Page 90 of Needed in the Night
“I will stop if you become too distressed.” When I started to protest, he kissed my forehead. “Supervising Physician Nvornik will have my hide if I upset you too much. That is a direct quote, by the way. We owe her and her nurses your life, so I will not cross her.”
That made me smile despite the ball of dread in my stomach. “I like your hide where it is, and I try to never get on the bad side of someone who saved my life, so we’re agreed.”
He held me close and told me about Kona’s attack and the aftermath. Then he caressed my back and cooed as I huddled, trembling and nauseous, against his chest, trying to make sense of what he’d said.
I struggled to accept that we’d been here for two entire Alorisian weeks—the equivalent of nearly twenty-four Fortusian days. For damn near the entirety of that time, I’d remained unconscious in a healing sleep caused by sharing Mikas’s blood, and then a medically induced twilight state, fighting to survive a terrible stab wound and massive dose of poison.
After the first week, my physician had moved me from my original room to a secure suite in the port’s medical bay,guarded by soldiers trusted by Protectorate Morolo. Only then had Mikas been able to share my bed, and he hadn’t left my side for more than a few minutes at a time since.
“Nvornik warned us your memory might be affected,” Mikas murmured, one hand cupping the back of my head and the other rubbing my back. “Not just the attack itself, but you might have lost an entire day or more.” The prospect clearly upset him immensely.
“I remember everything,” I said softly. “Docking here at the port, the trip to see the glacier, coming back…and being stabbed. The blade was icy cold.”
His chest rumbled. “Protectorate Morolo said they tested the blade. In addition to revealing the type of poison Kona used, it showed clear evidence of having been exposed to outside air and ice.”
The implication left me stunned. “Kona chilled her dagger on purpose, then. To make a point? That her revenge was cold?”
“I think so.” The words were a growl. “She probably exposed the dagger during the excursion. Maybe even just meters away from us while we were admiring the glacier. But we did not know who she was because of her protective gear.”
“We both felt uneasy,” I reminded him. “Maybe there was something familiar about her that we saw subconsciously but didn’t recognize at the time.”
“Maybe. Or maybe we both suspected our escape from Fortusia had gone too easily.” He inhaled my scent from the crown of my head. “We may never know Nubo’s true level of involvement, unless during her trial Kona decides to speak plainly.”
“I’m not going to hold my breath for that.” I sighed. “I think we should stick to our plan to get far away from Fortusia under our new identities.”
“I agree.” He growled quietly. “We chose to help Kona when we thought she was in danger, and this was her repayment.”
“I don’t regret that we warned her about the threat, even if it was all a sham.” I rubbed my nose on his chest. “I would rather have a kind heart and risk suffering for it than force myself to be hard. The universe needs more kindness, not less.”
“My Isla.” He kissed my hair. “I am sorry you remember the attack. I did not want you to have lost memories of that day, but I confess I hoped you would not recall the act itself.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I cupped his face with my much-colder hands. “I’d rather remember so I don’t have to wonder how it felt or what I went through.” I stroked his cheeks with my thumbs. “What I remember most, though, is what you said to me, and what you did to save me from a truly horrific death. I wouldn’t want to have forgotten that. I’ll never forget it…my mate.”
“I have never heard sweeter words.” His voice was rough again, but now it was happiness and not grief that made it gruff.
Mikas kissed me then, finally. My body came alive as if I hadn’t yet fully woken up until his lips were on mine. His kiss was gentle at first, and then much more hungry when I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled. His growl made me shiver and not with cold.
When he lifted his head, he cupped my face with his hot hand. “I have one more thing I must tell you. The cytotoxins in the poison caused significant damage to the skin and muscles on your back. You are still healing and those regenerated muscles will be weak until you strengthen them.” His gaze searched my face. “But what you must know is because the skin is new, all your scars from…before…are gone.”
I wasn’t sure how to react to that. Not relief, exactly, and not regret. Maybe it would take me more time to process this news.
“I wasn’t ashamed of my scars,” I said softly, because Mikas was waiting with obvious unease for a reply. “I only kept them covered to avoid having to explain how I got them.” I squeezed his hand. “Scars mean I survived—that someone tried to hurtme, or kill me, and failed. The agent who took me away from the palace on Agicord told me that when she saw me looking at hers. I’d never heard anything that made as much sense as that.”
I’d shared that sentiment with Novee after our escape from Ngara. She’d wept at the news her back would be scarred after the plasma rifle shot. She had every right to be upset, and I would never have said otherwise, but she had asked why I wasn’t more distressed. My explanation had helped her then, and I hoped it still did, wherever she was.
Mikas touched his right leg. It bore no visible scars but had been reconstructed after he’d lost the original limb in battle. “Survival is no small thing,” he agreed. “It is a triumph.”
“It feels like a triumph to me,” I said. “I’m alive, Kona is in custody, Nubo is light-years behind us, and as soon as I can get out of bed, we’ll be on our way to Jakora, by way of a few more beautiful planets.”
“There is nothing I want more.” He kissed my forehead. How I loved forehead kisses now.
The thought of continuing our journey made me think about clothing-optional cabins, which in turn made me think of something else. “Mikas, since they moved us into this suite, when the physician and nurses come to check on me, are you naked in bed with me?”
“Where else would I be?” He tilted his head. “They know I am your mate. I believe they would have found it strange if I werenotnaked in your bed holding you as you recovered. This is how mates care for one another. In fact, Nvorkin believed skin contact between us would be essential for both your physical and emotional recovery. That is why she moved you from a medbay pod to a standard patient bed I could share as soon as she could. She is Tocanian, and they also experience strong mate bonds.”
I blinked at him. “She prescribed being naked in bed with my mate for healing?”
“Yes, she did,” he said, very seriously. “Obviously, I was reluctant, but she insisted.”
