Page 13 of ReBOrB

Evidently, this was a day off for the farmer and his wife. When he heard them moving around, he figured it wouldn’t be long before he could leave. But the couple had returned to bed. From the sounds echoing through the small, simply framed cottage, they made love at least twice.

Reb should have left when he had the chance. Instead, he remained in the closet, hoping for an opportunity to search upstairs—and had been trapped inside for hours. Waiting for them to finish.

Finally, the two stomped down the stairs. He wasn’t surprised to see they were a pair of Nadhuks. That species had a history of farming the outlying planets. The female was the shorter of the two. She was round and fluffy, her skin and hair were dark, her lips thin, and there was a set of horns sticking out of her head. The male was tall, a shade or two lighter than his female, and more muscular than fluff. His horns were also longer and a definite weapon.

The Nadhuks were used to fighting in pairs, and a mated pair defending their home… would be impossible to beat. Especially when Reb had no desire to hurt them.

The couple didn’t leave the house as he wanted, but stayed and made breakfast together.

Reb had searched the kitchen for meat, eggs… any type of protein that was already cooked or something he could manage over the heat pad in the hover. He hadn’t found any.

Because they kept these foods in a cold storage locker under the floor.

Their home may have been small, but it was sturdy, built with materials that could stand any weather. And it was well cared for. It felt like the couple had lived here for a long time. The color scheme ran to dark blues and whites. There were several comfort items on the two-person sofa. Such as decorated pillows and blankets. The tiny house smelled good, too. Clean, with a bit of spicy fragrance.

The cottage had running water, electricity, and he’d noticed an area with enough electronic equipment to realize that some of the couple’s chores were probably automated. They also could call for help or warn authorities about a stranger. So, he really didn’t want them to know he was here.

He watched a bit of white lacey fabric twitch in the breeze at the window. He could see the sun, high in the sky. Reb was stuck. Worried. He was glad it didn’t take long to get here. Maybe thirty minutes if he ran. Because once he could get out that door, it wouldn’t take long to get back to Cammy. He hadn’t meant to leave her alone this long. She couldn’t open the hover door or cover the window if there was too much light. She had no way of calling for help if she needed it.

Breaking out in a sweat, he willed the Nadhuks to leave. He knew his mate wasn’t feeling well, and now she’d been alone for too long. He’d be lucky to make it back before the sun set.

Chapter Eight

Cameron

She wasn’t awake. Nor was she asleep. Instead, Cam floated. Her eyes were closed and her entire focus… was on her body. Every breath was a careful one. Every swallow timed. She’d created a nest in the bed, using the robes to cut out some of the sunlight. Because of her headache and nausea—the sun was not her friend.

Her heartbeat throbbed throughout her body. The beat reverberated inside her brain and pulsed outward, affecting everything. Every muscle clenched, every breath burned, and her stomach… rebelled.

Cameron didn’t need to guess what was happening to her. She knew. The alien… doctors and their equipment… hadn’t fixed her. Oh, they may have sucked out all the spider venom and repaired whatever damage it had done to her insides. But all the signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury were getting worse.

She used to work in the neurological wing of the hospital. Even impaired, Cam could list the warning signs. She had a headache, was nauseous, drowsy, and when she tried to get up earlier… she was dizzy and couldn’t get her balance to stand. When she opened her eyes—her vision blurred. Her ears were ringing, and there was an unpleasant taste in her mouth. She had all the signs, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Well, she didn’t know if she had problems with her speech because there was no one to talk to. But Cameron was pretty sure that if something didn’t happen soon, she’d slip into a coma and die. She’d never see her sister again. Never… sleep in Reb’s arms again or have the chance to kiss him. She worried about him. He could have been captured or hurt… and she couldn’t go to his aid.

Feeling a tear leak from her tightly closed eyelids and trail down her cheek, Cammy willed away the sadness. Crying would literally make everything worse. Her head would explode if she cried. And then she’d vomit all over and that would escalate all her issues.

Taking slow, measured breaths, she focused on breathing and let the regrets fade. She couldn’t do anything about them now. Shutting away the thoughts, she concentrated on her body and let everything relax. Going away in her mind meant she wouldn’t hurt. It also meant Cam didn’t hear the hover door open.

ReBOrB

He bent over and rested his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths and trying to get his heartbeat under control. Once the Nadhuk couple had returned upstairs to dress for the day, Reb slipped out of the house and ran to the hover without stopping. He had been gone much longer than he planned and he couldn’t believe he’d locked Cammy in the ship with no way out.

Once he programed her palm signature in the commands and made sure she was okay, he would return to the small farmhouse. Maybe just before dawn tomorrow. He found a little food for them and some clothing, including the shades of green overshirt he wore. It fit his body well enough, and helped him camouflage when he was in both the forest and among the yama vines—and he needed it to cover the mating marks. But if he could get upstairs, he might find more medicinal herbs.

Reb straightened his spine and slapped his hand to the faceplate beside the door. It slowly lowered. Bounding into the hover, blinded by the sunlight streaming through the window, it took him several moments to realize that Cammy lay balled up in the center of the bed, with both robes and the thin blanket over her head. She didn’t move.

“Cammy. I’m back. I’m so sorry it took me this long,” he whispered. And she still didn’t move.

Shifting closer to the bed, he pulled back the covers and touched her forehead with his palm. She was warm, and he could see her chest rise and fall as she breathed. But she still didn’t wake.

He frowned, realizing the direct sunlight had to be why she had piled the robes over her head. He stepped over and flicked a few switches on the console. Ambient floor lighting came on at the same time the blackout shades covered the window.

When the hover plunged into near darkness, he reached across and lifted the bundle of cloth protecting Cammy’s eyes. The soft, blue lights at floor level allowed him to see, without the muted illumination bothering her. Reb sat at her side and watched muscles relax in tiny increments. Then her breathing eased. He cursed himself, realizing she’d been in pain because he hadn’t shown her how to lower the window shades.

Gently smoothing his hand over her forehead, Reb tried to wake her. “Cammy, I’m back. Did you miss me?” A glance at the small table told him she’d eaten one of the yama fruits. And took a few small bites of the dehydrated bread. Reaching over, he lifted the water tube. When he left her last night, it was full. She drank about half of it.

He turned back, his eyebrows drawn together. Concerned that Cammy remained motionless. Had she had an allergic reaction to the fruit? Or was this her head injury?

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