Page 8 of Venomous Heart
“All done.”
She turned away to face the long table filled with the sparse medical equipment she had. Ava put the wand away carefully, turning the delicate device off to buy herself some precious time, then braced herself against the table as her heart fluttered inside her chest and her mind swam in a thick fog. She shouldn’t have brought him outside yesterday. The exertion had enlarged the holes between the chambers of his heart even more. Uril’s time was running out, and she was no closer to retrieving the Exo-Heart. Panic fluttered inside her, vivid and sudden.
Get a grip. Uril needs you.
Ava mentally slapped herself across the face, then turned around to face him. The boy stared at her, his golden eyes serious and full of a knowledge way beyond his years.
“It’s that bad, is it?”
His voice was calm as he tugged his synthetic cotton shirt back over his slender chest. The way he looked back up at her, like he was concerned abouther, instead of for his own life, made Ava want to grab hold of him and never let go.
“No, it’s not.” She heard the lie in her words and Uril must have, too, because he crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head. “You’re going to be fine. We’ll get you the Exo-Heart in time.”
“How can you be so sure? How can you even know the Exo-Heart is still viable?”
She opened her mouth, a million good answers on her lips, but nothing came out. Because they were all lies.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” She reached for him, pulling the boy’s thin frame close to her. “I promise you that. I’ll turn over every rock on Aveyn if I have to, but I’ll find the Exo-Heart.”
Uril’s arms closed around her and he hugged her back, and not for the first time, she was amazed at how strong this small, fragile boy was. His body was weak, flawed because of the rich Cattelan Duke who’d ordered his creation, but his mind was lined with a steely determination that surpassed even that of those big Eok warriors.
She was still holding Uril to her chest when heavy footsteps in the hallway made her turn around. She frowned and Uril’s face took on a frightened, panicked expression. If the other humans tolerated her because of her medical skills, they truly hated Uril. And hatred had a way of slipping into violence.
“Quick.” Ava pointed to the back of the room, to the curtain separating the surgical robot from the rest of the equipment. “Hide there until it’s safe.”
Uril didn’t answer, but made his way behind the curtain just in time. The door to the surgical room opened, revealing the familiar slim figure of Edmila.
“Doctor Ava? I’ve looked everywhere for you.”
Ava sighed. Her useless altercation with the Eoks’ commander had taken too long, and now reality was biting her in the ass for it. “Is it Will Harl again?” she asked, already feeling annoyed with the difficult patient. “I’ll take care of him myself. It’s those ridiculous Eok warriors that made me lose time with their little stunt, withholding my medical equipment. I’ll be there in a second.”
Ava smiled at Edmila, but her smile faded when she noticed the nervous way the girl bit her lower lip, her knuckles almost white from clenching her fingers around her small screen.
“What is it?”
But before Edmila could answer, a tall figure appeared behind the girl, dwarfing her to make her appear the size of a child. Sapphire blue skin glowed under the harsh light of the surgical room and the two palest, coldest blue eyes in the Ring settled on Ava.
“Commander Arlen.” Ava resisted the urge to look back, to where Uril was hiding. “What are you doing here? Looking to loot more of my equipment? It’s all here, just help yourself.”
The Eok’s brows lifted slightly at her jest but he didn’t answer. He probably thought she was a fool, but she didn’t care. Not after what he’d done. He could think whatever he wanted of her, as long as he didn’t mess with her patients. Or her staff.
The Eok stepped inside the surgical room, glancing without curiosity at her meager supply of equipment. As he moved past her, Edmila all but flattened herself against the wall in order not to touch him. Ava wasn’t surprised. Despite having saved them from Knut, the Eoks were feared by the humans, especially the women. She didn’t really see what was so frightening about the big hunks.
Except maybe this one.
Commander Arlen returned his attention to Ava after his summary inspection.
“You can call me Arlen, no need to use my official title.” His tone was cold despite his words. “And to answer your question, I am here to assess your needs.”
At the Eok’s side, Edmila stared alternately between Ava and Arlen, looking like she was about to take off running at any moment. The girl was obviously scared of the large alien. For some reason, that made Ava angry. Angrier than she already was, which was quite a lot.
“Really?” Ava pursed her lips and squinted her eyes. “And how do you plan on taking care of myneeds?”
As she emphasized the last word, Edmila’s eyes grew so big, Ava thought they might pop out and roll to the floor. A chuckle escaped the girl’s lips and Edmila covered her mouth with her hand. Proud to have helped relieve Edmila’s awed fear of the alien, Ava returned her attention to the Eok.
Commander Arlen was staring at her with a choked expression on his grim face. He looked so outraged that a short laugh came to Ava that she wasn’t able to suppress. Then she immediately regretted it when his two light blue eyes reduced to slits and his tense jaw became tighter, tendons popping out on either side of his powerful neck.
She had pissed him off, and not for the first time. Maybe she was suicidal after all.
