When his breathing calmed, I asked, “Did you want to lie back down?”
“No. Help me.”
Part of me insisted he lie back and rest—I didn’t like the idea of him in pain—but he was an adult; he was capable of deciding what was best for himself. I shifted out of his embrace to move to the tent opening and pulled it apart. Keeping a secure grip on him, I helped Serlotminden to his knees, then his feet.
Mindy sagged against me, and I hooked my arms around his waist to hold him steady. He trembled in my embrace and took heavy breaths, nose against my neck again. His long hair brushed my cheek, smelling marvelous. It had been a long time since I’d smelled anything this pleasant. Xome generally had the odor of smog, sewage, rotten food, and piss; the fighting ring hadn’t been any better, and the stench of burning bodies never left me, not ever.
A memory surged from the depths of my mind. The mangled body of a reptile humanoid. Their arms had been ripped clean off, and their neck broken, head flopping. Blue blood coated them, sticky beneath my fingers. Me and Vince grunting and groaning as we threw them into the incinerator. The heat burning my hands, the sound of the roaring fire. The alien arching as they released a blood-curdling shriek that had lifted the hairs on my arms and stilled my heart.
Not dead. Not even close.
We’d tried to get them out, but Agk had slapped us away with a baton, the end crackling with electricity, which he always carried and slammed the incinerator door closed with a resounding thud, locking it with a bolt. His cold eyes set deep within his watermelon-head did not waver from us. The alien had failed and was of no use to him, like what would happen to us when we outlived our usefulness. The alien had not stopped screaming, throwing their body against the metal door, while me and Vince did nothing but listen to them burn to death.
“Bartholomew. Bartholomew.”
I started.
Serlotminden was staring at me; his eyebrows drawn together. “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere,” I lied, swallowing the rising bile. The alien’s screams still sounded in my ears, but they were long dead—one ghost among the horde.
Serlotminden pressed his forehead against my cheek again and took another deep breath, then exhaled, his warm breath creating tingles in its wake. He whispered, lips brushing my skin, “I’m right here with you. Breathe.”
He took another deep breath, and I inhaled along with him, sharing his air. His forehead rubbed along mine, and he breathed in a steady rhythm. In and out. In and out. The rush of warm air from his lips, the tickling of his hair, the musky rain scent that wafted off him, and the strength of his hold all eased the remaining tension from my body.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“For what?”
“I don’t smell the best.” Why was I apologizing? I hadn’t made him huff me like a drug. He was doing that all by himself, but it was the one thing that came to mind after the potent memory.
Mindy took a deep inhale. “You smell marvelous.”
He’d gone nose blind. That was the only explanation.
The masses on his back shifted, and his tail thrashed. I placed a hand on one of the lumps while my other stayed around his waist to support him. “Are you alright?”
“My wings. They need to stretch.”
Wings? He had wings? “Do you need to take off your shirt?” My heart thumped at the thought. I liked that idea a lot—a shirtless Serlotminden. That sounded like an excellent plan. I should’ve thought of it sooner. If only we’d been stranded on a tropical planet instead of this icy wasteland.
“I have slits in the back of my shirt, but I need more room.”
“Ah,” I said. Too bad. “Then let’s move to the cargo bay.”
I closed the tent in an attempt to conserve the remaining warmth after grabbing the lantern and a couple of blankets. I wrapped one around me. The other was for Mindy after he stretched his wings. We were ready for a walk.
Chapter 10
And we’re walking.
I kept an arm around Serlotminden’s waist and shuffled awkwardly toward the cargo bay. His steps were slight and his breath was harsh. He pressed against me, arm heavy on my shoulders. His far greater weight threatened to send me tumbling to the floor, but I gritted my teeth and managed, by some miracle, to stay upright.
“You can do it,” I whispered, panting, and he paused in his step to rub his forehead against the top of my head. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I had no idea why, nor did I know why he kept doing that.
I pushed my new awareness away. Mindy was the same idiot who’d kidnapped me against my will only a few days ago, thoughnow thoughts of his smile, how he held me, how intently he listened to me, and his inquisitiveness invaded my mind. How in the space of ten minutes had my perspective of him changed? It made no sense.
It took more time than I would’ve guessed to make the short walk, but the longer we walked, the smaller his steps grew. When we reached the cargo bay, I set the lantern on a crate and shifted Serlotminden until he faced me, then tugged him against my chest, taking more of his weight, even though my arms were shaking.
