Page 95 of Alien Warlord's Fury

I started to protest, but she was already reaching for the salve. "Your ribs need attention. I can see you wincing every time you breathe too deeply."

Reluctantly, I removed my outer tunic, revealing the bruising that spread across my left side. Claire's touch was gentle as she applied the salve, her fingers cool against my heated skin.

Her sharp inhale sliced through my composure. I realized I cared less about the ache in my ribs than about the tenderness shining in her silver-lit eyes.

"Hammond hit you harder than you let on," she said, her voice tight.

"It served its purpose. It kept his attention on me, not you."

Her hands stilled. "That's not comforting, Nirako."

"It wasn't meant to be. It was necessary."

She resumed her work, wrapping the bandage around my torso with careful precision. "Next time, we find a strategy that doesn't involve you getting thrown across a room."

"Next time?"

She secured the bandage. "Figure of speech. I'm not exactly eager to face another Hammond."

"Good. One was more than enough." I pulled my tunic back on, wincing slightly as I raised my arms. "Thank you."

Around us, the camp had taken shape. Small cooking fires dotted the clearing, and guards had been posted at the perimeter. The younglings were already asleep, huddled together near the largest fire.

Claire and I found a spot slightly apart from the others, beneath the spreading branches of an old tree. I spread our sleeping mats while Claire organized our meager supplies.

The hushed space felt almost sacred, a breath of peace carved from chaos. I fought the urge to brush a stray lock from her cheek, saving the gesture for a future I suddenly longed to reach.

"Here." She handed me a portion of the dried meat and fruit that had been distributed. "Eat something before you fall over."

I accepted it with a nod. "The same applies to you."

We ate in companionable silence, watching the activity around the camp gradually settle as night deepened. The forest sounds changed with darkness—different calls, different movements in the underbrush.

"It's strange," Claire said after a while. "I've spent so long having these horrible visions, feeling the children's pain... and now it's just... quiet."

"A welcome change, I would think."

"It is. But also disorienting." She set aside her empty food wrap. "I got used to having their presence in my head, however painful it was."

"Now there's just... me."

"And me," I reminded her. "Our bond remains."

"Yes." Her silver markings responded faintly. "That's different, though. Not intrusive."

"More like... background awareness."

"It will likely strengthen with time." I hesitated, then added, "If that's what you want."

She looked at me directly. "Is that what you want, Nirako?"

The question deserved honesty. "Yes. But I would never press you into a bond you didn't freely choose."

"I think we're past the point of choice." Her smile held no regret. "But I'm not sorry for it."

The simple statement eased something in my chest I hadn't realized was tight. "Nor am I."

She shifted closer, her shoulder touching mine as she leaned back against the tree trunk. "Tell me about the Aerie. What happens when someone forms a bond like ours?"

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