“We were surprised at first, but it quickly felt as if we were back in high school. I hadn’t laughed that much in years.”
“Were they living in Sedona also, or were they visiting?” he asked, trying to clarify his mental image.
“They were supposed to leave the next morning,” she explained. “It was Friday night, and all the restaurants were packed, so we grabbed a pizza and took it back to my apartment.” She tensed, her gaze instantly shuttered. “That’s where it happened.”
He hadn’t intended to ask about her captivity, figured the wounds were still too fresh. But now that she’d brought it up, he had some questions. In fact, he had a lot of questions. He just knew she wasn’t ready to answer most of them. “Do you remember being kidnapped? You don’t need to answer if you’re not comfortable talking about it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. One second we were in my living room sipping wine. The next we woke up in that cell on Cretz. It was the same each time they took us. We walked out into the corridor and then nothing until we were back in the cell.”
“When they took you?” She’d made a similar comment in the cell, something about Selina being harmed by whatever the Cretzians were doing to her. “What do you mean by that?”
She licked her lips and averted her gaze. She was hiding from him again.
“There was a shower at the end of the hall. If they took us anywhere else they either sedated us or knocked us out. I don’t know if it was a weapon, a chemical, or some sort of magic power, but it was painless and instantaneous. Actually, it was only painless when it happened. When we came to, it left us with a pounding headache.”
How they were rendered unconscious was far less important than what happened while they were out, but her withdrawal made it obvious she wasn’t ready to tell him more. “It could have been some sort of weapon,” Jaron mused, “but there are also Sarronti who can instantaneously render someone unconscious. I’ll find out if Zerna has the gift.”
She nodded then glanced up at him. “I think I’m ready to lie down. Is it all right if I crash on one of the observation seats? Any chance they recline?”
“They don’t, but there’s a padded bench in the dining area. There is a privacy partition as well, so that’s probably your best bet.”
“Thanks.”
She waved as she left as if to dismiss him, but Jaron went with her anyway. He needed to know that she was safe and her needs had been met before he’d be able to focus on anything else. He grabbed a blanket and pillow from the utility closet then led her into the dining room/lounge. The bench he’d mentioned was along the far wall. A row of chairs was facing it with a long narrow table in between. The chairs were stationary, but the table was moveable, so he pulled it toward the chairs giving her as much room as possible. He handed her the pillow and motioned toward the bench. She curled up on her side, hand tucked beneath the pillow. He spread the blanket over her then moved to the wide doorway, meaning to lower the partition.
“Please don’t,” she said, her tone low but urgent. “I don’t think I can take being closed in again.”
“Of course.” He told the lights to decrease to twenty-five percent. “I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.” He made it to the galley’s doorway when he heard his name and looked back at her.
“Thanks again. If you keep this up, I’m going to have to find a way to repay you.”
The playful offer caught him by surprise and sent a fresh wave of desire spiraling through his body. He flashed his most charming smile and replied, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
SIX HOURS OF PEACEFUL sleep left Nikki feeling better than she had in weeks. Haley and Selina weren’t quite as optimistic. Selina’s nightmares had kept Haley from resting, so both were irritable. They sat on crates that the males had arranged outside the ship so they could enjoy breakfast. Unfortunately, breakfast was prepackaged nutrition bars and water infused with a flavor none of them could identify.
“At least it’s better than the slop they fed us on Cretz,” Haley said distractedly. She stared off into the distance even though there wasn’t much to see. The jungle was so dense the ship had carved a path