She looked down at her own dress and up again. “Same here.”
He squeezed her hands. “Come and have a seat. I have arranged a meal to be consumed over the next three hours.”
She stared at him. “Three hours?”
“I got details about your condition from Mbrak, so I spoke to the chef, and we worked out a plan so that you can enjoy your evening.”
Styra needed to get to work early in the morning, but if she was careful, she might be able to get enough sleep before tomorrow morning and her routine of injections and painkillers.
He walked to a sliding wall and escorted her to a second chamber with a low table and cushions on the floor. She knelt on one of the cushions, and he didn’t sit across from her but sat next to her. The server came in through a panel that was barely visible and set a tea set out as well as a small carafe of wine with a large glass and a small glass.
She looked at it and grinned. “This looks like it is going to be fun.”
He smiled. “I certainly hope you enjoy it.”
The first course emerged, and it was one small item on a very small plate for her, and a larger version of the same for him. Styra chuckled and dove in. It was a once-in-a-lifetime meal and her first proper date. She wasn’t going to let the opportunity to enjoy herself pass her by.
Chapter Five
After the second hour, Styra was giggling with every question. She really shouldn’t have had the third thimble of wine.
“I see that I forgot to ask Mbrak about your alcohol tolerance.” Yr-el shook his head.
She blinked. “Oh. I have an excellent tolerance, just not when I have had to use injectors just so I can move.” She wrinkled her nose. “Huh. I wasn’t going to tell you about that.”
He snorted. “Well, if that is all it is, I can fix that, but it might hurt.”
She stared at him, not sure if she had heard him correctly. “You can fix what?”
“Your injuries. The pain. My particular bloodline has a regenerative skill. I believe that is why Mbrak lured me here.”
His eyes were silver and serious, the light moved under his skin, and she watched stars move and collide. She really wanted to follow some of the light with her fingertips, but she curled her hands into her lap instead.
She swallowed. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. It seems that Mr. Blue has already done enough.”
He cocked his head. “You will not ask me for assistance?”
She shrugged. “I am used to it. It is fine. It is how I schedule my time.”
He blinked. “You don’t want a life pain-free?”
She chuckled. “I don’t know what I would do with it.”
“Perhaps, think of something else to do with your time spent managing pain?”
“Like what?”
He smiled, and his elegant features were charming. “Like me.”
Her face and specific parts of her body went hot. “Oh.”
She met his gaze. “I wouldn’t consider that a full-time occupation.”
He snorted in surprise. “I don’t know whether to be amused or insulted.”
When he moved, she could see the muscles of his abdomen bunch and relax. She slowly looked up, and he was watching her stare at him. He reached over and pulled her into his lap. “I believe I will opt for amused.”
He tugged at her neckline and eased her dress off her shoulder. “If you are numbed to pain, this might not be as difficult as it would otherwise be, but it isn’t going to be pleasant.”
“Here?”
“You wish to wait? I thought proof of concept would help you along.” He flexed his fingers, and the tabs that connected her sleeve came away, one by one.
“What if someone comes?” she slapped her left hand to her chest to keep the dress from exposing her breast.
“There is not a course scheduled for another thirty minutes.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “We have privacy.”
She looked at his dark head, and she swallowed. “What does this entail?”
He left a trail of kisses down her arm, the exposed and twisted skin. “A little blood calling to blood.”
She blinked at the feel of his lips against the basically numbed skin. She watched, and he slowly traced his tongue along the lines of the scars. When he had traced all the ones in that bundle, he lifted his hand and drew his thumb across his palm. Blood ran down onto her arm, and it faithfully followed the wet trace left by his tongue.
She watched the blood run along her skin until it covered everywhere that he had licked. He lifted his hand to his mouth and licked the wound. While she watched, the slice closed.
When he kissed her, she widened her eyes because she could taste far more than copper along his tongue. She wanted to ask him what was going on, but he threaded a hand through her hair, and he held her to the kiss while the taste slowly dissipated. His tongue moved along hers, swirled, and plunged, and she shifted her thighs together as there was a reaction.
He lifted his head and closed his eyes. “Take a deep breath.”
She didn’t know what was going on, but there was a wrenching pain in her arm while he held her tight. She looked down, and there was light coming from the scar tissue. Her arm throbbed, and the muscles twisted as alignments were shaped and formed once again.
She was covered in sweat, panting, and ten minutes had passed before the pain subsided. She was gasping for air, and she didn’t want to look at her arm.
He pressed a kiss to her temple and licked the sweat. “You can look at it. Your arm is still there.”
She looked over, and her arm was, indeed, still there. Her sleeve was down, the metallic white of her skin was glowing, and there were only slight marks left from the original scars. The muscle looked the same as her other side. “How did you do that?”
“My father’s skill. Blood healing. The blast damage will have to be addressed over a few days. Doing it in one would be dangerous for you.”
She blinked. “You will only be here a few more days.”
He smiled. “Then, I suppose we will have to make alternative arrangements.”
She flexed her hand and raised her arm. “It feels like it does in the scenarios. Thank you.” She looked at him and beamed.
He cuddled her and smiled. “I have never found this technique to be particularly useful before now. It is too slow for use in battle.”
She flexed her hand again. “I am sorry it isn’t more useful, but I can only say that I am grateful for it.”
He stroked her jaw and tilted her head toward him. “I believe I have discovered its true purpose.”
Styra didn’t ask what he was talking about, she was too busy closing her eyes as he kissed her slowly, lifting her up to face him. She draped her arms around his neck before she paused and reached down to yank on the front panels of her skirt. When her legs were free of the fabric, she moved toward him, leaning against his chest and relaxing slightly.
She heard the door open and continued kissing the captain until the server left. She leaned back, and she looked away in embarrassment. He tilted her back, and his lips moved across the exposed breast that she had forgotten about.