Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

ReBOrB

He didn't have anything but the most basic first aid and a few medicinal herbs from the farmer's home. Reb propped up the head of the bed, added pillows, and elevated Cammy's head. Then he covered her with blankets.

With the bed propped up and away from the wall, he could get to the supply cabinet without climbing across her body. Reb planned to make a tea from the herbs. It wouldn't heal her, but the warm liquid and brain-specific herbaceous plants might help her regain consciousness.

He needed her awake enough to understand her choices.

Reb pulled out the small mat used to heat water and simple foods. Quickly, he filled a cup with heated water and the herbs. Once the liquid was dark enough, he used a small dropper from the emergency medical kit they had on board. This kit was mostly bandages and ointments. There was a single shot of medicinal pain reliever. And the dropper that would help him administer both the tea and water to Cammy. For as long as she remained unconscious, he could help her hydrate. Right now, that meant tea.

It seemed to take hours to get Cammy to swallow the entire cup of medicinal herbs. It didn't taste or smell bad, but she wasn't swallowing on her own. Reb would get a dropper full of liquid in her mouth, and it would leak out between her lips. Until he held them shut with one hand and rubbed her throat with the other.

Then she would swallow, and he would repeat the action. He figured it took about one hundred times for the small cup of tea.

Once she swallowed the tea, he sat by her side and waited. Having her head propped up, along with the herbs to relieve cranial pressure, should help her regain consciousness. Even if it were only for a few moments. Reaching out, Reb picked up Cammy's hand. He held it in his, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He couldn't take his eyes off her face. Reb used a touch of his power and willed her to wake up. It crushed him that he didn't have enough healing ability to help her more than this.

A short time later, Cammy sighed and mumbled, "That feels good."

"Can you open your eyes, Cammy? Can you drink more of the tea and talk to me for a bit?"

"I don't remember drinking tea. When did you get back?" Frowning, she opened her eyes.

Reb squeezed her hand and stood, fixing her another cup. "I returned a few hours ago. You've been… sleeping. I need to talk to you. It is very important and I don't know how long you'll be awake."

Her smile was gentle, and the sadness in her eyes unmanned him. "You don't have to tell me what's happening, Reb. I probably understand what my body is doing better than you do. Remember? I'm a nurse. The medical facility missed a bleeder in my brain. And out here…" She weakly motioned toward the window and the alien landscape. "Out here, there is nowhere to go for help. I know what that means. I'm dying."

Pressing his lips together, he helped her take a sip of tea. "This will help the pressure. I don't have enough of it to do any lasting good, but for a short time, it will help." Then when her eyes met his, he reassured her, "I will not let you die. We have three options, and any of the three will keep you alive. I just need you to decide what you want me to do. The first option is for me to contact the DoMicile and have them pick us up immediately."

She held up her hand, studying him for a moment before asking, "Didn't you say something about it being dangerous to contact the ship? And they couldn't come pick us up anyway, because several of your brothers are still in the city? Tell me the truth about why we're here and not already on your ship."

Holding the tea to her lips again, he explained, "Because our ship had to leave Viant's spaceport before I could get you out of the med center. The authorities planned to search all the ships for your sister and any trace of the Iceactic spider that infested the Siloth ship. You wouldn't have been bitten if that wasn't an issue. The authorities were worried the spiders would spread to the other ships or their planet."

She frowned. "And we came here because?"

Reb sighed. "Because my brothers wanted us to find a non-populated spot on the other side of the planet where the DoMicile could land. But they want us to wait until the Captain finishes his investigation at the port. You and your sister shouldn't have been brought to Viant. Slavery is supposed to be illegal. Yet here you are. They need us to wait for the Captain because it would be too risky to make more than one trip down to Viant's surface."

"That hasn't changed." She frowned and rubbed her temple, obviously in pain. "I can't contact Casey, right? You don't want to risk the electronic trail if we communicate with the ship."

Reb nodded. With the condition of her brain, he was amazed she remembered.

Cammy met his gaze again. "That doesn't feel like a good option. I won't trade my life for your brothers. So, what is option number two?"

If she didn't like that one, she was going to hate this. "I can take you back to the med center and make it look like you wandered off and fell asleep in an empty room. They would treat the head injury and stop the bleeding. Once that was done, I'd take you out of there again."

She rolled her eyes and huffed out an exasperated breath. "No. I am not going back so that the man who bought Casey can find me. They will not use me as a pawn to make Casey come out of hiding. Besides, you know they'd increase security if I showed up again. I'm not taking that risk. What's the third choice?" Cammy demanded.

Cameron

Reb kneeled on the floor so his eyes could meet hers. "The third choice is me."

Cammy blinked. Reb looked serious. What was he talking about? She lowered her eyelids for a moment. Her head hurt. She wasn't sure she could deal with this right now. Only… she had to do something or pretty soon she wouldn't be able to deal with anything. "What do you mean, you are a choice? How?" When she opened her eyes, his dark ones were steady.

He helped her drink the last of the tea. It really helped the pressure in her head. For a little while.

Reb reached down and pulled off his shirt.

Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. Wow! She knew Reb had broad shoulders and lots of muscles. He carried her when she couldn't walk with obvious ease. But this… expanse of light blue skin and a chiseled chest was something she'd only seen in her dreams. The man was amazing.

"I need you to be careful." He stopped her reaching hand. "You can't touch my bare skin until you make a choice, but I want you to look at my markings," he prompted.

She frowned. Tearing her gaze from his chest, she studied his body. Markings? Oh . "You mean your tattoo?"

On his right, massively muscled bicep Reb had a dark ink tattoo of half a stylized sun and several woven rays that spilled down to his elbow and ended on what reminded her of the islander version of fishhooks. It was breathtaking. And not just because it highlighted all that muscle and strength, but because the artwork was superb.

"There is a lot to tell you, and yet I believe we have very little time. Your headaches are getting worse and you grow weak. I'll try to hit the highlights." He waited for her to agree.

Cam nodded. "I think that is a good idea." She scooted down on the bed, ready to hear those highlights.

"I'll save the story of my creation for another time. My brothers and I are all clones created by the Father. What you called my tattoo, I've always thought of as marking bands. There are twenty of us. We all look alike except for our skin color, the marking bands, and how we choose to grow the hair on our head and face."

Carefully, she nodded. "I met your two brothers. One red, one purple. I didn't see their arms, but I noticed one had a full beard and the other a small mustache. And you are blue and have beard scruff." She smiled at him.

"Yes. But recently we learned that the marking bands have another purpose. Our creator Father told us he didn't want to leave our choice of female to fate. So, he mixed his DNA with genetic material from the dragon king on Megoth. The Megoth dragons are born with mating bands, which will only react to their perfect mate. The bands somehow ensure that the male is also the perfect match for the female and a perfect partner. When those who have these mating bands meet their mate, the bands throb. They itch, and small pieces break away. The marks create a physical and mental link between a couple. The small pieces move into our mate's body, and one of their primary functions is to help heal any injury or illness. This action will tie our life spans together."

He stopped talking, and she frowned. Did he mean an actual dragon? Cam couldn't deal with the dragon question now, so ignored it. She studied his arm and noticed it had smaller pieces under the large ribbons of color. Had he found his mate? The pang of jealousy was sharp. He was going to leave her.

"Cammy, did you notice the small pieces under my mating band? The moment I saw you, my bands began to itch and drive me crazy. Then fragments of the original band broke away. Now they are waiting for you to accept me."

"Are you telling me that your bands think I'm your perfect mate?" So, he wouldn't leave her. But she wasn't sure this was better. Wasn't sure she was ready for a mate. "Do you feel that way?"

"Yes. I do."

She waited for him to say more, but he didn't. What was he trying to tell her? This couldn't be real, right? "How do you know this works?"

"I know how happy my brother is with your sister, how well-matched they are. I also know the bands healed your sister of injuries she sustained during her capture, as well as they removed something called lung cancer from her body."

Cammy started. Her sister had uterine cancer when she was young. Not lung cancer. Unless… Casey had been extremely tired for the last several months. They'd always known the cancer could come back and attack a different part of her body.

Her headache returned. It hurt, considering all the possibilities. Cam had finished all of Reb's tea, so there wasn't anything to help her. Unless… "If I don't accept you as my mate, accept the bands… I'll die?"

Reb shook his head. "No. Although the other options will all take time and you'll get worse before you get better. I wouldn't allow you to die. So, that will mean taking you back to the medical center for treatment. Or contacting the ship to pick us up."

"I've already said no to both."

"Yes. But if you don't choose me, if those are my only options… I will choose life for you." Reb assured her.

"We don't know each other very well. How can you be okay with this?"

His smile made her pulse speed up. "I was told the bands don't make mistakes. You know my name is ReBOrB. That I would never do anything to harm you. You simply need to give this a chance."

She sighed. "You told me your name was Reb. I didn't know it was… ReBOrB . And you know nothing about me. I've already chosen the wrong man once. He abused me mentally and physically. I just barely escaped him the night the Siloth kidnapped me. My luck with men is horrible."

"I'm sorry about that. I wish we had more time so that I could reassure you. But know I will cherish our union. Keep in mind the mating bands are one-for-one. I don't believe I'll get another chance at the perfect mate. I planned to court you once we returned to the ship. To get to know you before I said anything. I wanted you to see that the bands chose Casey for BrOdByc, and both are thrilled. I planned to be very persuasive ." He grinned. "I will do everything in my power to be the man you need. Just say yes, Cammy. Give us time to discover if the mating bands are right again."

Cammy closed her eyes for a moment. Thinking. She could choose Reb and live. Or say no and hope one of the unacceptable options worked. She could say yes and see her sister again. Her sister had evidently mated with one of Reb's brothers. Something else she couldn't deal with until she felt better.

Her headache was getting worse. Cam could feel herself slipping away. She didn't want to die. She wanted to see her sister. And if she were perfectly honest with herself, she wanted more time with ReBOrB. Opening her eyes, Cammy studied the worried look on Reb's face for a few moments. Finally, holding out her hand, she asked, "How do we do this?"

A genuinely happy smile filled his eyes. Reb stood and helped Cammy sit up straighter. Then he sat on the bed and took her hand in his. Kissing her fingertips, he moved her palm to his bicep. Just under the mating marks. "All you have to do is touch me."

Cammy felt the warmth of his skin. She trailed her fingers up and over his flesh, closer to those dark ink markings. Taking a deep breath, filling her lungs with his scent, she tried to decide what it reminded her of. It was spicy, dark... reminiscent of aromatics like cedar and musk on Earth. Pulling the aroma deep into her lungs, she shuddered. Wanting more. Except she didn't feel well enough to take part in more. If she lived through this, it was something to look forward to.

In a pain-filled daze, she watched those small pieces break away from the main tattoo and slither down Reb's arm. She frowned, blinked, and they were next to her hand. Another slow blink and she felt them crawl into her skin. Cam opened her eye to see the marks disappear.

Before she could ask questions, Reb pulled her into his arms. "There might be more pain. But my brother said one of the band's benefits is we can use them as pain relief for our mates." Taking her hand, he placed it over the mating bands on his arm.

Immediately, Cam let out a soft breath. "No pain," she sighed and settled into sleep. Reb stayed right beside her.