Chapter 10

Sabine

Iheard him when he came in. No matter how hard I tried to sleep, I couldn't fall under completely. A ball of anticipation knotted under my ribs, knowing that he was going to come in here. I wasn't afraid of him. There wasn't a single part of me that worried about being alone with Dakkan. By all accounts, Mitrans were shockingly honorable.

No, I was afraid of how he made me feel.

The hatch door creaked open and he slipped inside. I held still, eyes cracked open a slit. I watched his huge body filled the space. There wasn't a lot of it in the small cargo bay, with most of the room taken up by crates of medical equipment for my—not happening—clinic and by my luggage. I'd left my clothes on, but taken off my boots. I'd put a silk bonnet over my curls—although preserving their defined bounce was likely a lost cause— and lain down on one of the blankets and left the other for him.

Dakkan looked down at me. I couldn't see him do it, but I could feel his gaze move over me as if it were a caress. Did he know I was awake? Maybe. He had instincts and perceptions that, as much as I hated to admit, were more acute than a human's. He placed the skin of clean water beside me before picking up the blanket I'd left him.

I heard the snap of it being shaken out and the resulting breeze flowed over me. Instead of placing it on the floor for himself, he laid it over me. I held my breath as his big hands tucked it around me. There was so much care in that gesture, my eyes burned. Here he was, an alien male whom I'd just met, putting my comfort above his own.

My heart squeezed. It didn't matter to him if I was awake or not. He wanted me to be comfortable. I heard him clomp to the other side of the bay and lie down next to the hatch. There was a male sigh followed by his deep, even breathing. The windows on the roof let in the dark red glow of that gas giant. It wasn't enough to see well, but I could make out the rise and fall of his wide chest across the room. He lay on his back. His strong profile was softer in sleep.

I rolled over, amazed he could fall asleep that quickly. Sleep never came easily for me. My day would replay in my head. I'd worry over decisions I'd made, and no combination of meditation, medication, or therapy had eased that. It had been this way for years, and even now, my exhaustion wasn't enough to turn off my brain.

Tomorrow would be a new day and would hopefully get us closer to a way out of this strange place. Until then, I would need any rest I could get. When we left the safety of the shuttle to journey on, sleep would not be as easy to come by. We would be exposed. This was probably why Dakkan was out like a light. He needed the rest, too.

Our fate would become clearer in the coming days. I could only hope that there was a way out. And what would I do then? Part of me wanted to return to Earth as fast as I could and forget about Mitra, but the other part knew I would fulfill the duties I'd agreed to. I had women and babies who needed a good doctor. I couldn't let them down. I couldn't let him down, either. I listened to the warlord's deep, even breathing as my body relaxed and sleep began to overtake my conscious thoughts. All I could do was hope for the best. Hope that this warlord didn't let me down.

The morning light shone through the ceiling panels bright and warm and crisp. I stretched, having actually slept on this hard floor most of the night after finally falling asleep. I'd curled myself tight in the blanket Dakkan had placed over me. I sat up to find the shuttle empty.

Fear instantly pricked me. Had he abandoned me? No, surely he wouldn't. It would be an exceptionally shitty thing to do after declaring his desire and kissing me with a passion that I'd never…

Well. I'd never.

And I wouldn't. I was thirty-two years old and that was old enough to not go weak-kneed over a gorgeous alien warlord. Unless I was mistaken, and as a doctor I was sure I wasn't, he was older than me. Closer to forty, or the Mitran equivalent. Mitrans in Thrail Sakra didn't measure their years like others did. Rather, they measured their age by experiences, wisdom, and scars. No wonder Dakkan was annoyed that he wouldn't have one from his robot snakebite.

I picked up the skin and drank deeply from it. The water smelled a little skin-like, but it was clean and my body craved the liquid. I got up, took the bonnet off, and stretched, before fortifying myself to whatever was on the other side of the hatch. The new day was out there and there were a million things I'd rather do than go face it. But I opened the hatch and looked outside. The sight in front of me was so unexpected, it made me smile.

Dakkan crouched next to the revitalized fire. Something cooked on a spit, filling the air with the smell of fresh, roasted meat. He looked up and smiled back. "Are you hungry?"

Hungry? I was salivating. The idea of eating something other than rations was very appealing. "Oh yeah. What did you catch?"

"Several small, rodent-like creatures," he replied, handing me a skewer with several chunks of meat on it. "They are real creatures. Not machines. And not toxic. I ate one myself."

"Thank you." I took the skewer he handed me and bit into the tender, delicious meat. "Oh, wow. This is good. How did you season it?"

He patted the backpack beside him. "We travel with healing and basic preparation supplies. It's mostly just salt. Helpful for cooking and keeps meat from spoiling."

"Mmm," I moaned as I ate the breakfast I wasn't expecting. "You're a fantastic cook, Dakkan."

"I went about to hunt and learn exactly how much of this place is robotic." He turned the other two skewers, which dripped sizzling oil on the coals below. "Do you want to know what I learned?"

"Do tell," I said between bites.

He looked quite pleased with himself as he leaned back, braced on taut arms. "I have a theory that the predators are mechanical, but there are prey animals here as well. They are organic."

I handed him back the empty skewer and looked longingly at the two still roasting. "Okay. Do the robot predators eat the prey animals, or just kill them?" I asked. "Because the numbers of prey animals would explode without a natural balance."

"Ah, a female who understands these things," he said. "It's hard to say. I'm not sure, but what you're eating is not mechanical. Game is plentiful, but we are not overrun. Something is eating them, but I saw nothing in the carcass yesterday that made me think the robots are doing so."

"There's another predator out there that's keeping the numbers in check."

He nodded. "Perhaps we will learn more as we progress deeper into this place."

"Do you have a direction in mind?"

"From my rover to here, I can deduce a direction. We will follow it and see what happens. As we discussed last night, our options are limited. This is still the best course of action."

"Unfortunately, I agree," I said. "But I wish there was another way."

"I'm determined to get both of us out of here and back to my Thrail."

I watched with a little disappointment as he removed the remaining cooked meat and wrapped it in an oiled cloth. He tucked it away in his backpack, presumably for later.

"If you need to do anything like relieve yourself, do it now," he said. "Pack up only what is necessary to bring. I made a makeshift backpack for you from one of the seats in your shuttle. I left it near where you sleep. I also boiled the rest of the water so we have a good supply, should we need it."

I blinked at all that. "What time did you get up this morning?"

He smiled. "Mitrans are early risers. Our nights are not as dark as those on Earth and we have a long history of vigilance, being that we were not always the supreme species on this planet."

I rose and dusted off my pants. "Yes, I read about that. You still have some problems with another species called the Dessicans."

"Fortunately, there is a treaty in the works with them." He rose and stomped out the fire. "Collect your things. Wear your sturdiest shoes and don't bring too many clothes. They will only weigh you down."

I went into the shuttle to collect what I wanted to bring. I wouldn't be packing much clothing, but I did have medical supplies to pack. The tissue-regenerator for sure, for healing any cuts or burns. A sanitizing wand to stave off infections. There were other devices, too. The more I considered what we might be up against out there, the more instruments I shoved in the pack he'd made by essentially skinning one of the operator's chairs. He'd peeled off the covering, turning it into an empty sleeve, then sewed on straps that he had removed from the safety harness. The male could sew. What other surprises would I learn about Dakkan before this ordeal was over?

I shoved in the rations that were left and the single remaining water packet. I'd already put on my sturdiest shoes, which happened to be hiking boots. I took another pair of socks, underwear, and at that point, all that would fit in my bag were two tank tops. I changed into clean clothes since it would probably be the last time I'd be able to do so for a while and threw on a light jacket.

I rolled up the blankets and tucked them on the top of my pack. The pack was comfortable, but heavy. When I went outside, he was packed up and ready to go. I quickly went to the bathroom and then we set off. He gazed down at me with a look that was clearly proprietary. "I promise I will keep you safe." He handed me a knife in a sheath. "Wear this on your waist. If you need it, use it."

"I hope I don't have to." I tucked the knife into my belt.

He stretched his arms over his head, giving me a mouthwatering view of his extended muscles. "I don't plan to let you out of my sight long enough for anything to attack you."

So confident. I wish I could feel the same. "Thanks. I'm hoping nothing attacks."

He nodded. "We'll get through this together."

Hopefully.