24. Aurelia

TWENTY-FOUR

"Areyou sure everything's okay with you?" Astrid asked me as soon as the door slid shut, Sylas disappearing out into the hallway.

I watched his muscular form for a beat longer than I should have, but who could blame me? His glutes were fantastic, even more so knowing what they felt like under my hands. Whew. I resisted fanning my face.

"Aurelia?"

I blinked at her, trying to focus on what she'd asked me. "Of course. Everything's fine." On the outside, that was what I was pretending, at least. On the inside, I was freaking out.

Because I'd told him I wanted more. That I didn't want things to go back the way they were. Because things were different now. And they were good.

"Suuure." She dragged out the word, making it clear she didn't believe me. "Is your ankle actually bothering you, or was that just an excuse for Captain Muscles to carry you into my MedBay?" Captain Muscles. I'd have to add that one to my mental repertoire.

I flushed. "Oh, you saw that?"

Astrid muttered under her breath something I couldn't make out, and then, "Pretty sure everyone on board saw that, Aurelia. How could they have missed it? He came storming in here, that cross expression on his face…"

"Oh." Was it possible for my face to be any hotter? I didn't think so. "Well. He was just taking care of his officer. It's his duty as a captain, you know."

"Oh, his duty, hmm?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Shut up," I muttered, looking away. "And my ankle's fine. Really. I took a wrong step and twisted it on some rocks, but it doesn't hurt now."

"I'm still going to do some scans, just in case."

Nodding, I gave her permission. Mostly because I wanted to avoid her stare for a few more minutes. "Can't hurt."

Wasit just an excuse for him to touch me?The way he'd doted on me after I'd fallen had felt good. There was no way I could lie about that. But now…

Astrid came back with the equipment to scan my ankle, and I looked out the window. I could still see the planet from this side of the ship, and it was surreal to think I'd just been down there.

How would I go back to life as usual after that? The rush of excitement, the exhilaration of stepping foot off the ship… I knew this mission would have countless more opportunities for it, and I couldn't wait. Maybe this one would always have a special place in my heart, but I was glad to have explored it with Sylas—alone.

"Everything looks good," Astrid said, patting me on the ankle. "If it's bothering you, you can always wear a compression sleeve for some extra support." She plopped a bottle of painkillers in my hand. "And take those if it's causing you pain. But not too many." My blue-haired friend tapped the label.

"Okay."

"Do you want me to give you your monthly shot while you're here? It's coming up in the next few days anyway, so…"

"Oh. Ah…" I stared up at her, wondering if she could read my mind about what I'd been up to last night. "Yes. That'd be great." I shot her a smile.

Two months. I'd already been aboard the S.S. Paradise for two entire months. Where had the days gone?

"Titus!" Astrid called, her assistant MedBay nurse popping up. His dark black hair was shaggy, practically falling into his face. "Can you grab a FBS out of the cooler for me?"

"Of course." He gave me a small smile. "Hi again, Aurelia."

"Hi, Titus."

We'd only met in passing a few times—normally when I was eating dinner with Astrid—but it was nice to see him again. He was handsome, in the way popular boy band members were—pink, full lips, that smooth, clean-shaven face, and beautiful brown eyes—but for whatever reason, I felt nothing when I looked at him.

Because the only man who made my heart race anymore had sapphire blue eyes, the color of the ocean, and a dark stubble that covered his jaw and neck. That soft, dark brown hair and broad shoulders. His hands that cupped my breasts with such care, fitting perfectly in his palms.

Sylas Kellar. My grumpy Captain.

The man I'd slept with last night. The man who I thought hated me, but now had me questioning everything I'd ever known.

Finally,after being given the all clear from Astrid—and one fertility blocking shot later—I headed back to my cabin. I lugged my bag back to my quarters, frowning at its weight as I finally plopped it onto my bed.

Had it been this heavy before?

The top flipped open on its own, and a chirp sounded. I knew that noise.

"Oh." I gasped at the little fuzzy head that poked out of the pack. "You little stowaway! How did you get here?" She wiggled out onto my bed, pouncing on me like a puppy whose owner had just returned home from work.

It was the same creature who had followed us through the caves—her little spotted coloring gave her away. I rubbed at her ears, which were small but yet slightly floppy. Her bright blue eyes shone up into mine. She had to have been a baby, given her small size.

"God, you're so adorable." She yipped in excitement as I scratched at her tummy. "How's that paw?" I lifted her foot, finding the scratch fully healed. Huh. Maybe they healed faster than humans?

"I'm going to be in so much trouble if anyone finds out you hid in my bag, little girl," I said, wondering what to do with her.

I couldn't exactly keep an aquatic animal in this small bedroom, could I? I didn't even have a bathtub, just a shower. Surely, she needed to swim and be around the water. And taking her into the ship's swimming pool seemed like a great way to get caught.

Glancing down at the time on my data-pad, I winced. I had to shower and then report to the bridge for Sylas and I's recap on what happened down there.

But could I leave her alone? I didn't even have food for her, let alone somewhere she could sleep. But maybe… she curled up on the edge of my bed, staring up at me as I paced back and forth.

"Right." I addressed my new pup, feeling like a crazy person for continuing to talk to a wild animal, but it seemed like she understood me. "I'm going to shower, and then we'll figure this out." I paused, stopping in front of her. "Do you need food?"

She yipped, her nose sniffing in my bag.

I dumped out the contents, finding empty wrappers for the meal bars I'd had in there. "Well, at least you're not starving. Maybe I can find you some fish from the mess hall."

God, they were going to think I was crazy if I tried to carry raw fish out of there. But what else did a creature like this eat? There were no other animals that we'd come across on the surface, nor were there plants that covered the river banks, which meant fish or other organisms must have been in the underground rivers and lakes. Right?

She gave a few joyful barks, wagging her otter-like tail. "Okay, okay," I laughed. "I won't let you go hungry, I promise."

The little thing pressed her wet nose into my palm, and I placed a kiss on her forehead before shucking my clothes off, dumping them into my laundry basket. Heading into the bathroom, I turned the water on, the familiar hiss a blissful sound to my ears after the last twenty-four hours. The lake had been refreshing, but there was nothing like being truly clean.

After turning the water on, I came back to find the little creature curled up on my bed, resting her head on her front paws.

"You wait right here," I said, petting her head. "I'll be right back."

Getting in the shower, I washed my body, moaning a sigh of relief as the heat relaxed my back muscles. I heard a whine and opened my eyes to my new companion scratching at the glass door.

"You want to come in?" I asked, turning the water down slightly so it wouldn't burn her skin. She yipped, hopping up and immediately sat down under the stream of water, licking it and playing in the puddle that had collected on the floor.

I laughed, letting her play as I washed my hair, using my favorite shampoo that smelled of violets before going through the rest of my hair routine. My hair wasn't quite curly, but it wasn't straight, either, so if I did nothing to it, I just had a frizzy mess on my hands.

When I stepped out of the shower, towel drying myself, my little friend tilted her head, shaking dry before rolling around on the bathmat, clearly enjoying the fuzzy warmth. I chuckled, watching her as I wrapped the towel around my body.

"Are you going to be okay if I leave you alone?"

A bark. Shit. What if someone heard her? This was so not going to go over well.

Leaving her to run around the bathroom like a maniac, I pulled on a clean pair of underwear and my dress uniform before smoothing out my hair with some product.

"Good enough," I muttered to myself after swiping on my usual minimal makeup routine. Some concealer, eyeliner, mascara, a bit of blush, and my favorite nude lip were all I had the energy for most days. It would have to do.

Scooping my now mostly dry animal back onto the bed, I booped her nose. "Be a good girl and stay here, alright? I'm gonna go get you food."

She gave a little whine, but laid down on the bed, resting her head on her palms again.

Checking my watch, I hurried towards the mess hall, hoping I could keep all of this together long enough for our meeting.

And hoping no one would find out about my little stowaway.

At least long enough for me to figure out what to do about her.