either. There was a huge fight with those gator-guard things. Yce and Kyro got injured.”
Evren felt her hand go slack and the datapad almost fell to the floor. “Kyro got injured?”
“Ya. Pretty badly too.”
“He’s at the med bay?” Without even thinking about it, she was already moving to grab her shoes and head out.
How could she have been so selfish, waiting for a message from him? He was probably fighting for his life. Of course, he hadn’t sent her a message.
“No. Yce is at the med bay. Kyro is at home. Something about not wanting to go to the medics. I don’t know.”
Breathing out a heavy sigh through her nose, Evren slipped on her boots and headed to the door. “I’m heading over there right now.”
“You are? I didn’t know you and Kyro were so close.”
What could she say? They’d been getting close, but she’d been the one who’d pushed him away.
“I—”
“I get it,” Athena said.
“You do?”
“I do.” There was a knowing in her tone that made Evren relax. “Just keep us updated on his progress. Xul won’t say it but he’s a little worried about him and Yce. He thinks it’s his fault for not looking out for them better.”
“I thought it was a surprise attack.” She was already in the gravity lift, waiting impatiently as she floated down to ground level.
“It was but I guess it’s doesn’t prevent the guilt he’s feeling?”
Kind of like the guilt she was feeling now, for no true reason. She felt bad for not contacting Kyro and taking back what she’d said. Now he’d been hurt, could have lost his life and she wouldn’t have had the chance to apologize to him.
“Piper’s pinging me. I’ll hit you up later.” Athena broke into her thoughts.
“Sure.”
As the call clicked off, Evren gulped, her guilt only getting heavier on her shoulders as she neared Kyro’s residence.
Evren tapped her foot lightly as she waited outside Kyro’s door.
No one was answering, not even Kyro’s roommate, and she began to wonder if they had indeed gone to the med bay after all.
As she pressed the door chime more, she took out her datapad to send Kyro a message when the door hissed open.
Looking up from the screen, the smile that was on her face froze as she saw no one there.
“Hello?”
The lights in the apartment were bright again, so bright she had to squint but as she stepped across the threshold, there was still no one there.
“Kyro?”
A low groan from one of the bedrooms caught her ear.
“Kyro?” Walking cautiously, Evren headed toward the sound, even as the front door hissed closed again.
This was eerie and through habit, she felt behind her back underneath her vest for the cutting instrument she always carried.
Of course, it wasn’t there. She’d rushed out of the apartment too fast to grab anything except the one thing she’d been holding: the datapad.
As she entered the bedroom though, the feeling that had been making goosebumps form on her flesh dissipated as she saw him.
He was lying on the bed, his lids low as he looked at her and there was obviously something very wrong.
His gray skin was paling.
Rushing to his side, Evren gulped, wide-eyed as her gaze traveled over him.
His skin looked moist, as if he was sweating, and there was a large bandage covering his side.
“Kyro?”
Another low groan moved from his throat as his eyes tracked her under his low lids.
Placing a hand over his forehead, her eyes widened some more.
“Ohmigod, you’re burning up!”
Dropping her datapad to the side of the bed, she rushed into his bathroom. Luckily, his place was laid out exactly like hers, so it was easy to find things.
Grabbing one of the big poofy things that looked like cotton, she wet it in cold water and ran back to the bed, placing it over his forehead.
“Ev-ren...” His voice sounded so different...so weak.
“Kyro. You’re burning up. Where’s the person who’s supposed to be looking after you?”
“...fine.”
“What?”
“I’ll be fine.”
She could feel her brows deepen so hard that her forehead hurt. “Like hell you will. You have a fever and—” Her eyes moved down to his wound, her hand hovering over it helplessly. “God. That must really hurt.”
“...flesh wound.”
She shot him another glare and she swore she saw his eyes lighten and a smile tug at his lips.
“Do you have like...the alien version of ibuprofen or something?” she asked as she walked back into the bathroom, out of habit, to search for fever medicine.
But there was nothing in there except soap berries and more