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Ven woke with a jolt when she heard whimpering. Syar was lying next to her and making sounds of distress. She touched him, and his hand struck her across the cheek, but she returned to him and stroked his jaw and neck. “Easy, Syar. Everything is fine. You are good. You are home. You are safe.”
She continued until he stilled and fell into a deeper sleep. She got up and headed to the bathroom, making a cold compress with a hand towel and pressing it to her cheek. It was the chance she took working with traumatized sleepers.
Ven refreshed the compress and put it on her cheek. It was a solid hit, but she would heal. She just wanted to minimize it in case he felt guilty.
Reynaldo loomed in the mirror. “What happened?”
“He was upset and lashed out. Now I know he has a contact trigger.”
“Let me see.”
“No. It will heal.”
“Let me see.” He ran the assertion through his mark. Damn, she was hoping he had forgotten about it.
She lowered the cloth, and he looked at the red mark that was going to grow up to be a bruise.
He sighed. “He didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“Right. That is why he prods at every sensitive topic in my life. I have cried more today than in the past year. Thinking about it hurts.”
“He just wants you to give yourself up to him.”
“Just? If I give everything, what is left for me?”
He leaned in, and she tensed as he licked her injury. “What do you want?”
A thousand bits of hope rushed through her link, and then she cut them off. “I want to act as his companion for three hundred and sixty-four days and then go back and resume my life.”
“What if he offers you a life here?”
“There isn’t a contingency for that in my contract.” She started shaking. She was tired, stressed, and hungry.
She tried to walk past him, but he was standard alpha width. Huge. Ven put a shaking hand on his arm and tried to get past him.
He said softly, “Pull strength through the link.”
“I don’t know how, and it’s too light.”
“I can give you a stronger link, but I don’t want to do that to you. Your experiences have not been good.”
“Understatement. I just need some sleep.”
He nodded and let her pass.
She curled up at the edge of the bed and shivered herself to sleep.
A hand shook her roughly to wake her. Myele looked furious. When Ven sat up, she was hauled over to her quarters, and the door was eased closed. “Get dressed, and we will get going.”
Ven got dressed with her hands shaking. A set of sandals was given to her, and she got up and followed the housekeeper out of the residence.
They walked through the dawn light and to the light inside the salon and spa. Myele spoke rapidly in the local language, and the woman eyed Ven and nodded. She was given a robe to put on over her clothes and led into the spa, where her mani-pedi was taken care of.
She remained quiet while her feet and hands were scrubbed raw. They would heal. Her nails and toenails were painted matte grey. It wasn’t a particularly good colour for her, but when that was done, she was given an abrasive facial, and then it was time for her hair. The shampoo was rough, the brushing was awkward, and when she was turned toward the mirror, she was unsurprised to see she had an inch of hair all over her head. She got up and removed the haircut bib, and when she passed the counter, the woman grabbed her by the arm.
“Payment.”
“Send the bill to Syar and Reynaldo. I am too tired to play this game.”
