Page 8 of He Will Always Love Me

He releases my arm and then jerks his head. “Come.”

And then he starts off without waiting to see if I follow. I almost have to jog to keep up with him.

We make it to the galley, which is empty at the moment. He pulls a tray from where the pre-made food sits. Karvex shoves the tray in my hands. “Eat.”

I blink in surprise at him, and then down at the tray. It’s real food. Not just the crud scraps I’ve been getting. My stomach growls again at the sight of it.

“Thank you,” I murmur, for once not able to think of anything snarky to say.

He scoffs and shifts uncomfortably. “Of course, it would be annoying for you to pass out during your work. Now I have more important things to attend to. Hurry up and eat. Then get back to work.”

Then he abruptly leaves the room. I grin down at the food and begin to eat heartily.

Maybe he’s not so bad after all. In fact, I can’t remember the last time a guy got me food, paying or otherwise. I snort out a small laugh at the thought. Oh, how romantic, to be treated to cafeteria food by an otherwise uncaring alien man. A girl should be so lucky!

A small burst of heat spreads across my cheeks. It’s such a small gesture, but I can’t help but feel just a little bit endeared to him because of it.

But the food is only the beginning. More small things follow, like letting me off a little early to take an extra break. Or glaring at anyone who sends a crude comment my way. It makes each day on our seemingly never-ending journey aboard the shuttle a little more bearable.

Though, of course, something else has to go wrong. It starts out as a slight soreness in the back of my throat and a dull headache. Then it increasingly grows into feeling hot and cold all at once. Aches, shivers, and a pounding headache follow.

I begin to suspect it has a lot to do with the cold, sleepless nights. I’d been given a pallet to sleep on but no blanket. That, along with the fact that the pallet is so uncomfortably flat against the metal ground makes nighttime extremely unpleasant.

Before long, I am definitely sick. Too bad slaves aren’t allowed sick days.

So I trudge through my chores, just trying to stay upright. For once, I am hoping that Karvex won't notice me.

But I can feel his impatient gaze on me as I wash the dishes. My hands are shaking slightly, and one of the metal trays slips through my fingers and clatters to the ground.

The Reaper growls behind me. “That’s it. Why are you so incompetent today? What is this sudden bout of weakness from you?”

I glare right back at him as I pick up the tray. “Excuse me if my being sick bothers you so much. Maybe if I could actually get a decent night's sleep, my body wouldn’t be trying to punish me for it.”

His eyes narrow. “What do you mean you can’t sleep at night?”

I huff, not really wanting to have this conversation with him right now. “I don’t know how it works for Reapers, but humans typically need something more than a thin pallet. Especially if the ship they’ve been kidnapped on is really cold. Like, stupidly cold.”

Karvex just stares at me for a moment. Something flashes in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can analyze it.

“What are you, dumb? Get a blanket if you’re so cold,” he says nonchalantly. As if I weren’t a slave he stole aboard this shuttle.

I let out an exasperated groan and turn back to the dishes. Today is already miserable enough without letting Karvex get to me.

By the time night rolls around, I don’t even care if I have to sleep on the cold metal ground. Everything aches and my body feels like it could turn into mush.

But then I reach my pallet and freeze. Because that’s not my pallet, it’s a real mattress. And on top of the said mattress is a big plush blanket.

I look around, almost expecting it to be some sort of joke. Somehow, though, I know it’s not. And even more than that, I know it’s from Karvex.

Flopping down onto the mattress I groan in delight at the softness. I wrap the blanket tightly around myself and sink into the bedding. Sleep takes me not long after.

Even with the new comforts, my dreams give me no reprieve.

There’s an Ishani before me, as beautiful as the stories. But as I come closer to him, I see that his face is familiar.

It’s Karvex.

Dream Ishani Karvex looks at me and pulls me close to him. I sink into the embrace, warmth and love filling me.

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