Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

The sleek, dark chair Jade sat in was surprisingly comfortable. It sort of reminded her of a dentist's chair, only without the painfully bright lights and the vague, anxiety-laden promises of gentle torture.

Surely, this was better than going to the dentist.

She glanced around and saw countless alien monitoring devices and holographic displays. Most of the Kordolian tech stuff glowed blue or blue-greenish. The data was purely alien, rendered in strange characters, some so tiny they appeared as indistinct blurs.

She wondered if Dragek, with his sixth sense, could read them.

Of course he could.

He saw everything, didn't he?

He probably saw right through her.

He stood next to her: still, silent, unreadable. His presence had been a constant thing ever since he'd pulled her out of that hot, dusty mine. And something about him made her world so blissfully quiet.

Unable to help herself, she looked up.

He was still shirtless.

Damn it.

She put her hand to her mouth, clearing her throat.

Heat rose into her cheeks.

Why was her heart beating so fast?

This feeling… made the throbbing ache in her hand and her foot a little less acute. Actually, the pain wasn't too bad at all because they'd given her some sort of pain relief medicine—a thick, clear liquid that tasted like grape-flavored bubblegum.

Really, now.

Had the aliens already figured her out to this extent? Because fake grape flavor was one of her guilty pleasures.

So was stealing glances at the Kordolian, apparently. What was she supposed to do, anyway? He possessed the body of a god and rugged alien beauty, and he was in close proximity to her all the damn time.

The fact that he was supremely dangerous made him all the more alluring, even though she knew it was silly of her even to think such a thing.

"The medic has arrived," he informed her, his tone devoid of emotion.

Jade didn't even bother to ask him how he knew. She'd witnessed first-hand the true extent of his perception, and it was mind-blowing.

Before she could say anything, another Kordolian appeared.

A woman.

Jade stifled a gasp.

She'd never seen a female Kordolian before. They apparently didn't exist anymore—well, that was according to Earth's media, but she was quickly learning that the truth was often very different from perception.

For once, Jade's attention was diverted from Dragek.

Clad in a sleek black suit that covered her from neck to toe, the Kordolian was undeniably beautiful. With pale lilac hair swept up into a high knot, orange-hued eyes the color of sunset, and delicate features accentuated by elegantly tapered pointed ears, she looked startlingly otherworldly.

"Hello, Jade. My name is Zyara. Welcome to our stronghold on Earth. I'm sorry we're meeting in such unfavorable circumstances, but I'm glad Dragek found you before anything worse happened to you. I'm responsible for overseeing all medical treatment in this facility—what you humans would call a doctor, I suppose ." Her delicate lips twisted in a tiny smile that was both warm and a little wry. "This is one of my treatment rooms. All I'm going to do is fix those small fractures of yours. Our medical technology is a little different from your human methods of treatment, but please don't be alarmed. I'm going to use nano-technology to accelerate your bone healing. You won't feel any pain—you'll be given more than adequate analgesia, and the treatment is highly effective. You'll heal much faster with our methods."

Sensing a dark energy, Jade looked up at Dragek, who wore a thunderous frown.

If looks could kill…

What Zyara had said was perfectly reasonable, though.

What was up with him all of a sudden?

"I'm pleased to meet you, Zyara," Jade said quickly before Dragek did anything drastic, using her very best formal Universal. She didn't have a clue about the ins and outs of Kordolian politics, but she knew tension when she saw it, and she didn't want things to escalate. "I'm grateful that you're able to treat me. How bad are the fractures?" She had no idea how Zyara had already analyzed her injuries. There was no sign of any medical imaging equipment.

Did Kordolians collect data out of thin air? Did they have technology that could analyze her body without her even realizing it?

"They're what I would classify as minor injuries. You have small breaks in the first and second mid-bones—what your people call the metatarsals— of your right foot. And there's a fracture in the fifth metacarpal of your left hand. Both are easily treated, but unfortunately, I won't be able to achieve instantaneous healing. The specific nanites we use for that are in short supply. After the treatment, I'd give it three or four days until full grip strength returns and you're walking again."

As she spoke, Zyara gave Dragek a pointed look.

He shot her a look that could have frozen the surface of the sun.

He said something to her in rapid-fire Kordolian. It was Jade's first time hearing him speak the language, and even though she couldn't understand a thing, she was surprised at how melodic his words sounded—almost beautiful.

Zyara's response was sharp. No matter how dangerous Dragek was, she clearly wasn't fazed by him.

They exchanged words in a terse back-and-forth until Jade wondered if she should try and intervene, but then Dragek let out a soft, exasperated huff and folded his arms.

" Fine, " he said at last in Universal. He looked down at Jade. "Zyara will treat you. It is not ideal. In my opinion, the timeframe is excessive, but you will heal eventually."

Dark brows drew together. Obsidian eyes held cold anger.

Stars, he was intimidating.

But Jade knew his anger wasn't directed at her. From what she could deduce, he wasn't happy about the treatment Zyara was offering. Maybe he thought she should get this instantaneous healing , or whatever it was.

Clearly, he didn't understand that three to four days to heal a fracture was a dream.

Jade could hardly even believe her ears. Was Zyara used to treating humans? Maybe Kordolians just had a faster healing rate. Perhaps that's why her timeframes were off. Because Jade had broken bones before, and with all the advances in medical technology humans had made, a fracture was a fracture, and it still necessitated time in a cast for several weeks.

Still…

Did she just catch him trying to advocate for her?

That heady, fluttering feeling returned to her chest. To think that he could be in her corner like this…

Without realizing it, her fingers had flown to his arm. She was touching him.

His forearm was big and powerful and smooth and unexpectedly warm.

He was so alive.

Energy danced from her fingertips.

She didn't want to let him go.

"Dragek, it's fine," she murmured, surprised at how gentle her voice sounded. "I'll go ahead with this treatment. Unless you don't think I should, for whatever reason…"

For a moment, she locked eyes with Zyara, who nodded as if she knew exactly what Jade was trying to do.

"No," he said gruffly. "She is trustworthy. I was merely questioning why you should not have the best possible treatment that exists."

"Believe me, if we had unlimited resources, I would offer you stasis and nano-surgery right away," Zyara assured her. "But there's the small matter of the fact that we have amassed many enemies, and things are predicted to get heavy." She shot Dragek another pointed look. "As a warrior, I'm sure you understand the concept of appropriate allocation of resources. Fractures aren't life-threatening injuries. Jade will be fine. She's in one of the most heavily protected places in the Universe, isn't she?"

Dragek loomed over them; big, menacing, and surprisingly… protective. "Fine," he growled.

"Fine," Zyara agreed. She disappeared behind an array of holo displays, and Jade heard her utter a series of rapid-fire commands in Kordolian.

She returned with a black vial of some sort in one hand. "Jade, can you tolerate injections, or would you have me sedate you?"

Jade waved her hand dismissively. Maybe it was the medication they'd given her, but she felt a little giddy for some reason. "Is that a needle? I'm fine with needles. I just don't see how a needle is going to heal my broken bones."

Zyara nodded. "The nano-particles inside this vial are programmed to be attracted to bone inflammation. They'll infiltrate the fracture site and create a structural matrix that will accelerate bone repair. Once they're in situ, you won't feel much pain. Are you ready?"

"Get it over and done with. As long as you promise that I can go somewhere quiet and have a rest after all of this." She really was tired. As Dragek had carried her to the medical bay, she'd almost dozed off in his arms.

Like a baby.

How was it even possible that she suddenly trusted him so much?

"Of course." Zyara nodded. "In fact, I would demand that you rest. It's part of the healing process."

Dragek said nothing. He just loomed beside them.

Jade stiffened in anticipation. Suddenly, it occurred to her that she was really digging her fingers into Dragek's arm—to the point where it was probably causing him pain.

It was the anticipation of the needle.

And yet, he didn't flinch.

"All done," Zyara said suddenly, and Jade blinked, for she hadn't felt a thing—just a faint tingle in her forearm. "Don't bear weight for the first day or so. After that, you should be fine to mobilize. We can arrange a small transportation device for you in the meantime. I'd imagine the general will be sending you onboard one of our ships, so you'll have access to all the amenities you need."

" Onboard? I didn't think that…"

Dragek clamped his fingers over hers in a gesture that was somewhere between a reassuring touch and a possessive hold. The intensity in his eyes made her heart stop. "There are threats, Jade. Enemies. Those who would steal you for your Talent and force you to become that which you despise the most. But you're here now, and I will not allow such a thing to happen to you. These people—they have the resources and the knowledge to help you contain your power. And the safest place for you to be is on one of the Fleet ships—in space, surrounded by the weapons and shields of the fleet."

And everything had been going so well…

Her thoughts collided. Her mind became a chaotic mess—of infinite possibilities and the fear of being trapped for the rest of her life.

And worst of all… the fear that he might actually be her enemy—one who sought to control her and possess her only because of this mad dream-walking ability that they apparently thought was a Talent.

And why did she somehow get the sense that Dragek was somehow apart from Tarak al Akkadian and Zyara and that strange, scary one called Ashrael?

Like he wasn't really a part of them…

But what could she do?

He was the only one here that she remotely trusted.

She could only go along with it.

After all, they hadn't done anything bad to her yet.

Her voice cracked. "Y-you're taking me up into space? "

"From your tone, I see that you've never been." Dragek's mildly threatening vibe changed to one of dry amusement.

And somehow, it made all of this a little better.

"It's been on my bucket list," she said, her tone equally dry.

"I do not know what that is, but I can assure you, it will be worth your while."

"A-are you going to go with me?"

"It appears I have to. Someone needs to teach you the basics of control. In your current state, you're very dangerous to your own kind—to untrained minds."

Amidst her swirling confusion, Jade couldn't help but feel a little indignant. "I'm not dangerous to anyone at all. I wouldn't want to hurt a fly."

Dragek gave her a strange look. Then, a snort of laughter escaped him.

It was the most unexpected thing. She nearly fell out of her chair.

And she couldn't help but notice that Zyara was watching them both, a look of cool curiosity gracing her elegant features.

Oblivious or simply not caring, Dragek leaned closer. "You have four rotations until you're healed. That means resting and recovering. But in the meantime, there's no reason why I can't teach you how to control what you allow in and out of your mind."

For some reason, the thought of being taught by him made her feel giddy all over again.