Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

ReBOrB

He woke to moonlight, and a warm body pressed into his side. Reb closed his eyes and pulled that body closer. Cuddling her against him, the deep breath of her sweet, floral…

Reb stilled. His eyes flew open, and he looked down to find Cameron. She buried her face in his chest, her bare arm snugged at his waist. Holding tight. Thank all the gods that he'd kept the robe on last night. The material covered his body so the bands couldn't reach her.

Cameron had kicked off the robe she used as a blanket. Besides having her arm around his waist, she also had one… very bare leg tossed over the inside of his thigh. It pressed him into the mattress. Holding his body captive.

But it wasn't all Cammy's fault. He had wrapped an arm around her waist. The robe had ridden up his body during the night and his upper leg was now draped over the lower third of her body. His pants kept her flesh from touching his. But he had her well and truly trapped against him.

She didn't seem to mind.

Waking up like this was heaven and hell. He couldn't touch her. Shouldn't touch her. No matter how much he yearned to claim her as his mate, he couldn't do it yet. She'd been injured—and the pain her sister went through when his brother's mating bands claimed his woman—might be too much for Cammy. He couldn't take that risk.

Reb didn't have any pain medicine. Or the help of the Father and all his brothers. They were alone on this section of the planet, without many resources. The fear inside him grew.

Very slowly, Reb inched his way out of her arms. He slid to the edge of the mattress and then stood. The temperature had dropped during the night. Which is probably why the female had snuggled so close. She sought his body heat.

Even he didn't believe those thoughts. Carefully, he covered her with her robe and the thin blanket. He looked down at her, wondering if she was warm enough. When she tightened her hold on her coverings, Reb quickly pulled his robe over his head and spread it over her. It would be easier for him to move without it.

Quickly he put on his shoes, checked the monitor to ensure there was no humanoid presence near the hover, and then opened the weapons closet beside the door. He chose a small stun gun. Something powerful enough to protect him from any of the creatures on this planet. He also removed two small knives. One he left on the floor, just inside the hover door. The other he took with him.

Reb closed the hover behind him. He placed rocks on the ground in a pattern that would ensure he found the hover again and knew exactly where to stand and how to place his hand on the plate that would grant him access.

He planned a trial run to the yama fields. Wanting to get fruit to leave for Cammy as he promised before they slept. Just in case she woke before he returned.

As he started toward the field, he paid attention to his surroundings. The larger moon reflected enough light from Viant's sun that he could see more detail. Everything remained colored in shades of gray, but the trees weren't just shadowed blobs. He could make out the branches and even the shape of the leaves.

Within moments he reached the yama vines and picked two handfuls of fruit. Then turned and made it back to the hover without any issues. Easily opening the door, he put the fruit beside the knife he'd left on the floor and moved toward the bed.

Cammy remained asleep.

Reb watched her for a moment, filling his lungs with her scent, and his mind with the picture of her in this bed. "I'll be back soon," he whispered. The promise was more for himself than it was for Cammy. He needed to program her handprint into the hover's security. Until he returned, she was a prisoner.

Spinning around, he left the ship and silently shut the door.

Cameron

The bright sunlight forced Cammy to open her eyes.

Buried in a mound of robes and a thin blanket, she was still cold. She pushed her hand across the mattress and it was freezing. Which told her that Reb had left their bed quite a while ago.

Their bed.

Pressing her lips together, Cammy still couldn't suppress the smile. At some point last night, she woke up thirsty and realized that she and Reb had wrapped their limbs around each other. Their body tangled together, each of them holding tight.

And she'd loved every second.

Cam had stayed awake as long as she could. She ignored her thirst and concentrated on the man in her arms. He made her feel good. Safe. Cared for. He didn't seem to mind her bald head. And just looking at him caused her pulse to trip. Reb was so very handsome. Even with the robe covering his muscular body. She remembered what it looked like when he showed up at the hospital. All that light blue skin and dark hair.

She told herself that she didn't want to get involved. But her body had other ideas.

Pushing herself upright, she glanced toward the door. It was closed. She took that to mean he was still off exploring. And she had no way of telling how long he'd been gone, or when he might come back. She didn't even have a way to track time from this moment. Her breathing sped up. She was worried. What if he didn't come back?

Cam noticed the green knobby things on the floor and realized that before he left, Reb had brought her some of that yama fruit. Just like he promised her. She noticed the knife, too. So, once she felt like getting out of bed, she'd have that to eat. Her breathing calmed as she realized Reb was a man of his word. He absolutely would come back for her. It just might take a little time.

Stuffing both their pillows behind her back, Cam picked up the water tube. Taking a couple of swallows, she glanced toward the window.

Holy shit! Her mouth dropped open, and she carefully sat the water tube on the table before crawling toward the window. She knew the sun was shining. It lit up the inside of the hover better than a hundred light bulbs. But she hadn't thought about what the sunlight would do to her view.

It was… incredible . Maybe reminiscent of Earth… but with one of those fantastical photo filters.

The lake was blue—but no water on her planet had been that—electric aquamarine color. The cloudless sky had a slightly lavender cast to it. It was what she would have called sky blue… just with those purply highlights.

And the trees… She'd been wrong when she went outside last night. They didn't have pink bark and purple leaves… the bark of the tree was a vivid green. Once again, the word electric came to mind. Electric lime green. And the leaves were bright orange, dark green, and pale yellow. The boulders beside their little ship were gray with purple and blue flecks.

The plants between the hover and the lake were in shades of blue and green… and there were several types of wildflowers. Some hot pink, a few different purples, and even white.

She could look at that view for hours.

Sometime later, Cam's stomach growled, and she grinned. She really could look at the view for hours. She hadn't moved for at least that long, busy watching the fish jump, and a few birds fly between the trees. The hover wasn't close enough for her to see what color they were, but she kept hoping a bird would inch closer to the ship.

Easing over to the side of the mattress, Cammy put her feet on the floor. Before she stood, she assessed her body. Her head still hurt, and her stomach not only felt empty but was still queasy. Sighing, she slowly got to her feet and took the few steps over to the fruit. Bending made her light-headed, so to gather the fruit off the floor she bent her legs and kept her back straight, her head up. And scooped it into her arms from the side.

When she climbed back into the bed with the yama, she took another sip of water and a bite of the hardtack before she cut into the fruit. Maybe hydrating and the bland cracker would help.

But the bland, dehydrated bread wouldn't give her any nutrients. Which meant she needed to eat a little of the yama. Picking up one of the green, knobby tomato-looking things, she lightly pressed a finger on the skin. The covering felt thick. Similar to an orange, only slick. It was soft though, which meant Reb picked ones that were ready for her to eat.

He told her to cut into them and eat the inside. So, Cam picked up the knife and cut one in half. Her eyebrows raised when she saw the inside was also green. She cut it in half again and then scraped the skin off one quarter. Sticking out her tongue, she tentatively licked the fruit. When she caught a hint of flavor and didn't hate it, she took a small bite.

Cam's eyes popped wide as the yama's flavor burst in her mouth. "Wow," she said to the empty ship. Reb was right when he said it was supposed to be like a banana. It tasted a little like one. But it also tasted like strawberries, oranges, and… kiwi.

Happily, she settled back against her pillows. Uncaring if the juice covered her hands and dripped in her lap, Cammy ate the yama she'd cut open, saving the others for later. Once she finished, she took a few more sips of water and scooted back under the blankets. Just stepping out of bed for a moment and then sitting up to eat the fruit had worn her out.

Cammy sighed, worried. Not just about her health, but about Reb. She was pretty sure he planned to be back at the hover before the sun came up. She looked out the window and realized it had moved from one side of the lake to hanging right in the middle. It must be near mid-day. Noonish. The bright light hurt her eyes. Moving around on the bed, she arranged her back to the window, letting her eyelids drop. Cam was… exhausted …

ReBOrB

Reb couldn't believe what had happened. He made it to the caretaker's home without a problem. He'd gone in when everyone was asleep. Searched through the main floor rooms, pulling a pair of slippers from the bottom of a pile of shoes and a thick shirt from the back of their clothing storage. He discovered some herbs and spices that might help Cammy's brain heal, and he found a mirror.

Not for Cammy. Although it was small enough, he could take it back to her. But Reb had held on to the mirror for himself. He could turn it just so… and study his mating bands. His mating bands.

All the brothers were born with what they believed to be marking bands. Each of the nineteen clone brothers was identifiable by their color, and by the unique series of dark scrollwork or tattoos on their right biceps.

Reb's tattoo had half of a stylized sun on the top of his arm with the rays spread out. Or one of his brothers had said it looked like an open eyelid with lashes. Below the sun… or eyelid… there were several ribbons of ink woven together. Two of the longest ribbons ended in a fish-hook that curved toward his elbow.

Or at least, that is what his scrollwork looked like before.

Before coming to Viant and rescuing Cammy. Before he found his mate. Now his identification marks had changed. They had stretched, thinned, and shifted from their normal place. He felt them vibrate and ache. They'd itched. And BrOdByc had told them all this could happen. None of this surprised him as he felt them move. Nor was he surprised to discover that he now had smaller marking ribbons stretched alongside his original tattoo. He'd expected this.

But expecting this to happen and seeing the reality were two different things. He had a mate. No. Reb didn't think he had one… he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cammy was his. And he'd left her alone, in the hover, with no way to get out of the ship or call for help.

Siluthien Hell!

Not only was she alone, but Reb knew his mate didn't feel well. He'd avoided doing a detailed scan because knowing what was wrong without having the supplies or means to help her would be unbearable. But every time he skimmed the surface of her psyche, he didn't see any improvement in her health.

Reb's primary goal in coming to the caretaker's house was to search for one of the universal healing sets. A well-stocked kit of medicinal herbs and supplies might give him enough options that he could help Cammy until he could get her to the med bay on his ship.

The hike along the outskirt of the yama field had been without incident. There were no guard animals or electronic surveillance on the house. Reb walked in the front door and completed his search of the bottom floor without issue, finding several of the items that were on his list of necessities.

When the man and his wife woke, he'd hidden in the back of a small closet. Believing they'd go out to check on the fields so he could finish searching upstairs for the kit before leaving. But that didn't happen.

Evidently, this was a day off for the farmer and his wife. When he heard them moving around, he figured it wouldn't be long before he could leave. But the couple had returned to bed. From the sounds echoing through the small, simply framed cottage, they made love at least twice.

Reb should have left when he had the chance. Instead, he remained in the closet, hoping for an opportunity to search upstairs—and had been trapped inside for hours. Waiting for them to finish.

Finally, the two stomped down the stairs. He wasn't surprised to see they were a pair of Nadhuks. That species had a history of farming the outlying planets. The female was the shorter of the two. She was round and fluffy, her skin and hair were dark, her lips thin, and there was a set of horns sticking out of her head. The male was tall, a shade or two lighter than his female, and more muscular than fluff. His horns were also longer and a definite weapon.

The Nadhuks were used to fighting in pairs, and a mated pair defending their home… would be impossible to beat. Especially when Reb had no desire to hurt them.

The couple didn't leave the house as he wanted, but stayed and made breakfast together.

Reb had searched the kitchen for meat, eggs… any type of protein that was already cooked or something he could manage over the heat pad in the hover. He hadn't found any.

Because they kept these foods in a cold storage locker under the floor.

Their home may have been small, but it was sturdy, built with materials that could stand any weather. And it was well cared for. It felt like the couple had lived here for a long time. The color scheme ran to dark blues and whites. There were several comfort items on the two-person sofa. Such as decorative pillows and blankets. The tiny house smelled good, too. Clean, with a bit of spicy fragrance.

The cottage had running water, electricity, and he'd noticed an area with enough electronic equipment to realize that some of the couple's chores were probably automated. They also could call for help or warn authorities about a stranger. So, he really didn't want them to know he was here.

He watched a bit of white lacey fabric twitch in the breeze at the window. He could see the sun, high in the sky. Reb was stuck. Worried. He was glad it didn't take long to get here. Maybe thirty minutes if he ran. Because once he could get out that door, it wouldn't take long to get back to Cammy. He hadn't meant to leave her alone this long. She couldn't open the hover door or cover the window if there was too much light. She had no way of calling for help if she needed it.

Breaking out in a sweat, he willed the Nadhuks to leave. He knew his mate wasn't feeling well, and now she'd been alone for too long. He'd be lucky to make it back before the sun set.