The Torid Affair by Laurann Dohner

Chapter Three

 

Jessa averted her gaze, mostly counting the tiles on the wall. She couldn’t believe that Maith had dragged her into a small private bathroom to shower. He’d gone first, ordering her to start getting ready for her work shift. As if. She couldn’t even brush her teeth yet, since there was a large mirror over the sink—reflecting the clear glass shower door behind it.

She could clean her teeth, but she’d also have to see the big Veslor scrubbing his naked bod. Big pass.

“Hurry up,” she called out. “I need a shower too.”

He growled in response.

“You’re not a morning person. Or an afternoon person. Just a grumpy ass when you’re awake,” she muttered.

“I can hear you,” he rumbled from the stall.

“I did say it out loud. But to be fair, humans wouldn’t have been able to pick out what I said over the sound of the water.”

“I’m not human.”

She closed her eyes, still feeling angry about being sent down to Torid. The planetary assignment had to be payback.

It was all Cynthia Kane’s fault. The chief of staff of Med Bay on Defcon Red would have been responsible for putting together the roster of everyone sent to the surface. The woman hated Jessa. As if it were Jessa’s fault that she’d been given a private lab. Kane had repeatedly complained at meetings with Commander Bills that the space should have been allotted to Med Bay. He hadn’t agreed, being a smart man.

Defcon Red needed an A.R.S. They traveled into deep space often, like every other battle vessel assigned to protect and defend space stations and Earth-based colonies in the outer sections of less-travel routes. Alien interactions happened more often and most of the colonies hadn’t been in existence for long. That meant having an expert who could handle any alien sicknesses or medical issues some of the crew might suffer from planets or wildlife they encountered.

It wasn’t as if Jessa got to choose where she’d be assigned or knew what her working conditions would be like. Her previous post had been on Floating Fortress for over two years. The commander of that battle vessel had forced Jessa to work in Med Bay, though the other doctors hadn’t allowed her to treat human patients. She’d had to practically beg the chief of staff to permit her use of the equipment the few times her skills had been needed.

It was ridiculous. Dr. Kevin Barts hadn’t wanted her to do any tests without someone else watching her every move. Even then, he hadn’t trusted her, immediately double checking her results. He’d ignored her every time she reminded him that she’d obtained her medical degree before taking on alien studies. It made her more qualified than him, as far as education went.

Regardless, Dr. Barts had treated her like she had no business being in his Med Bay. She’d literally sat at a nurses’ station every shift, reading any new alien information on her data pad. It had been boring as hell, and she’d been extremely happy when she’d received a new assignment.

Working on Defcon Red was the best job she’d ever had. Commander Bills had given her a private lab filled with top-of-the-line equipment. No one constantly looked over her shoulder. Cynthia Kane was in charge of Med Bay, but not Jessa or her lab.

The medical staff assigned to Med Bay tended to avoid her as often as possible. She only had to deal with them for the weekly meetings with Commander Bills.

She wasn’t even assigned set hours as long as she put in ten-hour shifts, at least four days a week, and showed up at the mandatory meetings. Her main duties were to study up on anything relevant to their travels and make reports of possible dangers before they reached a location or sent teams on missions.

And to gain information about the Veslors when they’d been assigned to the ship.

Not that the alien grouping made that easy. All four males had refused to let her do any tests to get a better medical understanding of their race.

“Are you sleeping on your feet?”

Maith’s voice suddenly pulled Jessa from her musings. “I’m awake. Just waiting for you to finish your shower so I get a turn. Please leave me some hot water. I’d also like to have time to eat before I need to relieve the doctor who pulled door duty overnight.”

He growled lightly. “I don’t trust you when you’re quiet.”

“I’m just thinking about what I’d be doing if I wasn’t stuck on this planet. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I got orders twenty minutes before the shuttle flew down.”

Jessa had been close to finalizing a paralyzing drug that would work on the Elth. The idea of the military being able to drop them in seconds held great appeal to her. That’s what she’d been working on in her lab as of late. She’d hated the evil aliens since they’d kidnapped her and murdered some of her shuttle mates.

Who knew a little sightseeing trip to a dust planet would get her kidnapped and forced to become part of a breeding experiment? Thank god they’d been rescued.

Then there was her secondary project. That one was going to take a bit more time.

She’d obtained samples two months before and had been studying how Ke’ter saliva worked. The organic chemical they produced turned out to be very complicated.

She was also supposed to be helping Roth’s new human mate, who was dealing with morning sickness. She hoped to talk Vera into giving her blood samples and detailed scans of a Veslor fetus in development, which was fascinating.

She wouldn’t share that research with the fleet. Jessa respected the Veslors for demanding their privacy…though she was seriously curious. It was one of her best and worst traits. Though, she was the A.R.S., responsible for the human mates of Veslors and any offspring they might have. It was important that she learned everything she could to help take care of their health while they remained aboard Defcon Red.

The water shut off behind her and Maith stepped out of the shower. Jessa kept her eyes closed, listening to the sound of material rustling. “I’m hungry. Hurry.”

He growled.

“I expect you not to peek at me while I’m naked. I don’t want to tempt you.” She smiled, knowing he’d hate having his words from the night before thrown back at him.

He snorted. “I am covered.”

Jessa opening her eyes—and the sight of him almost caused her to gasp. Maith had only wrapped a towel around his waist.

She couldn’t help but quickly scan his dark skin and bulging muscles. Veslors and humans had a lot in common in terms of body shape. The main differences included a thin, velvety layer of fur over their skin, pointed ears, feline-looking eyes, and fangs.

But they were even more different at times, since Veslors could transform into deadly animals. They were real-life shifters.

She forced her gaze away from him and stepped around his big bod. “Keep your back to me and avoid the sink. Got it? I’ll keep my back to you, too, while you finish getting dressed in your uniform.”

“Good plan. I have no wish to see you bare, female.”

“Great. We finally agree on something. How rare.”

She started to strip. It wasn’t like Maith was a threat. She’d be worried if he was any other random guy she was locked into a bathroom with, but he’d made it very clear he wasn’t attracted to her. Grumpy ass was also a Veslor; he would be more likely to miraculously sprout wings and fly—a physical trait they didn’t possess when shifted—before sexually assaulting a woman. The alien race seemed honorable to a fault.

Naked, Jessa entered the shower before turning on the water. It was warm and felt wonderful. “Have you talked to your grouping this morning?”

“I haven’t left your side.”

“But you have that fancy wrist communications device.”

“I sent my grouping another update.”

Jessa was tempted to glance back at him but resisted as she started to wash her hair. “What’s the plan now?”

“We remain together at all times. Roth is worried about your safety. He is aware of how you have made enemies with your mouth.”

It wasn’t like she’d been a bitch without cause. She’d done it to save lives. She spun, glaring at him through the glass. He’d put on his pants and boots but remained shirtless, his back to her. “I told you―”

He cut her off. “We will discuss this later. Now isn’t a good time.”

“We checked for cameras and listening devices when we came in here. It’s clear.”

“It is, but that doesn’t mean someone might not be outside the door attempting to listen.”

“Fuck,” she hissed, turning away. He was right. She lowered her voice to a whisper. No human could hear that over the water. “Can you hear me still?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really going to bomb that bunker door?”

“We’ll discuss that later.”

Irritating Veslor. She finished her shower with speed and shut off the water, grabbing a folded towel from a high shelf built into the tile wall of the stall. Once she had her lady bits covered, she pushed open the glass. “You can use the sink while I dress.”

She moved to the corner where their totes were stored, her clothing already waiting on the top of her bag. One glance toward Maith assured her he’d gone to the sink. If he turned his head to the side, he’d see her, but she trusted him to keep his gaze averted.

She dropped the towel and put on her gray underclothing and quickly donned a uniform. Fleet supply had rushed her six standard medical uniforms last-minute, before she was flown down to the surface of Torid. They were slightly too big. She normally didn’t wear uniforms at all, but it was required that she match all the other fleet doctors assigned to the mission. It made it less confusing for civilians.

Maith left the sink to put on his uniform shirt while she brushed her teeth, nearly dribbling toothpaste onto her top. Now she understood why Maith had waited before donning his shirt. She finished up and walked to the Veslor, who waited by the door, holding both of their totes.

She put her bathroom kit away in a side pocket and peered up at him. “Now what?” she whispered.

“Stay close to me. My grouping will come as soon as they are able,” he murmured. “Drak will bring me what we need to bypass that lock.”

She opened her mouth to tell him that bombing a door wasn’t a great idea, that an explosion would be heard on other floors of the mansion, when Maith suddenly covered her mouth with his free hand, his head turning toward the door.

Someone knocked loudly seconds later. “Stop hogging the only private bathroom!” She didn’t recognize the loud male voice.

Maith released her, turned, and unlocked the door. He stepped out, and she followed. Four male tactical team medics waited outside. One of them happened to be Michael. Jessa noticed his lips press tightly together when he spotted her, before he moved his gaze to Maith.

“You didn’t meet us for breakfast so we came looking for you.”

“You’re never late for meals,” a redheaded medic chuckled. “Then again, getting laid is more important. Good for you, man.”

Jessa felt heat creep into her cheeks. It was apparent all four men assumed she and Maith had had sex in the bathroom.

A black-haired medic glanced between Jessa and Michael. “Oh shit! She’s the one you tried to bang yesterday, isn’t she? The mutant.” He put an arm around Michael and patted his shoulder. “I guess you’ll have to ask Maith here if she’s got any other body modifications, since you were wondering if they gave her an upgraded pussy.”

She opened her mouth, ready to tell them to go to hell, but Maith didn’t give her a chance. He dropped both totes and snarled, lunging at the black-haired medic. He stopped within a breath’s distance.

“You dare call the female names and disrespect her?”

All four of the men backed away.

“Apologize, Nathan,” Maith snarled.

“Sorry!” all the men instantly blurted.

Maith took a step back, his tense body relaxing slightly. “You have much to learn. I will remember this during our next training session.”

The men visibly paled.

Maith gave the medics his back and she met his gaze for a split second as he bent to retrieve their totes. He looked furious.

He spun, growling again at the medics. “We have work to do. Move out.”

The men raced out of the hallway without a word.

Maith glanced back at her. “Stay close, Jessa.”

She silently followed him back to his tent. The fact that he’d stood up for her against the other medics, despite being part of their team on this mission, impressed her. Most guys wouldn’t have done so, especially when she wasn’t Maith’s favorite person.

He might be a grumpy ass, but she realized he wasn’t all bad.

Still, the entire episode had been a bit humiliating. It wasn’t the first time people had taunted her because of her differences or made crude remarks. She usually told them off, walked away, and tried to avoid them in the future. To make a big deal out of it tended to reveal that her feelings had been hurt. It wasn’t worth giving bullies that power.

Her blue eye and hair streaks didn’t help. Half of the blame was on her, though, for wanting her hair to match the implant. Her medical team had specifically chosen that eye color for a reason, something about the blue helping the scanner imbedded inside the implant to work better.

Maith ushered her inside the tent and dropped their totes, then he turned, still scowling. “I will talk to the males. They should know better than to be rude to females. You humans can be very disrespectful.”

She shrugged. “Thanks for standing up for me.”

He inhaled deeply and frowned. “Do you suffer those types of verbal insults often? Are humans always rudely inquisitive about any other parts of your body that may have been repaired?”

“No.” That was the truth. Mostly. But only because she tried to avoid people, sticking to her lab or her cabin whenever possible. “When it does happen, I just assume they’re idiots who like to pick on people.”

He studied her silently for a moment. “We need to eat,” he said finally.

She left the tent first with her med kit, knowing he stayed on her heels. There was a kitchen set up right off the sleeping room., where they got their meals A fleet member passed out warm breakfast burritos and cups of coffee.

Jessa grabbed one of each. “Thank you.”

The fleet food services worker gave Maith four burritos without being asked and a bottle of water. They stepped into the hallway to quickly eat. Neither of them said anything until they tossed their discards in a recycle bin.

“Are you doing intake again at the main doors?”

Jessa nodded. “Yes. I don’t trust Torid doctors. That girl survived yesterday but she might have died if I hadn’t checked on her when I did. I had a fleet doctor doing door triage last night.”

He gave a nod. “Stay within my view. I’ll treat patients near the entry doors.”

“You really plan to watch over me?”

“Yes.”

She bit her lip, reluctantly grateful. “Thank you.”

Jessa ignored the glares from the two civilian doctors by the main doors. Avery Port, a Med Bay doctor aboard Defcon Red, gave her a tired smile. She’d been Jessa’s replacement at triage.

“We had a busy night, Jessa. There was an upswing in violence around two in the morning. We got an additional forty-two patients. Most were treated and released. Three were critical. One died.”

Jessa was grateful for both the update and Dr. Port using her first name. It implied camaraderie, which she appreciated. “I’m sorry to hear that, Avery. You look done in. Thank you for taking the door.”

Avery glanced at the other two doctors with a grimace. “You were right to find me before you got off shift last night. I’m down for ten hours but when I come back on, do you want me to take over here again?”

“I’m on for fourteen. I’d love for you to take over then.” Jessa gloved up her hands.

“I’ll be here.” Avery lifted her med kit and walked away. The fleet doctor shot a glare at the two civilian doctors. “Good call putting us on triage.”

In other words, the two assholes had wanted to prioritize loyal citizens over the poor ones. “Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”

All fleet personnel were overworked from pulling long shifts. Jessa really hoped they’d get everything settled on Torid soon and she could resume her normal duties.

The front doors opened and two poorly dressed men came in with a third held between them.

She grabbed one of the waiting gurneys along the wall and hurried toward them, helping them put the patient down on the mobile bed. A quick scan showed that he’d suffered three knife wounds. One had hit his kidney. She threw up a gloved hand, signaling to a nearby orderly. The patient was going to need surgery.

* * * * *

Maith dosed the human with pain medication and reset the male’s dislocated shoulder. His gaze kept going to Jessa near the double doors leading into the makeshift Med Bay. She stripped off bloody gloves and put on fresh ones, saying something to the male civilian doctors sitting in chairs.

She appeared mad. He could guess why. Neither doctor had made a move to help Jessa stabilize another poorly dressed male who’d come in with a gunshot wound.

He moved to the next patient one of the nurses pointed out. The adult female seemed frightened as he approached. He pretended not to notice as he withdrew the handheld scanner to run over her bloody head at the top of her hairline. “How were you injured?”

“I’d like another doctor,” the woman blurted.

He sighed, reading the results. Her wound was superficial and the bleeding had mostly stopped. “You could be waiting for an hour or more. It is your choice if you wish to do so, or you could allow me to tend to you. I am a qualified medic working for your fleet.”

“I’ll wait.”

He muted a snarl and glanced at a nurse, who directed him to another patient. It was a small male human cub. He smiled and went to his knees next to the gurney. “I’m a Veslor. My name is Maith. What are you called?” He took in the visible injuries to the cub’s face and noted how he cradled his left arm to his chest. “How were you hurt?”

“Toby.” The cub spoke softly. “I jumped out of a window and hit the ground. My arm really hurts.”

Maith ran his scanner and found two minor fractures. The damage to the cub’s face were light abrasions. He clipped his scanner to his belt and removed an injector from his med kit, tapping in a mild pain reliever and lowering the dosage. “This will make you feel better.” He quickly administered it and went to work cleaning the cuts. “Why did you jump out a window?”

“The police set fire to my home. It was the only way out. I didn’t want to burn.”

Anger filled Maith. “Do you know why they did that?”

The cub appeared sad and his voice quivered as he spoke. “My dad paid the rent late. They usually don’t set stuff on fire, just come in to take things if we’re late paying. Maybe they were mad since all the good stuff is gone.”

“Good stuff?”

“They took the entertainment player, some of our furniture, and all our food supplies last time. Dad couldn’t afford to replace any of it.”

His rage burned hotter. “The police here do this often?”

Tears filled the cub’s eyes as he nodded. “My dad won’t know where I am when he comes home from work. It all burned. I would have stayed, but my arm really hurt. Elsa walked me here and is waiting outside. She was too afraid to come in with me.” His gaze flashed to the mansion guards, revealing his fear of them.

“I’m going to make you feel better, then I’ll escort you back to the female. No one is going to hurt you.” He reached inside his med kit and released the hidden compartment on the inside, removing a small injector. He pressed it to the cub’s injured arm and forced a smile. “Your arm is fine. It will feel all better in minutes.” The fractures would heal fast, thanks to Veslor medicine. He shouldn’t use it, but the cub had already suffered too much.

The cub glanced down. “Elsa thought it might be broken.”

“Sometimes when you fall hard, nerves are stunned into believing the injury is worse.” Maith was getting good at telling falsehoods, living with humans. He erased the scan of the cub’s fractures from the scanner, replacing everything back into his kit. “Come with me, Toby. I’ll take you to this female.”

The cub smiled. “It feels better already.” He moved his arm.

Maith guided the cub toward the doors and met Jessa’s gaze as they passed. “I’ll be right back.”

Her eyebrows rose but she nodded. He escorted the cub outside and across the street. A young female waited there, nearly hugging a tree to hide. He doubted she was an adult yet. She appeared fearful.

Maith turned his med kit enough for her to get a good view of it. He hoped she could identify what the fleet markings stamped on it meant. He assumed she must, since she didn’t rush away as he approached with the cub.

He stopped about six feet from her. “Are you injured?”

She shook her head. “Is his arm broken?”

“No.” Maith smiled at the cub and reached inside his front pocket and withdrew a small round disk. He offered it to the boy, activating it. “Keep this with you. Some males like me will come to you soon. That’s a tracker. They are going to protect you both and take you somewhere safe from the fighting.”

“Who are you?” The female stepped out from behind the tree.

“I’m a Veslor medic. My name is Maith. My grouping, males like me, will be the ones who come. You can trust them. They’ll set you up with food and shelter, and as I said, take you to a safe location away from the fighting until this is over. All females and children should be protected from harm. It is our core belief.”

The cub clutched the tracker to his small chest. “What about my dad?”

“They will help you find him and take him to safety too. You can trust Veslors and the fleet. We’re here to help you, Toby. I must go back inside now.” He glanced at the female.

She nodded and came closer, grasping the cub’s hand. “Thank you.” They fled quickly.

Maith sighed and returned to the mansion. Jessa gave him a questioning look as he entered. He glanced at the civilian doctors before meeting her gaze again. “I wanted to make sure the cub was safe.”

Her expression softened.

He left her to go treat another human. His arm band vibrated and he tapped it, reaching up to adjust his earpiece.

“What are we going after? You activated a tracker.”

“A young male cub named Toby, with a near-adult female. The policing authorities burned his home down with him inside. He had to jump from a window to escape death. They need a safe location.”

Roth snarled. “On it. Have there been any more problems with males going after Jessa?”

“No.” He glanced over at her. She was treating an elderly male human who had come in. “I’m keeping watch over her. Any progress on how to enter that bunker?”

“No. I sent a message to our contacts to see if they know of a way to bypass a Deki lock. I’m waiting for a response.”

“We really need to get inside that bunker to discover if there’s anything we can use against the male controlling this planet.”

“We may not need to do that. The situation has grown worse in the center of the city, and the humans in authority aren’t covering their tracks. Clark believes they are panicking, since it’s become clear we aren’t leaving until there is peace. We’re collecting plenty of evidence of their actions. Commander Bills is furious. He’s ready to send in teams to take their leader into custody.”

That was excellent news. “Good.” Maith glanced at the mansion guards. “They will probably put up a fight to protect that male.”

“I’ll notify you before it happens.” Roth paused. “You might have to initiate a shelter-in-place protocol to protect the non-combat fleet there if we do send teams in to take the leader.”

“Understood. Just give me some warning.”

“Will do. Roth out.”

The communication ended and Maith returned to treating the next patient. He’d wait for a meal break to share what he’d learned with Jessa. He’d need her help to secure all fleet members working with them, so they weren’t injured if tactical teams needed to breach the mansion.