Vall stood, stoic and unmoving, like a statue.
“Will.”
Will snorted. “You finally know my name. At least it’s a start.”
He began walking toward her. As he moved closer… Will gasped softly, her eyes widening. By all the stars, she would swear he changed. No, not just changed. Altered. Grew. Hardened. Matured.
His outward appearance remained the same, but now he projected strength and assurance as strong and as powerful as any Nion warrior. The persona approaching her was no longer the weak, defeated young man whom they’d rescued. The beaten and brutalized prisoner was gone, replaced by someone she didn’t know.
Yet she didn’t feel any fear. Exactly the opposite. The closer he got, the more the air around her tingled, until she felt as though she was being surrounded by an electrical field.
Vall stopped in front of her and reached for the robe. A slight tug, and it fell to the floor, puddling around her feet. She watched as he glanced down her body, bare, pink, and unmarked by rank affiliation. Even the scars of past battles were gone.
Fingertips touched the side of her neck. Their gentle caress sent shivers through her. A thumb stroked the underside of her jaw, and Will tilted her head in response. His gaze rested on her bare pate, and with a questioning look, the old Vall was suddenly back. Will reached up and took his hand.
“Yes, I lost my hair, but it’ll grow back eventually. My insignia is gone, too, but it can be easily replaced. My birthmark, moles, scars, anything that marked my skin are gone. I’m a fresh canvas.”
It almost hurt to move away from him and resume her scan on the monitor. Vall waited. After a short while, Will shook her head.
“There’s a translator on the ship,” she informed him, “but the program has no speech interpreter. It’s made for visual identification, not vocal. I could try to enter whatever you say, but how would I know what cryllics to use? How would I know I spelled your words correctly?” She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, since you don’t say much anyway.”
“Will.”
She smiled warmly at him. “Willis. My first name is Willis.”
Vall smiled back. “Willis.”
“Yes.”
“My Willis.”
Now she stood in shock. Vall smiled at her obvious surprise and repeated the words. “My Willis.”
He closed the distance between them and drew his arms around her chilled skin. She became aware of his face dipping toward the curve of her neck, and her arms went involuntarily around his shoulders. His body was a small sun, sending warmth into every pore, every molecule. Will lifted her face until she found his throat and kissed it. Immediately, she realized what she had done.
She had kissed him. An act that was so personal, Nion tradition kept it solely between lovers. It was never spoken about, and never demonstrated in public. The meeting of the lips to any part of another person was deemed sacrosanct among Nions. To have touched his skin in such a way was the last barrier she’d had to cross, and rather than feel regretful, she silently rejoiced.
She realized now why she felt empty and bereft whenever he was gone. It was both a shocking as well as a wonderful understanding. He was meant to be with her, as much as she was meant to be his.
She felt him lift her slightly off the floor. At the same time, his cheek touched hers, and his mouth slid down the side of her neck where her insignia used to be. Little waves of joy lapped over her nerve endings, and she shivered.
“Cold,” he murmured, his mouth nearly muffled against her skin. Will smiled.
No. Not this time. I’m all right. But don’t stop, Vall. Don’t stop what you’re doing. Or what I pray you’re wanting to do.
He gathered her against him, lifting her further up against his chest until her feet no longer touched the floor, and strode over to the bed, to lay her gently across the bedclothes. She stared up at him as he watched her momentarily, then reached behind his back and pulled off the gray robes, tossing them to the side.
Want you.
I want you, too, Vall.
Uli. My Willis.
Lifting the bedclothes, he tucked her underneath. Following that, he slid inside to be with her.
Chapter Fourteen
Release
Sensations bombarded her. Her brain quickly overloaded with the feel of Vall moving over her, touching her, stroking her, kissing her most intimate parts. This was not like having sex with Plymon, or with any other man she distantly remembered. This was not hurried, rough, or self-gratifying. He meant to have her for as long as he could, and she prayed it would never end.
Despite the report from the Regents, Vall was not experienced. Having sex with other females did not always equate with experience. But he cared, and that made his lovemaking all the more unique. He brushed his mouth over her nipple and waited to hear her gasp. He lightly ran his fingertips across her ribs, and watched how she trembled. He wanted to please her, because in return, he pleased himself.
He impatiently pressed his groin into the juncture between her thighs. The rushing flood of fresh sensations became too much, and Will moved to the side, guiding him onto his back. Rolling over, she threw a leg over his hip and sat on top of him.
“Lights, twenty-five percent.” She still wanted to be able to see him, but without him having to stare up at any harsh glare. “Before we go any further…” Reaching over to the small nightstand, she pressed her hand on top of the medical dispensary disk left by the physician. The stimulant pulsed through her veins, giving her immediate, albeit temporary energy.
Vall smiled at her. At the same time, he bounced her with his hips. Will laughed. Moving herself backwards, she finally found the seat she was searching for, directly over the rigid thickness that nestled nicely between her lower lip
s.
She was intrigued by his heart-shaped areoles. Bending down to take one of his nipples into her mouth, she suckled on it until he reacted with a loud cry. His whole being vibrated beneath her, and his temperature rose until his skin shone with perspiration. Slipping a hand between her thighs, she grasped him and began stroking the hot pole. As her mouth worked one nipple, her other hand lightly pinched the other. Vall bucked as he gasped for air. His hands grasped her thighs, but his fingers never tightened, never threatened to bruise her or in any way damage the fragile tissue still regenerating.
Enough.
No. I want to give you more.
No. It is I who wants to give you what you want. That will give me the greatest pleasure.
Will paused, not quite sure if she had spoken, or if she had imagined the brief conversation.
“Willis.”
His pleading expression reminded her they had been in the middle of a steady build-up of sexual steam. Will smiled down at him, then dropped a kiss to the slight wrinkle between his eyes. The act felt natural. In fact, what was happening between them felt right and good. She jiggled on top of him just to tease, and his eyes dropped to the sight of her bouncing breasts.
In you.
There it was again. Like a suggestion, but not as a voice in her head. She had spoken to telepathic entities in the past, and none of them had felt like this.
As if the words were coming from my heart, and not my brain.
I want to be in you.
The second voice did not sound like Vall, but she knew without a doubt it was him speaking to her. Speaking with her, like two minds working as one.
He reached between them with one hand and found his pulsing erection. He fumbled, trying to push it inside her. His eagerness led her to believe he had never been on the bottom in any of his past sessions. But because she had initiated this position for them, he was willing to try. He just needed a little…
