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“He also treated your wounds at the scene, carried you back here, and then called for help. I’m Dr. Clark and I was part of the group that came to assist you,” someone new joined the conversation and Rin moved her head enough to catch sight of the speaker. A human woman with graying brown hair and a warm smile stood not far from Axe.
“Hi, Doctor.” She had to force the next words out past her suddenly tight throat. “Did I lose the leg? I know it was bad…”
Axe smiled tightly. “You’re still in one piece, sunshine.”
“Yes, you are. I wish I could take credit for that, but all I did was regenerate your lesser injuries and treat you for shock and pain. The rest…” She looked at Axe and gave him an approving smile. “You can thank Axe for that.”
Rin looked at Axe, but the big man avoided her gaze. “Axe? What happened?”
The doctor cleared her throat. “I think that’s our cue to leave. We’ll be downstairs with the others. I’m sure they’ll want to hear the good news.”
She caught sight of several others as they retreated. None of them looked familiar. Two were Vardarian males, along with at least two more cyborgs—one male and one female. “Thank you,” she managed to raise her voice enough to be heard as they left.
Once they were alone, Rin gingerly sat up and looked around. “I see Hera and Amun, but where are the other subjects? Are they okay?” she asked.
“Douglas lost his mind when he found out what happened. He wanted both you and the hawks returned to his camp immediately. The doctor told him that wasn’t going to happen, and she was more qualified than a field medic to deal with your injuries. We had to send the hawks back, though. Douglas insisted. They headed out before the storm hit. Hera and Amun confirmed their safe arrival.”
Hearing that the other subjects were safe eased some of the knots in her stomach. The rest of the knots would have to wait until Axe explained things.
She raised the blanket to check and determined that she had on one of Axe’s shirts and not much else. Fraxx, who had undressed her? She hoped it had been the lady doctor, but a small part wondered if it had been Axe… and if he’d liked what he’d seen.
She decided to blame that entirely inappropriate thought on whatever pain blockers she’d been given and tried to focus on more practical matters, like taking stock of her surroundings. Sunlight streamed through a pair of windows, one of which was open to let in a warm breeze. Instead of a wall, the other side of the room had a railing. Hera and Amun were perched on it, both of them watching her intently.
Beyond the rail and the hawks was a vaulted ceiling over what she assumed was a living area of some kind. The wall ahead of her had a large, elegantly carved wardrobe and a door that led into a room with tiled floors. Probably a sanitation room. An open archway was cut into the wall beside the bed, leading into yet another room. A walk-in closet maybe? That didn’t seem likely for a man with Axe’s practical tastes.
His home wasn’t what she’d envisioned at all. She’d expected something more rustic and simple. Once Axe had explained things, she was eager to look around.
That’s when it finally struck her. She had no pain. She felt fine. Better than that, even. She felt amazing.
“Remind me to ask the doctor what pharma she gave me. I’m clear headed and pain free. I didn’t know that was possible.”
Axe cleared his throat and then sat down on the bed beside her. “It’s not. I mean, the doctor gave you something for the pain yesterday, but it should be out of your system by now.”
“Yesterday?” That couldn’t be right. The attack had only been a few hours ago. Hadn’t it?
He gently covered her hand with his, and she twisted it so she could twine their fingers together. “Tell me what’s going on. Please.”
“The attack was yesterday afternoon. You passed out when I put the tourniquet on your leg and didn’t come fully awake again until now. It’s midmorning.”
“I’ve been out for most of a day?”
“You have. Hera has stayed with you since I brought you here. Amun’s hunted for both of them, but she’s refused to eat.”
Rin glanced over at her hawk. “You need to eat, Hera. Go. I’m okay.”
The hawk bobbed her head, launched herself off the rail, and flew out the open window. Amun followed her.
“Those two are closer than ever,” she observed. “That might be a problem when I go.”
Axe’s fingers tightened around hers. “About that. You, uh.” He paused to scrub a hand through his beard, swore softly, and continued. “You can’t leave.”
“What? Why not? Wait, you mean I can’t go right away because I’ll need time to recover?”
“No.” He turned to look at her with haunted eyes and a grim expression. “Do you remember anything after the attack? We had a conversation before you lost consciousness.”
Rin racked her brain, trying to remember. She’d wanted to see his face again before she died. “I remember bits of it.”
“Good. I asked you to stay with me. You said you wanted to. I may have taken that as permission.”
