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I had to get him blood soon before he caused the whole planet to erupt in flames.
"This is a temporary setback." I fell in step beside him. "We’ll get to the ship, get you fed, and then remove the collar. No sweat."
He shook his head. "Don’t try to soothe me."
I decided to keep my mouth closed before I said something I'd regret later. Perhaps they sent the wrong person on this mission after all. I was a practical medic, not a smooth-talking person who could persuade Varus to kick the doom and gloom. Maybe I should have asked for pointers from the Wanderstar Fleet commander’s mate. I heard she used to be a diplomat before she left Earth.
It was going to take a lot more than gentle diplomacy to get Varus to a state of health again. For the first time in my career, I wasn’t sure if I had what it took.
***
We walked for hoursthrough the woods in silence. Our feet crunching against the twigs and dried leaves on the forest floor were the only sounds. That, and my occasional cough. With each mile we traveled, the toxic yellow plant mist grew thicker. My fabric mask did little to keep it from entering my nose and mouth.
"This stuff is making my life miserable."
Varus heard me whine. "Best not to exert yourself." He spoke without making eye contact with me.
I wanted him to look at me. Perhaps my reaction came from years of being a woman in the military. We weren’t taken seriously. On Earth, some male soldiers talked down to me even if I outranked them. My experiences in the Wanderstar Fleet were much better, but every so often, a guy would rush to remind me we had different body parts, and he thought his were more valuable than mine.
I didn’t assume Varus was being a chauvinist, but something changed. Why didn’t he want to look at me like he did before? Was he still angry or embarrassed about the collar incident?
"This mist isn’t affecting you."
"It doesn’t tend to bother people from this galaxy. Humans and Quareks have it worse."
"There has to be something I can do."
He picked up a long branch in front of him and tossed it to one side. "Racopian scientists once experimented with the plant. They told me locals can pass immunity on to others through contact."
"We have to exchange DNA for it to work?"
"I’m not taking your blood. Don’t even ask."
I took a seat at the base of a tree. "There’s more than one way to exchange DNA." I couldn’t believe I was about to ask this of him. "This might sound unorthodox." I stopped mid-sentence to catch my breath. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
He frowned and grumbled with impatience. "You’re starting to look ill. Tell me what you need so I can help you."
I gulped in a breath. "Kiss me."
"Hm?" His frown disappeared.
I pushed through my embarrassment. "You heard me. Stop being grouchy and kiss me." I straightened up in my seated position. "You do know what a kiss is, right?"
He tilted his head, taking a pondering and thoughtful stance. "What do humans call a kiss?"
I got lightheaded as the yellow mist thickened. "We touch our lips to each other. Sometimes, if things feel right, we might go a step further."
"And then what?"
"You’re going to make me spell it out?" I covered my face as a big yellow cloud drifted by. "We taste each other. Or French kiss, it’s called, or kissing with tongue involved."
"One nation invented that form of kiss? I don’t believe it."
"They didn’t, I’m sure. It’s just, come on, Varus, can we stop this before I pass out?"
He got in close and cradled the back of my head in his large hand. "I wouldn’t want you to faint on my account."
I rolled my eyes. They were in mid-roll as I felt him press his mouth against mine. My eyes closed as I felt his warm lips. They were soft like I imagined. My pulse leaped as I fully realized what we were doing.This is strictly for survival. My words echoed, hollow, in my mind as my body ignored them.
