Page 83 of Keeping Sarah

I saw red. I slapped the bars and snarled in animal rage.

He smiled and walked closer to the bars but was smart enough to stay out of reach. “With a mouth like that, I bet you suck cock better than she does. Care to show me?”

“I will fucking bite it off,” I snarled.

“Now, now, there must be something worth a little cock sucking to you,” he said thoughtfully. “What would you like? Some clothes? Water? Food, perhaps?”

“I’d like to punch my fist through your face.” I bared my teeth at him. “Isthatworth a little cock sucking to you?”

He stood back to study my naked body again, slowly perusing me from head to toes. “I think you could use some time to think about your bad behavior. When you’re shivering and thirsty and hungry and delirious in a week or two, we’ll see if you can muster up some gratitude. Tata for now.”

Tantalus sauntered from the dungeon and the light shut off, plunging me into absolute darkness.

CHAPTER 24

Deacon

“No good deed goes unpunished,” Ode muttered in a wry tone as we listened to the retching sounds reaching our ears.

I winced as we waited for Elizabeth to leave the toilet room. Her vomiting seemed to have slowed, but she was still in there. I knocked gently.

“Are you going to be alright?” I asked in concern. “Is this something you do regularly?”

Her sister, Jenny, laughed. “Leave her be. I’m sure she’s going to be fine.”

“Are you certain?” I gave her a skeptical look. “She has been in there for near an hour.”

“She is spacesick, Deacon,” Ode said. “But she will be fine. Relax.”

I pursed my lips in irritation at her. “I cannot relax, Ode. I am wearing the wrong body, and Sarah’s sister is broken!”

Jenny giggled so much like Sarah it made my heart sick. “She’s not broken. Elizabeth has the weakest constitution of anyone in her nursing classes. She was almost booted for it. She’ll be fine, Deacon.” Then she paused, her brows furrowing as she looked me over. “What do you mean, you’re wearing the wrong body?”

Ode and I shared an uneasy glance before I turned back to Jenny to explain. “There is more to everything than you know. Much more, in fact. But I had hoped to tell you and your sister both at the same time.”

“Well, I assumed there was more to it than what you said,” she replied, her eyes and expression filled with anticipation, not anxiety or fear, like most humans would be projecting considering the situation. “I mean, look at us. We’re on a freaking spaceship.”

A tight smile stretched my lips, and I tried to remain calm so I did not push her past her mental limits. “Once Elizabeth rejoins us—"

The toilet room door finally opened and Jenny’s sister walked out, her face pinched in dismay. She was pale and sweaty, too.

“Could I get a Sprite?” she asked.

I glanced at Ode in confusion. “Why would she request a fairy?”

“It’s an Earth beverage,” she explained, before addressing Elizabeth’s request. “We don’t have any of that, but I have other things that will help settle your stomach. Why don’t you both join me in the infirmary, and we can continue our conversation in there.”

Jenny took Elizabeth’s arm and we followed Ode to the infirmary. The rest of the crew milled about with whatever their regular duties required and tried not to gawk at our guests. All ofthem still spoke English and looked human. None of us enjoyed our disguise. It created an unspoken tension in my ship.

Once inside the infirmary, Ode gave Elizabeth water with herbs and said, “I can also give you a medication for the nausea, if you would like.”

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked suspiciously, even as she sipped the drink Ode had given her, without question. “I’m a nurse. I don’t take anything illegal or—"

“No, it’s nothing like that, I promise,” Ode assured her with a smile. “It’s an antiemetic. Similar to dexamethasone.”

“Oh, okay yeah. I’ll take that.” An appreciative look replaced Elizabeth’s initial mistrust. “Thank you.”

Ode produced a jet injector and reached for her arm. “This won’t hurt.”

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