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39
With Caryn showing a little more color in her cheeks, Aidan managed to convince Onnika to take a break from her bedside vigil, leaving Lear and Asher to watch over Caryn. He was still working to shrug off the terror that had gouged him when he believed he’d lost her. It lingered like an illness, ramping up moment by moment his need to touch her, pull her close. But he held his distance, sensing she needed space. She was processing too much to worry about easing his anxiety.
When he could stand it no longer, he took her hand, rewarded with a zing of pleasure when her fingers closed around his. She glanced up at him, and the simple, if small, smile on her lips caressed his heart.
Because he thought it might make her feel better, he brought her to see Zeek, who refused to rest as ordered. Instead he was camped out in the rec room, watching highlights of The Gauntlet like he was studying for a test.
At seeing this, Onnika tensed. “He’s not planning to run it, is he?”
No way would Aidan allow that. “I’ll chain him to his bunk before I let that happen.”
“Who better to run The Gauntlet than me?” Zeek exclaimed, having overheard them. “It’s just a large puzzle, and I’m not all that injured.” But then he winced in pain, effectively negating his claim. “Hi, Onnika. Glad to see you’re all right. How’s Caryn doing?”
“She hasn’t woken up yet,” Onnika sorrowfully replied.
“But she seems to be improving,” Aidan added hastily.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Zeek smiled, then flinched when a cut on his lip split open. He reached up to softly pat away a bead of blood with his fingertips.
At the sight, Onnika burst out, “I’m so sorry, Zeek!”
Laboring to stand, Zeek limped over to give her a one-armed hug. Aside from his swollen cheek, lip, and matching black eyes, the only other evidence of his beating was the brace on his left arm. But Aidan knew that Zeek’s clothes concealed welts and gashes all up and down his body, and he had several broken ribs. “Sorry for what? That I’m such a screwup? Everyone’s sorry about that. Especially me.”
“This is all my fault,” she cried.
He stepped back. “It’s no one’s fault but the assholes who invaded us. Besides, now I have a good story to tell my kids…if I can still have any.” He surreptitiously adjusted his crotch. “They’ll probably come out horned and cross eyed, which, let’s be honest,” he gestured to himself, “would be an improvement.”
Obviously, he was trying to make Onnika laugh, but she wasn’t in the mood for humor. “Promise me you won’t run The Gauntlet,” she demanded.
Flippantly, he shrugged.
“Please,” she begged. “There’s no reason to. We’re out of the race.”
“Not if Vin can scrounge enough parts.”
“There’s too much damage,” Aidan informed him. “We’d need to scrounge up a whole new ship. And even if we could, I’ll not let us continue. The danger is too great. We nearly lost...everything today.” He glanced at Onnika as the terrifying realization washed through him anew.
She took his hand, instinctively understanding his sudden need for comfort. For her.
Back in the hall, she said, “Fifty-fifty chance he does it anyway. For no other reason than to see if he can.”
“You know this for sure?” Aidan asked, picking up on the firm note of confidence in her tone.
She shrugged, looking a bit miserable and evasive. “Just a hunch.”
He strongly suspected it was more than a hunch. “I knew a Faieara once who could read the future of others.”
“Really?” Onnika replied airily, but her sudden tenseness told him she was wary of the subject. “Bet that would make life much easier.”
“Not really,” he said. “She’s not able to control it how she’d like and must make physical contact with someone before she can even catch a glimpse of their future.”
“Hmm. That would complicate things, I suppose.”
“Is that how things work for you? Does your magic require some sort of physical contact?”
“Are you trying to guess what I can do? I suppose there’s no reason to deny it any longer.” She surprised him by shooting him a sly grin, a bit of her misery falling away. “Well, go on, then. Let’s hear your theories.”
He smiled, delighted the topic wasn’t off limits. “Okay. You told Caryn you should have seen Tag coming, which makes me think you might receive visions of the future. Perhaps just your own?” He raised a quizzical brow.
