Page 13 of Warrior Rescued

“Oh, it’s to clean my teeth.” She demonstrated, scrubbing the fibers over her front teeth. “I learned this trick from my dad when we’d go camping. I used to think he was nuts since we brought toothbrushes, now I’m grateful. I wouldn’t want to go to sleep with junk on my teeth. It would really suck to get a cavity here. You want to try?”

She held the other stick out to Payim but he shook his head.

Yeah, it would probably be weird having me clean his teeth for him.She grimaced, reminded of the disaster when she attempted to clean other parts of him.

As she finished her teeth another dilemma occurred to her and her gaze again landed on his tied hands. She needed to go relieve herself before retiring for the night and he probably did, too.

“I’ll wash up.” She grabbed the dishes and swiftly stood, taking them to her worktable.

He’s been very pleasant and congenial,she reasoned as she debated untying him, but again her shoulders stiffened, anxiety threading through her.What are you looking for to convince you to release him?

She wasn’t really sure what it would take to convince her. She’d been so lonely for so long, with only herself to talk to, the last hour had been like a dream. The prospect of sharing the burden of survival or even, dare she hope, rescue made her ecstatic. Except, for all those reasons, she couldn’t trust her own judgment. Her fingers trembled as she wiped out the bowl and cleaned the platter, her mind vacillating back and forth.

Just ask him,she goaded herself. It would be cruel to make him hold it.

“It’s getting late. Do you need to relieve yourself before we go to sleep?” She tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

Payim shook his head no, and a relieved sigh nearly burst out of her mouth.

“Okay. I’ll be back.”

She hustled out of the cave, scrambling over the big rock that struck Payim near the entrance. Thankfully it was dusk and the wasps were dormant as she picked her way to her bathroom spot.

“You’re a fucking mess,” she mumbled to herself as she tugged down her pants and squatted.

She’d been given a reprieve for tonight, but tomorrow she’d have to release Payim for sure. The horrific image of the reptiles killing Sidi played over and over in her mind. They’d thought the reptiles would help them and had been horribly wrong. If she chose wrong this time, who would watch over her slumbering colonists? A tear slipped down her cheek as another terrible thought occurred to her that was nearly as bad as death.

What if he just leaves?Maybe Payim wasn’t a bad guy, like her inner voice kept insisting.But that doesn’t mean he’s willing to help. He could reach out to his people and leave you, especially after what you’ve done to him.

Her stomach twisted in knots as more tears fell. She finished doing her business and hurried back into the cave.

“I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day.” She avoided looking at him so he hopefully didn’t see that she’d been crying, and rinsed her hands.

As Elena dimmed the light and turned to lie down, it occurred to her she’d tied up Payim right next to her sleeping nest.

Crap.

She quickly scrubbed her eyes and approached him.

“Um, it gets pretty cold at night.”

She leaned over him and grabbed the bundle of small blankets she’d woven together from salvaged clothing too tattered to actually wear. Payim was so tall, it took three of the rag blankets to cover him, leaving her just the one. She didn’t mind. He wasn’t used to the nights on Hell. Hopefully, between the few blankets and the dried grass padding beneath him, it would be enough that he didn’t get too cold.

Payim growled something, his tail lifting one of the covers. It was hard to read his expression in the dim light. No doubt he wasn’t impressed.

“Sorry. The blankets are pretty pathetic, but it’s all I’ve got.” She smiled sheepishly.

He shifted uncomfortably and she felt bad. He was probably used to a cushier mattress. Her eyes widened when his tail fished out the pillow she’d made. The way she’d pieced together the scraps, it looked like a volleyball. His brow cocked as he studied the face she’d drawn on it.

“That’s Tom Hanks. It was a joke.” Except it wasn’t entirely a joke, because she’d had one too many conversations with her round pillow.

Swiftly, she grabbed the pillow and tucked it under his head. With the remaining blanket, she hunkered down on the long piece of metal scrap that she used like a sled to haul supplies. It made for a hard bed, but at least it wasn’t a rocky cave floor.

“Goodnight.”

She rested her head on her hands and pulled her knees up, trying to get them under the small cover. Even though she closed her eyes, her mind still churned over everything that had happened. The sound of Payim’s steady breathing, though soothing in so many ways, also served as a reminder of what she was avoiding, and more tears welled up in her eyes.

Please don’t disappoint me. Please don’t leave,she silently begged.

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