Page 20 of Warrior's Captive
“Agreed.”
“Alert me when your female wakes,” Vykhan said, then went silent as he left the comm line.
8
Vivian foughta haze of unnatural sleep, the surface under her back firm. The air was an ambient temperature for once; normally they keep the cells chilled. It was harder to fight back when you were freezing.
How many times was it this week? How many times she’d inhaled the odorless gas and then woke with a lingering antiseptic scent in her nostrils, a burn in her throat and small, neat bandages covering needle pricks on her veins.
“You’re safe, Viv,” a smooth, masculine voice said.
That wasn’t right; her captors never spoke to her.
But it was a familiar voice. Her arms itched even as her back relaxed, tension draining away. She knew that voice, recalled steady eyes set in a handsome face. He would never hurt her. He had saved her.
Vivian frowned. Wait . . . what?
“Vivian?”
Something in the voice warned her all was not well. Anger and stress were emotions her ears had become attuned to hear.
Eyes opening, the veil of drug-induced sleep fell away, and she knew she wasn’t in a cell, wasn’t being subjected to—
Turning her head, she jerked involuntarily. “Get that away!” She shoved the narrow tray away from her bedside and it clattered to the floor.
“Vivian,” Tai’ri said, grabbing her hand. “You’re safe. You know where you are?”
She tugged her hand, and he released her. “I know where I am.”
The small room was one of the intake chambers Abeyya had shown her, where they placed mothers with appointments who preferred to wait in privacy rather than in the common area.
“Did you do something to me when I was unconscious?” She bared her teeth at him.
His expression hardened but his voice remained gentle. “No. No one will do anything to you while you aren’t awake to give consent.”
“Then what is that stuff for?”
The door opened and Abeyya entered, pausing as she surveyed the mess of vials, needles, and other instruments. She crossed the room, touching a wall panel. It slid open, and she extracted supplies to clean the mess.
“She flailed as she was waking,” Tai’ri murmured to his sister.
“I don’t need you to cover for me.” Vivian’s voice was sharp. “I knocked it down. And I will again if anyone ever comes near me with that stuff.” Tears scored her eyes. She swiped at them, furious.
“All right, Viv. It’s all right.”
Abeyya disposed of the mess and turned to Vivian. “Please pardon me. I should have kept the supplies put away until you woke.” She gave her brother an oblique look.
“What happened?” Vivian asked.
The looks between the siblings changed.
“I don’t want to alarm you. We performed a basic diagnostic. There is a substance in your bloodstream we believe is a sedative. A strong one. I did inject you with a general counter agent. I deemed it important to get you awake. I apologize if this is not what you would have preferred.”
Vivian waved a hand. She wasn’t going to complain that they acted without her consent in order to wake her up. As long as that was the only thing they had done, then she had no reason to not trust them.
Tai’ri hovered with his hands in his pockets again, shoulders slightly hunched as he eyed her. It was odd to see such a tall, muscular warrior seem so apprehensive of her reactions. But then, she had something he wanted and evidently he wasn’t willing to coerce her into giving it to him.
“I don’t understand,” Vivian said. She glanced at her arm. “I felt a bug bite on my upper arm. A sting.”
