Page 33 of Fallen from the Stars

The console lit up, casting a soft glow over the pod’s interior.

“What are you doing, kraken?” Kane asked quietly through the console.

Vasil’s gaze fell upon Theo. She lay on the floor, curled around a metal box with her head resting on the lid. Her eyes were closed, her expression relaxed, her breathing slow and even.

A wave of relief swept through Vasil. “She is asleep.”

“Yes, she is,” said Kane, “and you need to scurry off before you wake her.”

The computer was right. Theo must have been exhausted, and Vasil did not want to disturb her much-needed rest. And why would she be anything but angry if she woke only to find him staring at her?

“That means you need toleave,” Kane said.

Without realizing his own intentions, Vasil did move — he grasped frame around the hatch opening and drew his upper half into the pod.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kane demanded, console light flaring red.

Though the pod’s interior was roomier than he’d expected, Vasil was fully aware of the walls around him. They were too close, too tight, and the air was suddenly thin. He breathed in deeply, desperately, but his lungs were empty, and the building pressure in his chest would not allow them to fill.

He forced his attention to Theo as he slipped his tentacles into the pod. This was for her; he could endure a little discomfort. Kane spoke again, but Vasil ignored the computer. The kraken took in another breath, forcing air into his lungs, and reached down with his arms and his two frontmost tentacles.

“She doesn’t want to be touched,” Kane said.

“Quiet,” Vasil whispered. He carefully slipped his hands and tentacles beneath her, carefully distributing her weight to disturb her as little as possible. The bare skin of her arms and midsection was warm and soft against his.

He lifted Theo from the floor. Her breathing faltered, and she moaned. Vasil stilled. His hearts thumped as powerfully as they might have were he facing down a charging razorback. The pod’s interior, stained crimson in the console’s light, seemed to close in on the edges of his vision.

This is not that cell, he told himself.That cell is buried at the bottom of the sea.

Theo’s breathing evened out again.

Keeping his jaw clenched, Vasil turned her in his hold and eased her onto one of the pod’s two seats. The cushioning gave slightly beneath her weight, cradling her body in whathadto be a more comfortable position than what she’d been in a moment before. With great reluctance, he withdrew his hands and tentacles, daring to draw breath only after physical contact between them had been broken. The console’s light shifted to a soft, pale blue. Vasil picked up the blanket from the other seat and draped it over Theo’s body; nights sometimes grew chilly during the wet season, and humans weren’t as capable as kraken at handling the cold.

“Now leave her to rest,” Kane said.

Vasil nodded, but his gaze lingered on Theo. He frowned at the slight indentation on her cheek. It had undoubtedly been caused by the box upon which she’d been resting. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to touch her again, to caress away all her sorrow, fear, and pain.

He hauled himself out of the pod and slid down to the sand, turning toward the fire.

“Thank you.”

Vasil paused and twisted to look back; Kane’s voice had come from the pod’s exterior, but there were no visible speakers on its surface. He didn’t waste much time contemplating it — human technology was beyond his understanding.

“I am the reason she is in this state,” Vasil said.

“What state? Alivingstate?” Kane asked. “Yes, you’re right. Sheisalive because of you.”

“She is distraught because of me.”

“What did you say to her, kraken?”

A heavy weight sank in Vasil’s stomach, formed of guilt, regret, and shame. “Very little.Toolittle. She was telling me about her past, and I—”

“What?” Kane interrupted.

Vasil furrowed his brow, frown deepening. “She was telling me about her time on Old Earth. About her mother.”

Kane sighed; the naturalness of the sound was so great that it served as a reminder to Vasil — Kane was far more advanced than any computer on Halora.

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