A raised eyebrow said that she rather doubted that statement, but she didn’t argue with him, just sat down on a chair she pulled up next to him.
Cormal stood at the opposite end of the room with his eyes trained on Perian.
The other guards were waiting outside the door, at least. Cormal no doubt wanted to be certain that even if he somehow got past Cormal, Perian wouldn’t be able to get away. Perian was glad that no one else was going to see this.
“Would you be more comfortable under a blanket?” the doctor asked.
It was like she could read his mind.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Keep your hands where I can see them!” Cormal spat.
The doctor said dryly, “I rather think he might need to use them.”
Cormal flushed a dull red.
“I can keep my hands above the blanket,” Perian told them, “but I would very much appreciate the blanket.”
He could imagine few situations in which he would be less likely to want to get himself off, but he didn’t actually know what was going to happen once he started to… feed. Even the illusion of a layer of privacy, flimsy and woven as it was, made Perian feel ever-so-slightly better.
“Thank you,” Perian said, after the doctor had helped him arrange the blanket around himself.
She sat down again.
Cormal stewed, visibly annoyed, across the room.
Perian continued to sit on the bed as he tried to think about just about anything other than what was actually going on here.
And then, of course, somethingwasgoing on, and he didn’t have to ask if they’d started, because he knew they had. Part of him was morbidly curious about how Brannal had arranged this and exactly what the set-up was. If Perian could only see thecorridor now, was it lined with people just waiting to come into the room next to his? He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to do that. Or was there a discreet system, where people were being kept separated or around a corner or something?
It seemed ludicrous, but people cared about Renny, Perian knew that. He thought that Brannal probably wouldn’t have said anything about Kee, because it was possible the whole thing wouldn’t work. But if he told them this was for Renny, that it was a chance to make her well, as crazy as it sounded… Yes, Perian could imagine people agreeing to it.
And it felt all right, he supposed. There was an instinctive part of him that was delighted, that could feel that heady buzz of arousal and wanted nothing more than to drink it down.
But there was part of him now that wasawareof what was happening, that knew this wasn’t simple, entirely voluntary pleasure, and that spoiled it, a little.
But he didn’t suppose it could ever be as enjoyable as it used to be, because that had been before Perian’s life had been torn apart.
He sighed quietly and said, “It’s working.”
“What?” Cormal snapped.
Perian looked at him, annoyed.
“What do you mean, what? I told you I would tell you if it’s working, and itis. Whoever is next door is having sex, and I can feel it. All right?”
Cormal was glaring at Perian like this was all his fault, likehehad asked for this.
And sure, yes, technically Perian had requested this weird event, but it wasn’t forhim, it was Renny and Kee.
Cormal addressed the doctor. “Go and tell them it’s working.”
She regarded him very steadily. Cormal’s jaw clenched.
“Please,” he added through gritted teeth.
She rose to her feet and went to report the news. Perian kind of loathed the man right now, but a small part of him respected the fact that he wouldn’t let the doctor be alone with Perian when he really thought it was unsafe.
