Page 33 of Diamond

"Oh, my sweet little angel. Well, you're not little," I chuckle painfully mid-sentence. "But you sure are a cute little weirdo, my sweet little star. You'll stay still for me, won't you?"

He doesn't understand a word of my babbling, but he loves it, shaking the fur on his head and bleating softly.

I wonder if he understands any languages at all because he did not seem to respond to Tehlmar, whose soul I hope is suffering in the deepest parts ofJahannam, when he spoke his language to me or mentioned certain phrases, not until he hit him with that whip.

I have to work hard to keep rage out of my nonsense babbling, which seems to be working, but I can't get the image of that whip out of my mind.

The thought of it stresses me, remembering how he hurt the poor argila. I should have known then that he was complete filth. I shake the thought away. There was no way to know the plans that theharoomzadeschemed in his dirty mind.

I can't start blaming myself for another person's untrustworthiness. Considering no one can be trusted, I'd be drowning in guilt.

While Roshan is distracted, I take the tool from the alien and sigh in relief.

Roshan nudges against me a little too hard and I grunt in pain as I take a step back. Thankfully, the pain seems to be lessening, because the argila isn't making this easy. I can feel the alien's gaze on me as he watches me struggle to get Roshan to stay in one place and try to close his wound. Roshan is more interested in playing with the tool and my fingers than listening to my pleas to stay still.

"Roshan, please. I can't struggle with you so much. It hurts," I plead with him.

"I don't know what you're saying, but it doesn't seem to be working."

I refuse to dignify his words with a response. I bite down hard on my tongue as a punishment for being too weak to do this by myself.

I try to take a deep breath to settle my pride down before I ask for his help. It hurts as bad as the words' taste coming out of my mouth. "I'm a little too battered. Can you do it?"

There is not an ounce of politeness in my voice when I ask, but his ears shift up and the patterns in his cheeks glow distractingly.

When Tehlmar was pummeling me against that tree, I promised myself that I would not speak to another male on this planet unless it was absolutely necessary and that I'd only look for alliesamong females. But now, I revoke that promise because I just have to ask him later whether those are natural or tattooed.

My stupid curiosity.

"If you can find a way to get him still, I will do it."

I stare at him blankly and my voice is monotone when I speak. "That is what I have been trying to do."

The alien reaches for the tool while Roshan leans on my hand that's digging into his fur. "Distract him, like you are doing now. I can stitch him up quickly if he is calm."

I nod my head and place my hand on the other side of the creature's face. "You will stay still for me, won't you?"

Roshan lifts his head from my hand and looks at me questioningly.

I look up and see that the alien is about to use the tool. I try to watch closely and see how he is using it, but the second his fingers touch Roshan's back, he growls and kicks out at him.

The alien dodges it swiftly and then darts toward us, grabbing the tool from the argila's back.

"Roshan, stop it," I say in a sharper tone. "He is trying to help."

The shift in tone startles him and he freezes. I refuse to coo at him, and he tilts his head to the corner, his nose going to nudge my shoulder when I continue to look at him sternly. The alienworks swiftly while I try to keep a straight face with the creature nuzzling me, its soft fur tickling against my neck.

"I am finished. Does he have any other wounds?"

I start to say no, then I remember that Tehlmar speared him in the chest with his weird, pointy feet. It was the first time that Roshan left my side, in fear of his own life. I'm glad he saved himself.

"Yes, on his chest. Tehlmar hit him."

He looks at me, confused.

"The male you killed," I spit out, my tone venomous.

"He deserved it."

---