I drink.
Every time I glance over at Texon, he’s already looking at me. There’s something different in his expression ever since I woke up in the med lab. I swear he acts like he’s my boyfriend or something. But I must be imagining things. He’s already told me we aren’t compatible.
I shake my head and keep eating.
After I’ve eaten enoughto satisfy Jana and drunk enough to satisfy Heavy, exhaustion starts to creep in. The wired feeling from earlier fades, replaced by a deep tiredness that settles into my bones.
“You need sleep,” Roxy says, noticing. “The rapid healing agent works best when you’re resting. Your body will do the last of its repair work overnight.”
I nod and push back from the table. “Thank you for dinner. And the bone broth. And the recovery blend. And...” I gesture vaguely at all of them. “Everything.”
“Go rest,” Chief grunts. “We will see you in the morning.”
I start to walk towards my room, the one that was ransacked. Texon stops me in the hallway with a hand on my arm. I’m so out of it, I didn’t even realize he was following me.
“Not that room,” he says. “Stay in mine tonight.”
I blink. “Your room?”
“It’s safer. I know the layout better. And your room... the scent of the intruders is still there. You shouldn’t have to sleep with that.”
“Okay,” I say to this flimsy reasoning. “Thank you.” Because sleeping in Texon’s room, with him in there too, does sound much better. Also, I’m super curious to see his personal space.
He opens the door and lets me walk in first.
His room is sparse, clean and masculine. There’s a very large bed, which I assume is Xylan-sized, which means it’s enormous by human standards. He takes his personal crystal out of his pocket and it glows softly blue on the nightstand. Mining gear is stacked neatly in the corner. There’s not much in the way of decorations.
But it smells like him, which is wonderful.
“You can take the bed,” he says. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Texon, no. You’ve slept on floors for two nights already because of me. Look, I’m still wearing the gloves of the unmated. We can both easily sleep on that bed with no skin being touched.”
“I don’t mind the floor.”
“Well, I do.” I gesture at the massive bed. “That thing is huge. There’s plenty of room for both of us. We can both keep our gloves on,” I repeat. “It’s fine.”
He hesitates. His jaw tightens.
“I’m not kicking you out of your own bed,” I continue. “That’s ridiculous. You saved my life today. The least I can do is share. I’d rather go back to my own room than have you sleep on the floor.”
He gives a curt nod in agreement.
I go back to my room to grab my bag, which wasn’t damaged much in the ransack, thankfully. Then I change in his bathroom,pulling on my favorite soft sleep clothes. I glance at myself in the mirror, pleased with the state of my hair and skin. I think that med lab even cleared my skin.
When I emerge I find Texon with his boots off but wearing sleep clothes that seem to cover him from his neck to his toes. And he’s still wearing those gloves of the unmated.
So am I.
I crook an eyebrow. “I see you’re prepared.”
He grunts in agreement. “We cannot touch tonight because you are not ready.”
I don’t quite understand what he means by “not ready” but I’m also a little too tired to get into it right now.
I climb onto the bed — gods, this mattress is comfortable — and slide under the dark covers on the far side. I’ve noticed that the Xylan like dark furniture and fabrics with accents of blood red. Sometimes it’s a bit spooky, but mainly it’s elegant.
“I love your room,” I admit. “It’s really big.”
