Page 20 of Dark Space
‘Good for them,’ I said acidly.
‘Um,’ he went on. ‘Is it normally so … That is to say, you look … odd. Is there something you need?’
‘A heat pack, three ibuprofen, my favourite movie, a block of chocolate, and a family-sized bag of sweet chilli crisps,’ I snapped.
His frown deepened; he seemed to consider something. ‘I can make this body hot,’ he said eventually.
The pain flared and I bit back a whimper, sitting back down on the cot and bending at the hips.
‘Anna.’ Vesper’s voice was soft, softer than I’d heard it before. ‘Where do you need the heat?’
‘My stomach. My back. My –’ I faltered as I remembered the dream-sensation of the black-haired Roth’s tongue between my legs ‘– my thighs.’
‘I – ah. I can’t come to you.’
I looked warily across at his ankle, chained to the floor.
‘I won’t hurt you,’ he said softly. ‘I give you my word, whatever it’s worth. Come here, Anna.’
I staggered across the cell. I hesitated when I got within arm’s reach – I’d never been so close to him, after all – but pain made the decision for me and I sank to my knees next to him, gasping at the shock of the cold cell floor.
He leaned over and took my hand. I shivered at the contact. ‘I’ll warm the body up slowly, all right? You tell me when it’s hot enough.’
His skin felt just like mine, until it began to warm in slow, slight increments. I waited until it got as warm as my heat pack would, then I tentatively placed his hand across my stomach.
I moaned aloud, but it was a sound of relief, not pain.
‘Stars,’ he said, sounding alarmed. ‘What do organics usually do when something breaks? Should you see a flesh engineer? A – what’s the word –doctor?’
‘I’m ok,’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘This is helping.’ I paused. ‘Thank you, Vesper.’
‘Come here,’ he said again, and pulled me off the floor, arranging me on his lap, my back against his chest, my legs stretched out along his. He rested one hand on my stomach and lay the other across my thighs; I let my head fall back onto his shoulder. It was more comfortable than my bed had been; warmth radiated all around me, relaxing my muscles.
I tried not to think about how intimate it was, and about which bits of Vesper were pressed up against which parts of me. I tried not to think about how good he smelled – like the sweetest woodsmoke – and about how nice it felt to have a strong pair of arms wrapped around me, especially when those arms belonged to someone who looked like him. I tried not to think about how his eyes had flared in my dream, how he’d stared at my nakedness, watching as the Roth pleasured me.
He might have been an intergalactic thief and occasionally an outright dick, but he was an excellent cuddler.
I dozed, letting his warmth lull me back to sleep.
I woke when my uterus decided to starteatingitself. I twisted on Vesper’s lap, unable to get comfortable. His hands were still warm on my stomach, but it wasn’t helping; the knife-sharp pain was radiating down to my knees.
‘You organics are nothing but trouble. Fleshbag!’ he shouted at the ceiling. ‘Anna needs help, now!’
I didn’t know who he was talking to until I remembered the cameras in the corners. ‘Just painkillers,’ I whispered. ‘I don’t need a doctor. I already know what’s wrong.’
‘I don’t think the Roth know what painkillers are, brightness,’ Vesper said tightly. ‘But they should have a medic on board, and most medics are familiar enough with other species, so he might be able to help. He’ll be Roth, so don’t trust him, but unless the Prince and his muscly sidekick have medical training they’re hiding very,verywell, you don’t have any other options. I don’t want to watch you like this.’
‘My pain shouldn’t be aboutyourcomfort, Vesper,’ I grated out, unaccountably hurt.
He grabbed my chin and gently turned my face until I was looking into his eyes. They flared, golden and glowing, alien and unknowable and so verybeautiful. ‘Anna,’ he said quietly; he was close enough to touch, close enough tokiss. ‘I’m trying to help you.’
My mind went entirely blank.
I was spared the need to answer by two massive arms scooping me off the starling’s lap and cradling me against a hard chest. Tall, Dark, and Looming growled something softly; Vesper responded.
‘He’s going to take you to the medic,’ Vesper said tightly. ‘Don’t let him leave you alone. I don’t know what play the Prince and this one are planning, but they’ve had plenty of opportunity to hurt you, and they haven’t. The medic is another matter entirely.’ He crossed his arms. ‘Bring her back quickly,’ he hissed at the Roth.
Tall, Dark, and Looming didn’t answer.
