Page 7 of Salvation
A soft gasp cut through his musings and he blinked at the image on the pages. The very detailed image of an Anferthian male’s reproductive anatomy seemed to be just a little too proud of itself. Heat flamed up his neck and over his cheeks, and the room seemed to shrink to the size of a very small closet.
Sakura’s hands fluttered near the vicinity of her throat. “Um….”
Nick gave a small, dry cough. Fine time for his saliva glands to dry. “Ah. Moving on.” Hopefully to a safer subject. He flipped several pages at once.
“I need to warm my tea.” Sakura fled to the kitchen without her cup.
Talk about awkward. A grin crept up, and he gave in to it. As healers, their reactions should be more professional. Yet Sakura’s cheeks and ears had turned a bright pink, and he was still flushed. Good thing Dante had directed them away from reproduction. The circulatory system would be a lot safer.
A few minutes later Sakura emerged from the kitchen appearing more composed than when she’d bolted. The shells of her ears were still pink, though.
“I had to use the restroom,” she mumbled.
“What about your tea?”
If looks could kill, he’d be lying on the floor with no fewer than thirty-six ginsu knives lodged in vital areas. Nick swallowed back a chuckle. Laughing probably wouldn’t help the situation.
Sakura sniffed, picked up her mug, and took a sip. Her hands were tiny compared to his, and her fingers tapered at the tips. Feminine, even though her fingernails were cut short. She probably had a light, gentle touch, too.
Well, damn, his mind just went there again. Nick gave himself a mental shake. It was time to focus on the task at hand, not get on the hot and bothered expressway for a girl who seemed to despise him just because he existed. He gestured to the current page of the open health manual—a well-labeled diagram of an Anferthian brain. “Why don’t we start at the top and work our way down?”
~*~
The late night silence of the infirmary’s conference room enveloped Sakura as she leaned on her elbows over the book, her fingers shoved through her hair and her head supported on her palms. It had been hours since she and Nick had moved back here from the dorm to continue their studying. Dante and Flora, Alex’s eldest daughter, had brought them dinner, then Dante had shown up again at eleven to drop off sandwich-making supplies.
Now it was one a.m. and they were still on the gastral tract. There were so many similarities to Terrian biology, but there were differences as well. The biggest difference being the names of organs—they were all in Anferthian. And, as it turned out, neither of them knew Anferthian.
“Looks like we’ll be learning it.” Nick muttered.
She startled and looked up at him. Had she spoken her thoughts out loud? She must be more exhausted than she had realized.
Across the wide desk, Nick leaned back in his chair and stretched until his spine cracked. “Or we could just use translators when we get to wherever we’re going.”
“I will learn it.”
He grunted. “Of course you will.”
How was it possible that Nick and Alex were related? Alex was so sweet and caring, but her brother…a complete ass. Sakura refocused on the book. The drawing of an Anferthian intestine seemed to undulate back and forth like a rippling ocean on a calm day. If she could only close her eyes, just for a minute.
“You want some ass-whooper?” Nick’s question snapped her back to reality.
“Ass-whoo-per?” What was he talking about now?
His chair creaked as he stood and jerked his thumb in the direction of the infirmary’s tiny kitchen. “Capulus. Better than coffee. If you’ve never had it, it’s like espresso on espresso.”
She gave him a hard look. “I have hadcapulusbefore.” Nick should know that Magister Dacian kept the infirmary well stocked with Matir’s version of coffee. It was, in fact, very much like espresso on espresso. She would have to remember that description.
“Then I’ll make a full pot.” Nick disappeared into the kitchen.
A low growl emitted from her stomach. Studying always seemed to make her hungry. She blew out a heavy sigh and pushed to her feet. May as well use this little break to put together some sandwiches.
~*~
The earthy aroma of the dried and crushedcapulusblossoms filled Nick’s nostrils and rushed straight to his head, clearing the late night fog from his brain. He leaned over the brewer and inhaled through his nose.Ah. The best stuff in the galaxy to keep a person awake for three days straight. The crash and burn afterward was brutal, though. He’d experienced the aftermath enough times during his training at the Collegium on Matir.
As brutal as the cramming he and Sakura were doing now. They’d covered everything from heartbeats per minute to blood-borne pathogens neither of them had ever heard of. If this wasn’t insanity, it was damn close.
A soft swishing sound came from behind him and he turned. Sakura didn’t even make eye contact as she entered the kitchen. Figured. He leaned his back against the counter as she set out slices of thick Matiran bread, enough for two sandwiches.
