I pull Henry close to me and let out a breath. “You can stay until the morning, but after that, I think you should go. We can take care of ourselves. Your people need you more.”
He doesn't seem to accept my words, but he is so exhausted he acquiesces for now. “Fine. We’ll discuss it more in the morning.”
No, we won’t, but I gather Henry up in my arms and without turning my back to Galen, I retreat to the bedroom, grabbing some snacks for Henry along the way. Maybe we can get rid of him while he's asleep. I don't know how, but I'll figure something out. I have to.
After locking the door behind us and settling on the bed, I'm asleep with Henry curled next to me in seconds.
"We can't keep doing this."
“It’ll be okay. Trust me, Stella. I’ve got everything under control.”
I want to trust him, so I let him convince me to spend the morning in his barracks room. There isn’t much privacy because the other guards’ pods are located next to Evan’s room. There isn’t even a door, so through the entry, I can see all the other soldiers, asleep, but somehow still threatening.
“I know you do and I do, but why can’t we just take the ship and go somewhere else? Somewhere safe.”
Evan pauses, his body going still next to mine. “You don’t trust me, do you? I’m risking everything for you.”
Shame washes over me. “No, I know that. Really. You’ve been so kind to me. But we’re passing the new colonies. We could go there instead. I’ve heard there are a lot of Earth II defectors who—”
“The colonies aren’t safe for anyone, let alone women. You think they’ll be kind to a nice piece like you?”
A twisting feeling writhes in my gut. “It was just a thought.”
“You leave the thinking to me. Besides, we’ve got lots of time. Let’s just enjoy it while we can.” Then he’s kissing me and I let him because he’s right. We’ve got lots of time.
He’ll tell me his plan when the time is right.
I just have to trust him.
I come awake slowly. At first, I enjoy the sensation of drifting. Of peace. It’s so rare that I relax fully, for the first time…maybe ever. But gradually I begin to notice details. Strong arms around me. The scent of verbena and earth. The deep, steady voice of a male. I should be afraid. I don't trust men. But for some reason, I'm not.
That's what brings me fully awake. The lack of fear.
I crack my eyes open, and it's an effort. I didn't realize how tired I was. Fear and adrenaline had sapped all my energy. Now, I feel hungover. Or what I would imagine being hungover to feel like. My muscles ache. I can feel my bones throbbing deep beneath my skin. The exhaustion is so overwhelming, it almost swamps out the fear.
Almost.
“What are the caverns like?” I hear Henry ask cheerfully.
Caverns?
It’s the thought of Henry that pulls me the rest of the way out of my stupor. My head pivots wildly around, looking for the source of his voice. I find him through the dim light in the tunnel next to me.
My gaze goes to Galen, who is holding me, carrying me even though he's wounded, and I don't weigh next to nothing. I struggle to get out of his arms, but his grip around me tightens. Goodness, he’s strong. So strong, I bet he could snap me in half if he really wanted to. I don’t like that. I don’t. Then why do I feel a shiver of pleasure coursing through my blood like molten lava? He could hurt me, but those big arms could also protect me. Like he had with the sabrevipes. With arms that big, he could protect us from almost anything.
“Unless you want me to drop you on that fine rump, you better stop struggling.” There’s a quick flash of a grin and in another second it’s gone. So fast, I’m not certain I even saw it. A grin on that face should cool any lava to rock, but instead, I want to make him do it again.
What the fuck did he do to me?
Anger. Anger is easier to deal with than all these…feelings. I growl. “Unless you want me to tear you a new one, you better put me down.”
“Tear me a new what?” he asks, his expression curious. It shouldn’t make me want to laugh, but it does.
Scowling, I order, “Galen, please put me down,” to stifle the urge.
To my surprise, he does, and says, “All you needed to do was ask nicely.”
Instead of rising to the bait, I turn to Henry, who is smiling brightly. “Are you okay, honey?”
Seemingly oblivious to the tension between Galen and me, Henry says, “We're going to get the flowers.”