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Her skin takes on an even paler pallor as she sits there, her eyes becoming unfocused on the wall behind me. She’s going into shock. I drag a deep breath in, forcing myself to relax, so my fangs retract as my talons have. I don’t need to be hovering over her in a beastly form like that.

She doesn’t speak as I wet some cloth with antiseptic liquid. “This will sting.” I slide my hand on her unmarred cheek to hold her head still. My chest loosens when she tilts her head into my touch. Even with the vacant look in her eyes, she is giving me her trust.

Stars, she’s so small. Her head fits in my hand, and her hair feels like ribbons of silk winding through my fingers. She flinches as I run the soaked material over the first cut.

“I’m sorry,” I say, running my thumb over the smooth skin of her other cheek.

“You know,” she says without moving her head, “I almost had him right before you showed up.” The light is coming back in her eyes.

“You did?”

“Yep. Kneed him really good in the area I assumed genitals were. That’s why he was choking me.” Her voice is a bit rough, likely from being choked. “I’m actually a lot tougher than I look.”

“A fierce, tiny human,” I smirk at her.

“I’m not tiny. From what I understand I’m tall for the average human woman.”

“You’re child size for the Zeahiri.” I dig around in the cabinet for the cream that should quicken healing and prevent scarring. “What do you mean from what you understand?”

She shrugs. “I’ve never met another human. Did you see that there was an older male human in the pub? That was the first look I’ve ever gotten at one.”

“No, my focus was elsewhere.”

“Do you think Altis is okay?”

“Yes. He’s one of the only males who can spar with me and occasionally come out on top. He is fine.”

“It was four on one.”

“He could handle a dozen.”

I grab all the used supplies and toss them into the trash shoot. Neev slides off the counter and walks into the bedroom. She grabs clean clothes and looks at me.

“I’m going to shower off all the blood,” she says.

“Okay.” She looks to the door as if wanting me to leave.

I always forget that humans are more reserved about nudity, so I step out into the living room. But I have no plans to leave my quarters. I have to figure out how I knew she was in trouble before Altis yelled for help down our connection. I was already running for her, a tug from within directing me.

As I change into a clean uniform, I can’t stop myself from trying to figure out an answer to the mystery. Could it be from scent marking her? Did that somehow trigger a connection between us, or at least forge the foundation of one? Her terror hit me with the force of a boulder on my chest. My fangs and talons instantly extending to fight whatever or whoever threatened her. I’ve never reacted like that to anything before.

But seeing her held against the wall like that, her face turning blue, I went into a rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I knew I shouldn’t have let her off the ship. Outposts are lawless and attract the worst scourge of the galaxy. At least Cuna has already found what they need and has already begun fixing the drive.

The water stops, and I hear her moving around behind the closed door. My fingers flex on the back of the couch. I might look relaxed, but I’m still pulled so tight I could snap.

She walks out of the bedroom with her damp hair plaited and wrapped on top of her head. She’s pulled on a set of the uniform we wear for training. The black material seems to suck the life from her skin and makes the purple bruise on her cheek stick out in stark contrast.

“I didn’t realize you’d still be here,” she says, dropping onto the other end of the couch.

“I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

A brief smile lifts the corners of her lips. “I’ll be fine. Were you speaking telepathically with Altis today?”

“Yes.”

“Is that how you knew I was in trouble?”

“He did alert me.” I’m keeping the tug to myself until I understand it.