Page 57 of Meteor Storm

“Do not go anywhere that will get you in trouble,” I said after her.

Once I was alone in that hallway with my own thoughts, I found myself turning back around to look at Penny’s door. We’d placed her in a small storage chamber with a heating orb. It wasn’t exactly a suitable living area, but she was not going to be with us for long. It would have to do.

I stared at her door for some time before making my way toward it again. I lifted my hand toward the control panel to open it and let it hover, hesitating to go back inside. She was resting. My presence would be inappropriate. Unneeded.

But I wanted to be there when she woke up.

So, I remained outside.

I had been appointed guard duty on many occasions for various clients. Many days outside of a client’s quarters, unfed and unrested, was not new to me. Turning, I faced the hall, waiting for her to wake and hoping that when she did, she would be well rested and healed. When she came out, I would be there waiting.

Not even a full rotation later, I heard Penny stirring within her quarters. I listened to the way she began to squirm in her bed a little, her breath growing more strained. It was very faint and inconsistent. I almost went inside, wondering if she needed help, until I heard her stand and begin pacing the room. Her steps were slow and uneven as if she was getting her bearings.

It took time for her to finally head toward the entrance. It hissed open and I saw her step out beside me, her hair pulled into a sloppy knot on top of her head. Her head snapped upward to meet my eyes with a startled gasp.

“Thilar,” she said, surprised to see me.

The initial shock quickly faded, giving way to a tranquility I’d never seen in her before. Relief… because she saw me. I didn’t know why, but that filled me with pride.

“Were you standing here the whole time?”

“Yes. I did not want you to wake alone. You’ve found yourself in another unfamiliar place. I am sure you will need adjusting.”

“You could have come in, you know.”

I swallowed, my hands flexing subtly behind my back at the disappointed tone in those words.

“We are not on Mekah anymore, Penny,” I said softly. “We have the luxury of separate quarters and our own beds and you no longer have need of my body heat.”

She flinched like the words had visibly flown past her vision and then she nodded, pressing her lips together.

“Right. I just meant you didn’t have to stand here. How long have I been sleeping?”

“Not long. How are you feeling?”

She moved her body about, rolling her shoulders and sliding her hands along her thighs a few times.

“Good as new. Thank you.”

The tenderness in her voice was unlike her usual tone. She was swallowing emotions she didn’t want to show, but I knew how much that implant meant. I’d never seen her break apart like that, even when she first arrived on Mekah Prime, those emotions were different. I did not fancy seeing her like that again, full of fear and panic over such a small object rather than a herd of stampeding nozun.

“Your breathing and behavior picked up only moments ago,” I said. “Were you under some kind of stress?”

She shifted on her feet as if uncomfortable. “I take it monrians don’t have bad dreams?”

“It is not a useful—”

“Let me guess. They engineered it out of you.”

Her tone turned bitter and I instantly knew what she was feeling.

“We do not often linger on moments that would jeopardize our performance,” I said carefully, taking a moment to study her demeanor. “You are thinking of Mekah? Or your experiences on Earth?”

“Both,” she shrugged. “And I’ll admit, the idea of post-traumatic stress being engineered out of me sounds great.”

That incessant protective need festered in me all of a sudden even though Penny was in no danger there. I wanted to take her hand and press her against my side—bring her with me everywhere I went. It was outrageously uncharacteristic of me.

Perhaps it was not wise for Yuros to appoint me to Penny’s wellbeing. Yes, I knew more about her than others, but I was compromised. Even Penny’s scent as she stood there beside me was burrowing deep, sending small but noticeable threads of heat through my skin.