Chapter 14

Sabine

Dakkan was up before me. I rolled over and stretched, feeling the cool mattress where he had been. My body felt loose and well-rested. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I'd fallen asleep quickly. No racing thoughts, no second-guessing my decisions of the day. The last thing I remembered was a big strong arm tucking me close against his body. Warm skin and the rhythmic beat of his heart had lulled me to sleep. It had been wonderful. A gift in this forbidding place.

I got up, dressed, and used the washroom, then went outside. Male voices were audible nearby, along with the gurgling sound of water. I walked around Lukan's home and behind it was the stream where Lukan and Dakkan stood knee deep and talking.

Both males turned at my approach. "Skrah's light shines on you," said Lukan with a smile. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, thank you." I looked longingly at the gently moving water. A swim would feel lovely. "Very well."

"There is food for you near the fire pit," he said. "And a brew that will wake you up and slap the last bit of sleep from you."

I looked warily at him. "More of that ale from last night?"

Lukan laughed. "Oh no. You'll find this refreshing."

We would see about that. Lukan's beverages were more likely to sear the tastebuds off my tongue than refresh me, but I was willing to try it. And food was most welcome. I returned to the fire pit, but I could still hear their voices. Lukan was explaining to Dakkan about the plants along the water's edge. How he suspected these were all species native to the aliens' home world because he'd never seen any of them on Mitra. It was the same thing Dakkan said, and it was likely true. I sat by the cool fire pit and ate a bowl of mashed grains that had been cooked in water and flavored with berries and nuts.

Thankfully, the beverage was exactly as Lukan had described—refreshing and perfect for the morning. It was some sort of tea, richly herbal with a hint of spice. I was finishing my meal when Dakkan walked up. He was dripping with water and shirtless, looking more absurdly handsome than anyone had a right to.

"You took a swim," I said.

"Just a quick one. Lukan is taking his beasts out for a walk around his area, to check his traps. I thought you might wish for a swim in the stream."

"Oh, yes. Is it warm?" I asked, standing up.

He nodded. "Warm enough. I found it very enjoyable. Not as enjoyable as last night, however."

My face heated at the memory. "I don't see how you found that enjoyable," I said. "You didn't get to…"

He brushed a finger over my lips. "It's satisfying to watch you come apart in my arms." His gaze darkened. "Very satisfying."

I cleared my throat against the sudden thickness there, and the shortness of my breath. "Well, yes. I, ah, enjoyed myself too." I rose, holding the bowl and cup like armor. "I would love that swim. And also, where do I wash these?"

"Both can be done in the stream," he said. "I explained to Lukan that human females like their privacy and explained to him some things about your kind. He was very curious."

"I would be, too, if so much had changed in my society and I had been away from it all." We walked around the structure again. There was a little trail that led through the forest to the water. I looked around. "You're sure no one's watching us?"

"Lukan isn't here. Anything else that might be here is not going to care."

"Like the guardians." I took off my boots.

"Yes. Like them. You're not worried about what a machine thinks, are you?"

In answer, I peeled off my shirt, then went to work on my pants. I wasn't ready to lose the underwear, but the water was too inviting to skip. I was excited for a break from the sticky, humid air.

I stepped in the gently moving water. Sure enough, it was a perfect temperature. I slid in deeper, up to my shoulders, and closed my eyes. "Ah, this just feels so good."

Large hands spanned my waist and pulled me back against a firmly muscled chest. Lips played on my ear. "I would fuck you here, if I could."

"We can't." I swallowed hard, my throat dry and thick with desire. I turned in his arms, roping my arms around his neck. The fleshy feel of his brakas against my hands was interesting. I played with the tips of them and gazed up into his dark eyes. "What were you and Lukan talking about before I came? Did he share anything else about the aliens or the guardians?"

Dakkan shook his head. "Mostly he wanted to know what was going on in the rest of Mitra. I told him about the Dessican peace talks. The war we fought alongside the Heveians, the resulting deal that enabled our people to have a reliable power source. And of course, our new human population."

I shook my head. "It's a shame we can't take him with us."

"I don't think he'd go," he said. "Lukan has a deep fear of whatever lies at the heart of this environment. If we're able to negotiate some sort of exit strategy with the aliens who control it, perhaps they'll release him as well."

I slid my hands down Dakkan's chest, resting them against his firm pectoral muscles. "He's so lonely. He's going to be upset when we leave."

"Hopefully it won't be a permanent goodbye. And if we fail, and the aliens refuse to let us leave—"

"—and don't kill us," I put in.

"And don't kill us, yes, we'll be back." He raised one eyebrow. "If that happens, we'll have to figure out how to live here, but I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that." He ran his fingers down my arm. "Although there is no one I'd rather be trapped in a jungle environment with."

I smiled and let him go, lest I grabbed him and let things get out of hand. Instead, I sank deeper in the water, up to my neck, and peered up at him. He was an absolutely magnificent specimen.

And he wanted me. He looked at me as if I were beautiful, desirable. That was interesting because I had been called uptight, strict, cold, and once, memorably, frigid. I was no one's first choice at being stranded anywhere with. "You're not so bad yourself, Warlord."

He crossed his arms and grinned down at me. "That's progress. I'll take it."

We stayed in the water for a little longer, then got out, dressed, and went to find Lukan.

Our host had just returned. He stepped into the clearing with his three dog friends. "You look refreshed," he said with a smile. "I do love my morning swims."

"The water was lovely," I said. "Now, I have equipment with me that could help you with the pain in your knee. Would you allow me to examine it?"

He pressed his gnarled palms together. "I won't say no to less pain in my life. Examine away."

I spent some time asking him about his health and doing what I could without equipment. Overall, I could tell that Lukan was in excellent health. I used some precious device power to repair the damage to his knee and ease the arthritis in his back that he had not bothered to mention. It was later in the morning when I packed up and brushed my hands together. "We're done," I said. "You're in excellent shape. And you should move a lot more comfortably now."

The older Mitran walked around, testing his knee with a giant grin on his face. "You're a miracle worker," he said. "That's what you are."

"Not really." I put the last case back in my bag. "The regenerator repaired your damaged knee joint and the antigular displacer reduced the arthritis in your back. I just used the machines."

"That's going to be real handy in the years to come."

I glanced up at him, seeing an opening for a discussion I knew he didn't want to have. "No, they won't," I said. "All of these devices run on whatever power charge is left in them and it's significantly drained away each time I use them. They've only got one or two more uses in them before they are useless."

He frowned. "Shouldn't have wasted it on me."

"It's not a waste on anyone who needs medical help," I said. "But perhaps there is a power source elsewhere in this place. The guardians must have to recharge someplace. Maybe that's at the heart of the jungle."

He shook his head. "I don't think they have to recharge."

I shrugged. "Maybe. But no power source is infinite."

He gave me a shrewd look. "I'm telling you right now, stay away from the heart. They'll tell you the same thing they told me—stay away from the young ones and don't cause trouble."

I reached out and placed my hand over his. "We can't stay here. Dakkan has a Thrail to rule. I have a medical clinic to run. We have to try to talk them into releasing us."

Lukan shook his head. "You will anger them. They'll retaliate."

I sighed and gave up for now. "Okay. Enjoy that new knee of yours and don't bust it again." I hooked a thumb towards my bag. "I can't fix it too many times."

He shook his head. "You won't have to fix it again. I'll be fine." There was a dampening to his mood. Lukan was not dumb. He knew we were planning to leave and that upset him, probably on several levels. I didn't blame him. I wouldn't want to be abandoned again either.

Dakkan returned later with some game he had hunted and we spent the day relaxing and talking with Lukan. Also, planning our next steps. We sat by the water's edge that afternoon and talked, keeping our voices low.

"Which way is this nursery at the heart?" I asked. "Did he give any indication?"

"He would not tell me." Dakkan tossed a pebble into the stream. "But every time he spoke of it, he looked in that direction." His chin jutted across the stream.

"That's where we have to go." We both gazed that way. It was thick and dark and clearly a direction that Lukan did not go in. "He has real fear of that place," I said.

"I would too if someone spoke directly into my brain and warned me not to ever go there again. Mitrans don't like telepaths."

"I don't think anyone does, unless you're a telepath."

"They put words in his mind, but what did they take? For all we know, they know everything about my culture, including our connections with other species." Dakkan raked his fingers through his brakas. "If they saw Lukan's mind and they know anything about my people, they also know that we are not a cruel culture. But we have been aggressive in the past. We are warriors."

We sat quietly for a few moments. He lifted my hand and held it in his. "We need to leave soon," I said, and there was no keeping the disappointment from my voice. It was peaceful here. I felt safe, and I liked Lukan. But if we didn't try, we would be trapped just like he was. "We should leave at first light."

"Before first light." He glanced back at the little settlement Lukan had made for himself. "Just in case someone tries to stop us."