“I’m okay,” I whispered, letting the shovel fall. There was a layer of dark blood on the handle from my palms.
Rylen took my shoulder. “How about a hot shower? Top says there’s no need to conserve water.” He leaned in so only I could hear. “He also said there are plenty of rooms, and we’re welcome to have one to ourselves . . . if you want.”
I pulled back to look up at him, and to my surprise he looked nervous. Was this the equivalent of him asking me to move in with him? Despite my pain and exhaustion, I managed a small smile.
“I want that.”
God, his returning grin was so adorable. My heart ached with love. We walked together to one of the barracks buildings. While we’d been digging and burying, other soldiers had been busy taking inventory of supplies, goods, and rooms. There was so much space. Being able to walk around outside and breathe deeply without smelling bodily fluids and cleaning supplies was surreal. Wonderful. Something I never wanted to take for granted, because there was no telling if or when we’d have to go underground again. Especially when Rylen told me about the rogue humans that the DRI had been using.
“From what we can tell from the surveillance, they checked in with the Baelese on base every Saturday afternoon and Wednesday morning.”
“What’s today?” How sad that I couldn’t keep track anymore.
“It’s Monday. They provided them with food and other necessities if they kept an eye out for straggler humans and turned them in.”
I shook my head. “What are we going to do about them?”
“That’s the next mission. When they come Wednesday, we have to pretend to be Baelese when we let them in. Then they have the choice to work with us or die. Hopefully some of them still have their humanity and will make the right choice.”
I tensed as we walked. The thought of killing humans when there were so few of us left . . . what a waste.
We stopped at a linens room for sheets, towels, and soap. Then I followed Rylen to a room on the second floor at the end of the hall. It was plain, but beautiful in my eyes. Two twin beds with striped mattresses, two basic dressers, and two metal desks with chairs. All we had was us, and the clothes on our backs, so to have this space to call our own felt like heaven. I peeked into the bathroom made up of small, white tiles that had turned dingy off-white over the years. One sink. One toilet. One standing shower. All in a compacted space.
Yep, heaven.
Rylen turned the water on, and we both stripped down. He didn’t make a move. We stepped into the shower together. I cleaned him with the bar of soap, and he cleaned me, kissing both of my shoulders in turn. He watched as I held my torn palms under the water, my teeth clenching in a wince. When we got out, he helped to dry me. I could barely keep my eyes open. We went into the room, wrapped in towels. I reached for my medic bag, but Rylen grabbed it and pointed to the nearest chair.
“Let me.”
I sat and let Rylen tend my wounds. Once they were wrapped, we made the beds and pushed them together. I flopped onto mine, my eyes drooping. Ry threw the blanket over me, then dropped his towel and climbed in, pulling me into a spooning position. The room was chilly, but he was so warm against me. I wondered if he would make a move, because I would totally wake up for that, but he never did. He just kissed me under my ear and said, “I love you. Sleep.”
So, I did.
