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4. Alana

The days spent working on the shuttle begin to fall into a routine. Cleaning, serving, washing, answering every beck and call. It is exhausting and more than once I want to scream at the crew. But settling for trading snide remarks with Karvex suffices for the moment.

Lately, though, he's been acting strangely. Every new remark doesn't quite have the menacing edge it should. And while he is still incredibly strict and even harsh at times, he seems to pull himself back now before it goes too far.

And then there is the staring. I catch him on several occasions simply staring at me. It isn't simply the fact that he is staring at me that is the issue, but rather the way he is staring.

I've been stared at in many different ways. Seedy leers. Disgusted side eyes. Indifferent and cold glances like I was mud.

But his stares are almost curious. Like I am a puzzle he is trying to figure out.

"I asked you to clean the console, not take the paint off," an annoyed voice growls, taking me out of my thoughts.

I huff and turn to face the very man I'd just been musing about. I give him my best grin that I know gets on his nerves.

"In case you haven't noticed, the paint is already coming off. Honestly, this thing is more junk than shuttle."

Karvex rolls his eyes and steps closer to me. My breath hitches slightly at his sudden closeness.

He's a Reaper. A Reaper that has full power over me. I should be terrified.

But something in me can't let me be fully afraid of him. A small voice in the back of my head whispers that he is not the enemy.

Maybe that's why instead of cowering in fear, I lift my chin.

He raises a brow and meets my gaze. For a while, we just stare each other down.

But being so intently under his gaze is nearly overwhelming. Like being surrounded by a fire that's about to consume you.

I cross my arms. "Was there something you needed, sir?"

"I hardly do anything without a purpose. There's a mess in the galley that needs your attention. And then the waste is building up in the barracks. Dispose of it in the incinerator."

I clench my jaw. "Yes, sir."

Well, I might as well get on it. I begin to move away when he grabs my arm, bringing me to a halt. My head whips to meet his gaze. He's studying me again with that curious look.

"Have you eaten today?"

The question catches me off guard. Why does he care if I've eaten or not?

My stomach growls at the mention of food, answering for me. Karvex frowns, looking almost… upset? No, surely not.

He releases my arm and then jerks his head. "Come."

And then he starts off without waiting to see if I follow. I almost have to jog to keep up with him.

We make it to the galley, which is empty at the moment. He pulls a tray from where the pre-made food sits. Karvex shoves the tray in my hands. "Eat."

I blink in surprise at him, and then down at the tray. It's real food. Not just the crud scraps I've been getting. My stomach growls again at the sight of it.

"Thank you," I murmur, for once not able to think of anything snarky to say.

He scoffs and shifts uncomfortably. "Of course, it would be annoying for you to pass out during your work. Now I have more important things to attend to. Hurry up and eat. Then get back to work."

Then he abruptly leaves the room. I grin down at the food and begin to eat heartily.

Maybe he's not so bad after all. In fact, I can't remember the last time a guy got me food, paying or otherwise. I snort out a small laugh at the thought. Oh, how romantic, to be treated to cafeteria food by an otherwise uncaring alien man. A girl should be so lucky!

A small burst of heat spreads across my cheeks. It's such a small gesture, but I can't help but feel just a little bit endeared to him because of it.

But the food is only the beginning. More small things follow, like letting me off a little early to take an extra break. Or glaring at anyone who sends a crude comment my way. It makes each day on our seemingly never-ending journey aboard the shuttle a little more bearable.

Though, of course, something else has to go wrong. It starts out as a slight soreness in the back of my throat and a dull headache. Then it increasingly grows into feeling hot and cold all at once. Aches, shivers, and a pounding headache follow.

I begin to suspect it has a lot to do with the cold, sleepless nights. I'd been given a pallet to sleep on but no blanket. That, along with the fact that the pallet is so uncomfortably flat against the metal ground makes nighttime extremely unpleasant.

Before long, I am definitely sick. Too bad slaves aren't allowed sick days.

So I trudge through my chores, just trying to stay upright. For once, I am hoping that Karvex won"t notice me.

But I can feel his impatient gaze on me as I wash the dishes. My hands are shaking slightly, and one of the metal trays slips through my fingers and clatters to the ground.

The Reaper growls behind me. "That's it. Why are you so incompetent today? What is this sudden bout of weakness from you?"

I glare right back at him as I pick up the tray. "Excuse me if my being sick bothers you so much. Maybe if I could actually get a decent night"s sleep, my body wouldn't be trying to punish me for it."

His eyes narrow. "What do you mean you can't sleep at night?"

I huff, not really wanting to have this conversation with him right now. "I don't know how it works for Reapers, but humans typically need something more than a thin pallet. Especially if the ship they've been kidnapped on is really cold. Like, stupidly cold."

Karvex just stares at me for a moment. Something flashes in his eyes, but it's gone before I can analyze it.

"What are you, dumb? Get a blanket if you're so cold," he says nonchalantly. As if I weren't a slave he stole aboard this shuttle.

I let out an exasperated groan and turn back to the dishes. Today is already miserable enough without letting Karvex get to me.

By the time night rolls around, I don't even care if I have to sleep on the cold metal ground. Everything aches and my body feels like it could turn into mush.

But then I reach my pallet and freeze. Because that's not my pallet, it's a real mattress. And on top of the said mattress is a big plush blanket.

I look around, almost expecting it to be some sort of joke. Somehow, though, I know it's not. And even more than that, I know it's from Karvex.

Flopping down onto the mattress I groan in delight at the softness. I wrap the blanket tightly around myself and sink into the bedding. Sleep takes me not long after.

Even with the new comforts, my dreams give me no reprieve.

There's an Ishani before me, as beautiful as the stories. But as I come closer to him, I see that his face is familiar.

It's Karvex.

Dream Ishani Karvex looks at me and pulls me close to him. I sink into the embrace, warmth and love filling me.

I feel whole. Complete. Like I was never meant to be anywhere else.

Then a shadow overtakes everything. Karvex breaks away from the embrace and begins going away from me. Like he's going to fight it.

I try to chase after him, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to catch up to him.

The shadows loom closer, swallowing up everything around it.

And then it consumes me.

I jolt awake, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

What was that?

Karvex as an Ishani. The darkness swallowing everything. And the strange loving embrace Karvex and I shared.

Strangely, that feeling above all the others sticks out to me. That undeniable love between the two of us was so strong. So real.

I shake my head, trying to clear away the dream. Because that's all it was. A dream. A crazy, fever-induced dream.

"Are you going to stop looking like a scared animal anytime soon?"

A small scream escapes me as I notice for the first time that Karvex is beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask hoarsely.

He frowns at me, like this is somehow my fault. "I heard you making all sorts of noises in your sleep. I thought someone was trying to kill you. Or maybe you were just dying from whatever weird human illness you have."

I open my mouth to speak and then close it again, the energy suddenly leaving me. Between the fever and the lack of good sleep, I don't feel like exchanging witty banter tonight.

This close to him, the memories from the dream come flooding back to me.

His warmth. His love. The love and warmth I felt for him.

It's almost palpable again, now that he's sitting here near me. It's like if I simply reach out and caress his dark skin, that feeling will flood through me. I've never felt so compelled to want anything as much as I crave the affection of the Karvex in my dreams. If only they were the same, and he could hold me and make me understand.

I shake my head again. It's ridiculous. Sure, he"s been treating me better, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

And he was an Ishani of all things in the dream. The sheer ridiculousness of that one fact should negate any of those loving emotions.

And yet it doesn't.

Instead, looking at him there beside me, I only feel them all the more.

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