Page 28 of Healer (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #4)

Silently, I scooped Agnes into my arms and carried her to the bathroom.

Tears streamed down her face, but I knew this time it wasn’t from pain.

She felt embarrassed, which seemed silly to me since spending time with my head between her thighs ranked as one of my favorite pastimes.

But this wasn’t about our intimate knowledge of each other’s bodies.

This was about her loss of control and independence.

Rage flared toward those who had done this to her, and I vowed to make the entire Ulkommanian race pay for hurting her.

For now, though, my every move, my every word served to show Agnes that I considered it my greatest honor to care for her.

Once finished, I gently scooped Agnes into my arms and carried her back to the bedroom.

Although her cheeks remained a deep pink, her body relaxed, giving me hope that the tea had managed to give her some relief.

Thankfully, the tea held somnolent as well as analgesic effects, and Agnes’ eyes drooped as I laid her against the pillows, covering her naked form with a lightweight blanket.

“Rest, my Aggie. I’ll be right here.” I stroked my fingers through her hair, noticing that it seemed to calm her despite the laboriousness of her breathing. Thankfully, she was asleep within minutes.

I needed to find a way to help her. I had no knowledge of this ALS and my memory files had so far proven woefully inadequate.

I reached for the Medi-unit atop of the dresser…

a useless piece of technology without a power source.

Siereita owned a Gilese crystal, given to her by an admirer, but it proved too small to power the unit.

Still, I couldn’t help but try repeatedly removing and reseating the crystal, sending silent prayers to the goddess, hoping the machine would magically come to life each time.

The futility of my efforts weighed heavily, yet I couldn’t give up hope that, somehow, I would find a way to make it work. I had too… for Aggie.

“Can you heal her with that?”

Siereita leaned against the doorframe, holding a tray loaded with bread and a bowl of something that smelled like meat stew in her hands.

“No,” I admitted. “But it can ease her pain if I could get the damn thing to work.”

Siereita snorted, striding over and placing the tray on the table before me. “You need to eat and rest, Hakkar.”

My gaze drifted towards the bed, taking in the deep furrow etched between Agnes’ brows. “I can’t sleep, not while she’s....” I trailed off, not bringing myself to say the words, but they lingered in my soul.

So sick.

In such agony.

Plus, the one thought that struck my heart with an icy shard simply because I knew it to be true.

Near death .

I barked a frustrated, derisive laugh, remembering the other reason I would not let myself rest until the Bardaga arrived. “Plus, I wasn’t exactly subtle in affecting her rescue.”

“I heard,” Siereita commented dryly.

“Do you think we are in danger?” I cocked a brow, trepidation prickling along my spine.

“No,” she sighed, pinching off a nibble of bread. “Most here do not condone the slave trade the Ulkommanian deal in.

“Good.” Agnes moaned, and I jerked toward her, hovering until she seemed to ease.

Siereita’s slender fingers rested on my shoulder, a touch filled with compassion and friendship. It was a simple gesture, but one that spoke volumes.

“I have made inquiries, and it appears a merchant on south street has a Gilese crystal that will work in the Medi-unit.” Her voice rose barely above a murmur, not wanting to disturb Agnes.

“How much?” I asked and steeled myself for the answer.

“I do not know, but the shop is owned by a Targulani, and they love to negotiate.”

That sounded promising. Targulani were born merchants and would swap their mothers if it made a good deal.

I still possessed many credits, although probably not enough to buy the crystal outright.

If the merchant would bargain, I would trade my weapons.

.. my skills... even my soul to help her.

I glanced at Agnes. Even though she seemed to rest peacefully, I hesitated to leave her side.

“I will go buy the crystal.” Siereita offered, following my gaze.

“Thank you.” I stood, my hand finding her shoulder and giving a squeeze.

Normally, a Ntavian pleasurer would see the touch as a signal of desire.

Thankfully, Siereita seemed to understand that I only wished to convey gratitude.

Retrieving my leather pouch from atop the dresser, I placed it in her hand.

She gave the bag a small bounce, weighing its contents before closing her fingers around it.

“Use every single credit if you need.”

Siereita nodded, her gaze flickering to Agnes. I noticed a shimmer of wetness in her bright green eyes before she turned away. I listened as the Ntavian’s footsteps moved quickly, leaving the shop with haste.

Please Valana, let her be successful.

I pulled a chair to the side of the bed, gingerly taking Agnes’ hand in mine.

A momentary grimace crossed her face, but I held on, unable to resist the need to touch her.

The tea seemed to help, thank the goddess.

Her skin had lost the grayish pallor, and her breathing seemed less strained and raspy.

I believed in science… in what I could touch and see.

And while I believed in the existence of the goddess Valana, I’d never considered myself the religious sort.

Yet now, sitting by Agnes’ side, feeling more helpless than when my brother bled out in my arms, I bowed my head.

I prayed to the goddess and every other deity I managed to recall, even those from my Earth studies— Buddha, Allah, Jesus, God Jehovah, and Vishnu—repeating the same intercession.

Please protect my Aggie.

I laid my head on the pillow, wanting to be near, and watched her breathe, comforted by the rise and fall of her chest.

The sound of a door slamming jerked me awake. My gaze frantically scanned Agnes, but she still dozed, although now a faint frown creased her forehead. I attuned myself to the intruder, but the cadence and weight of the steps assured me it only Siereita returning.

I rose from the chair as the Ntavian entered, worry gnawing at my gut.

“Did you get it?”

The female held out her hand, a wad of black fabric cradled in her palm. I took the parcel, carefully unwrapping it to reveal the crystal. Gazing upon its deep purple hue, energy emanated from within hinting at the immense power contained within the small object.

“Here.”

I caught the leather pouched Siereita tossed my way, stunned to realize the weight of the bag felt the same. Not a single credit seemed to be missing.

“I don’t understand.” I frowned at both the crystal and my credit pouch. “How did you…?”

“Both of us put together didn’t have the credits to meet the asking price,” Siereita’s lips curved into a sultry smile. “Thankfully, the Targulani was willing to take something else in trade.”

“Something else...” I pondered, her meaning settling in my brain with the force of a punch.

Ntavians were a species bred for pleasure.

From my own youthful experience, I knew lying with one to be intensely pleasurable.

An escapade most males in the galaxy desired.

Targulani were not most males. They were large, rather slimy, and not known for their gentleness.

“Siereita no. As much as I want to ease Aggie... I would never want you to….” The words stuck on my tongue.

Siereita dismissed my attempt at an apology with a wave of her hand.

“It was my decision,” she announced, her lips quirking, before adding, “And pleasure. Who knew Targulani packed so much heat... so to speak?”

I caught her hand, gripping it tightly with my own.

“For the rest of my life... I will never be able to repay your sacrifice.”

The cockiness left her expression, replaced by something part dreamy and part pragmatist. “I didn’t do it for you... or her either.”

“I don’t understand.”

Siereita’s features sharpened into a brilliant smile.

“One day, I want a male who will look at me the same way you look at the human. Perhaps helping you save her will be the gesture fate needs to make it happen.”

I squeezed her hand. “I pray to the goddess to send you a deserving male.”

A subtle shift in Siereita’s expression preceded her stepping away and pulling her hand from mine.

The mask of neutrality on her face was common among her people.

Still, I caught a glimmer of something else behind her cool exterior.

A flicker of uncertainty, perhaps? Or maybe even curiosity.

A rare moment of vulnerability for someone accustomed to hiding her feelings.

“I’ll let you go back and kill the merchant if the crystal doesn’t work,” she quipped, but her eyes held tenderness.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I opened the back panel of the Medi-unit.

The crystal nestled into the designated slot with a satisfying click, and a faint, almost ethereal hum filled the air, hinting at the immense power contained within.

My fingers moved with practiced precision over the dials and buttons, adjusting the calibration.

The machine responded slowly, as if cautiously testing its abilities.

“I can recalibrate the unit to relieve her pain, but it’s old... and slow,” I grumbled.

“I’ll bring you some more food,” Siereita glared at the untouched tray. A thin sheen of grease covered the top of the now cold stew.

I made to stop her, but she froze me with a glare that brooked no argument.

“Ack-ness isn’t the only one that needs to keep up their strength.” Siereita snorted, gathering up the tray and disappearing through the doorway.