Chapter 24Berus

Chapter 24

Berus

Berus stared up at the leaves overhead, unable to do anything, not even close his eyes.

He'd failed Cami, and now she was gone forever. He could only watch as Rehden dragged her away, and now there was nothing to do except wait for the end. Why couldn't this poison kill him faster?

Whatever was in his system was slow acting. He could feel everything shutting down but very gradually. It would take him hours—maybe days—to die. And he'd have to suffer the whole time, remembering he'd failed her.

There was noise in the forest, but everything was distorted, and Berus wasn't sure what he'd heard. Above him, the leaves were blurring too, even though his eyes were just as open as they had been a few minutes ago. Everything felt wrong and heavy.

Something blocked out the light above him, and Berus tried to focus. Probably Rehden coming to finish the job.

"Berus? Can you hear me?"

That was Cami's voice!

Something very warm, almost hot, touched his cheek. It seared, and his eyes focused for just an instant.

Cami!

She was covered in blood, bright red splatters staining her face and front. "Hang in there. I'm calling for help."

He tried to reach for her, but his arms didn't work. Then, there was nothing. Not even the sound of her voice or the touch of her hand. Berus was all alone again.

Berus woke several times over the next few hours. Each time, it felt like a dream, and the only thing differentiating his waking moments and the strange dreamworld of half-sleep was the presence of his mate—

Cami!

She was his mate!

The fight had triggered the mating bond. It had already been forming, but the fight had finalized the bond, setting it in stone. Cami was his one and only. Now that the bond was fully formed, there was no other for him.

He wanted to shout it out loud to the universe, but whatever poison was still running through his veins prevented him from making a single sound. He wasn't even sure if he was alive right now.

Stars. Was this life's cruel way of showing him what he would miss? Letting him see what he could have had if he'd lived, only to take it away forever the next time he closed his eyes?

Had he found his mate only to die and leave her alone?

Berus was still on the ground, but he was no longer on his back. He lay on his side, staring into the underside of the transport. She'd moved it and built a little tent around them with a tarp. It helped block out the suns and wind. Cami had piled all their dry clothing on top of them, then the emergency blanket to form a barrier, and then heaped leaves on top of that.

Both suns were up, and it was beating down on their shelter. It was hot. Berus was sweating, and all he wanted to do was fling off the clothes and leaves. But his arms and legs refused to work properly.

"Try not to struggle."

He heard her voice but couldn't turn to see her. He could, however, feel her piling the leaves back on top of them and snuggling in closer.

Was she cold? Was that why she wanted all the clothes and leaves on them?

Her tiny body must be having trouble maintaining her core temperature. If that was the case, then he could survive the boiling heat to keep her warm. He might not be able to speak and tell her he loved her. He might not be able to hold her in his arms. But even if the poison took him from her tonight, he'd die knowing that he'd kept her warm until his last breath.

***

When Berus next woke, he was inside the medical bay on board the Revenge . Every part of him hurt.

"Welcome back, big guy," Dex said from beside him.

Berus groaned and covered his ears. Why did his friend have to be so loud?

"How's the headache?" Tahra asked. She was just as ear-splitting.

"Shitty, I'm guessing." Dex handed him a cup of nuri leaf tea. "Here. Drink this. Doctor's orders."

"Yes," Tahra agreed. "You are dehydrated, and you need lots of liquids to flush the neutralized poison out of your system."

"Where's Cami?" Berus's voice was rough and the words barely made it out of his sandpaper throat. He chugged the drink in his hand. The moment it touched his tongue, he realized just how thirsty he was. He downed the entire glass, then looked around hopefully for more.

"She's safe," Dex said, handing him a second glass and taking the empty one away. "I told her I'd watch you so she could get some real rest. Poor girl is exhausted. Couldn't even string words together to form a sentence."

"I'll let her know you're awake. She was so worried about you." Tahra reached for her comm.

"No. Let her sleep," Berus said.

He didn't want to interrupt her rest. He was planning on going to find her the second Tahra released him anyway.

"I'll just let Ulrek know then," Tahra said. "I already warned him to give you some time before he debriefs you. Your memory might be spotty for the next little while."

Berus started to get up. "I should be fine to give him a report now—"

"No. Not yet," Tahra said. "I want to do a few more tests first. You're lucky Rehden tipped his blade in a common poison. We've been keeping the antidote onboard ever since the Dominion changed Ulrek's bounty from ‘wanted alive' to ‘wanted dead or alive'. Cami got to you and called us just in time. The first aid unit recognized the poison and gave her instructions how to keep you alive until we got there. Keeping your body as warm as possible helped break down some of the toxins."

So that was why she'd piled everything on top of them.

"You know she actually stole Rehden's blaster, shot him with it, then fed him to the gargapods?" Dex said. "I wouldn't have thought she had it in her. Cami's a closet badass."

That had Berus grinning, even though the effort hurt. She was his badass. His brave, beautiful badass.

How funny that Berus had wanted to ask her to test for compatibility. The time for that had long passed now. He already knew she was his mate. There was no denying it. He needed to tell her! He tried to get up.

"Not so fast. The tests." Tahra pushed him back onto the bed with a single hand, proving to him just how weak he was. "This isn't a normal injury. This poison is nasty shit. We're talking potential long-term damage. I need to make a plan to get you back into shape."

"Welp, now that I know my best buddy is going to live, I'll be in the training simulator. Hullean Vision just dropped a new game. Think Grand Theft Auto but, like, in the outer planets. Imma go cause some shit ." Dex was as excited as a young male learning to shoot his first blaster.

Dex hustled out of the medical bay, and Tahra got to work, getting the med bed to show her some data. Berus felt a heavy weight on his eyelids.

"Yeah, you're going to feel tired and low energy for the next few days. Why don't you take another nap while I get this done."

Berus wanted to protest, but the heaviness spread until it engulfed his entire body.

"Wake me when you're done," he mumbled before sleepiness overwhelmed him. He wanted to see Cami the first chance he got.