Page 5 of Star Bright
“Touch the chili powder to his mouth. The heat should rouse him enough to drink the rest.”
Was she supposed to pour the powder directly into his mouth? He might aspirate, and peppers directly in the lungs seemed like a terrible addition to his problems. Assuming he had lungs?
She wet her fingertip in the doctored water and dipped it into the chili powder. The citrus and heat stung in some unseen cut. Not wanting the burn to go deeper—or to think too deeply about what she was doing—she brushed her finger over the drakling man’s lower lip.
His mouth was as satiny as the rest of him, but much softer. Maybe she lingered just a moment longer than was strictly necessary, but she wanted to be sure he got the dose.
She held her breath, waiting.
She had never seen eyes with rings of fire, but now, for some reason, she needed to see that blaze again.
Chapter 3
Fire ignited on his lips.
There was a strange spice too, but the fire that roused him was something else: an essence he’d never tasted before, something deeper than flavor or aroma.
His beast flared its wings within him, trying to rise. But for some reason he couldn’t quite pull himself out of the mire.
Still, he could at least open his eyes.
An unfamiliar female was gazing down at him. No, not completely unfamiliar. He’d seen her before, sometime, maybe a long time ago?
She was enticing, the pretty coils of her hair catching all the hues of bronze and volcanic basalt and umber. The same depth of color striated her eyes as she watched over him, and his beast was soothed by the warmth there. It wanted to reach for the beguiling softness of her, curves half-hidden under a layer of fuzzy fabric depicting creatures he did not know.
“What happened? Where am I?” His own voice shocked him. Why was it so weak and wavering? He tried to push himself upright.
But the female put her hand on his chest, and that touch, light as it was, pinned him in place. “Easy, big fella. You crashed your spaceship in my backyard, and it seems like you might’ve hit your head. And maybe you were poisoned?” She hesitated. “What do you remember?”
When he frowned, his head ached. “I…” Alarmed, he snapped his gaze up to hers. “Nothing! I remember nothing. Who am I?”
“It’s going to be all right. We’ll figure this out.”
Unlike his own shaking voice, hers was low and soothing. And her eyes held focus on him, the cool brown like a stone smoothed by soft rain.
This wasnotall right, he knew that. And yet his beast calmed. It took a breath, a deep breath.
And tasted her.
Shewas the essence that had roused him.
“Here. Drink this.” She held a beverage to his lips. When he couldn’t even lift his head steady enough, she cupped a hand at his nape, helping him. Her touch was gentle but strong.
Had she crashed his ship? Was she poisoning him again?
Ignoring his concerns, his beast took a sip, hoping for another taste of her. The gush of water was subtly enhanced, refreshing when his body seemed to cry out for hydration. Had he burned too hot? Was that what had brought him to this place, to her?
He drank greedily, as if sucking it all down would sluice away his confusion.
“Hey, go slow,” she warned, tugging the straw back. “This robot here thinks you, um, might’ve been frozen too?”
When she let him recline again, he stared up, straining to recall. The roof was only an arm’s reach above him, made of some floating white fabric. Strange. “Frozen?”
“Cryopreservation.” The clarification came from a small service droid. “Your ship was obviously programmed for this location, but there are no scheduled arrivals. Previous records are being retrieved, and you will be updated as soon as possible. Did you have a contract for an Earther bride?”
The female made a choked sound, but when he looked at her, she only took a quick sip of her own from the beverage, as if to cover her cough.
Not poisoned then.
