pain. It was hard not to hold her hand. Her
attacker hadn’t left many places intact, so Gem stroked her
hair.
Tears burned her eyes. “Oh, Bran. Who did
this to you? And why?”
They stayed until a nurse shooed them out.
Gem wasn’t walking too straight, so Blue put a steadying arm around
her waist. “Come on. We’ll go home, take a nap and then come back.
There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”
Gem rested her head on the transport’s seat
back on the ride home, exhausted, but once at The Spark she had no
interest in going to bed.
“We’ll cure that,” Blue promised, dragging
her into the kitchen. He got her a glass of water, then handed her
a pill. “It’ll make you sleep,” he promised.
She tried to hand it back. “I don’t want
it.”
“Take it. Trust me,” he said sternly,
closing her hand. “Staying up worrying won’t help right now. Get
some sleep so you can be of use to your sister.”
Gem narrowed her eyes. “Are you going
to sleep?”
“Absolutely,” he promised.
“Liar.” She swallowed the pill anyway,
knowing he wouldn’t give in until she had.
It seemed she had just gone to bed when
someone shook her awake.
“Eh? What?” she demanded, trying to roll
back over and snuggle down.
“Gem, you need to get up,” Blue’s voice
insisted. “There are some people who need to talk to you.”
She could feel the bed dip as he sat down,
so she rolled over and settled against the low point of gravity.
“No.” She snuggled against his thigh, hugging the warmth like a
stuffed toy. Sleep came nearer.
“Gem, this is not the time to nap,” he said,
peeling her hands off his leg. He quickly stood up. “Remember
Brandy?”
That woke her. In the odd moment before she
drifted out of sleep, she also realized something else. “Why have
you gone away?”
“What?” He frowned.
She rubbed a hand through her hair and
groggily threw the covers back. “You know what I mean. You’re here,
but you’re not like you were. You…you’ve changed.”
There was a moment of silence. “What do you
mean?”
“I mean …Oh, forget it.” She was
wearing a white sleep shirt. Nothing fancy, but it only came to
mid-thigh. She waved him out of her room. “Go. I need to change.
Was there anything good in the kitchen? I’m starving.”
She frowned at the door as it closed behind
him. He had changed. Not long ago he would have kissed her
senseless if he’d caught her abed, half-dressed, and she’d have
been lucky if he stopped there. Wistfully, she revised her
thoughts: “Lucky” might have been if he pushed a bit further. These
days he didn’t even flirt with enthusiasm. Either he was taking his
job way too seriously, or she’d lost her appeal.
Not that she could blame him. She closed her
eyes, fighting despair, which she didn’t have time for. Brandy
needed her, and she still had an inn to run.
Blue hadn’t enjoyed waking Gem up. Sleeping,
she was almost irresistible. Heavy-lidded and with tousled hair,
with her nightshirt riding up her thighs, the vision had been
almost more than he could handle. Professional or not, he didn’t
know how much more he could take. His attraction to the woman was
messing with his head.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his face.
Maybe Zsak was right. Maybe he did need to find a woman. A
different woman. But then he shook his head, knowing it was no
cure. If it were that easy, he wouldn’t be suffering right now.
He sighed and shook the idea out of his
head, finger-combing his hair back off his face. He had work to
do.
Gem was dry-eyed when she emerged from her
room, but her face felt stiff. The first thing she was going to do
was eat; then she’d go see her sister. Feeling better for having a
plan, she headed toward the kitchen…and found Blue at the bottom of
her stairs, looking carefully neutral.
“The police are here,” he said,
imparting information he’d clearly held back when first waking her.
“They want to ask you some questions.”
She
attacker hadn’t left many places intact, so Gem stroked her
hair.
Tears burned her eyes. “Oh, Bran. Who did
this to you? And why?”
They stayed until a nurse shooed them out.
Gem wasn’t walking too straight, so Blue put a steadying arm around
her waist. “Come on. We’ll go home, take a nap and then come back.
There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”
Gem rested her head on the transport’s seat
back on the ride home, exhausted, but once at The Spark she had no
interest in going to bed.
“We’ll cure that,” Blue promised, dragging
her into the kitchen. He got her a glass of water, then handed her
a pill. “It’ll make you sleep,” he promised.
She tried to hand it back. “I don’t want
it.”
“Take it. Trust me,” he said sternly,
closing her hand. “Staying up worrying won’t help right now. Get
some sleep so you can be of use to your sister.”
Gem narrowed her eyes. “Are you going
to sleep?”
“Absolutely,” he promised.
“Liar.” She swallowed the pill anyway,
knowing he wouldn’t give in until she had.
It seemed she had just gone to bed when
someone shook her awake.
“Eh? What?” she demanded, trying to roll
back over and snuggle down.
“Gem, you need to get up,” Blue’s voice
insisted. “There are some people who need to talk to you.”
She could feel the bed dip as he sat down,
so she rolled over and settled against the low point of gravity.
“No.” She snuggled against his thigh, hugging the warmth like a
stuffed toy. Sleep came nearer.
“Gem, this is not the time to nap,” he said,
peeling her hands off his leg. He quickly stood up. “Remember
Brandy?”
That woke her. In the odd moment before she
drifted out of sleep, she also realized something else. “Why have
you gone away?”
“What?” He frowned.
She rubbed a hand through her hair and
groggily threw the covers back. “You know what I mean. You’re here,
but you’re not like you were. You…you’ve changed.”
There was a moment of silence. “What do you
mean?”
“I mean …Oh, forget it.” She was
wearing a white sleep shirt. Nothing fancy, but it only came to
mid-thigh. She waved him out of her room. “Go. I need to change.
Was there anything good in the kitchen? I’m starving.”
She frowned at the door as it closed behind
him. He had changed. Not long ago he would have kissed her
senseless if he’d caught her abed, half-dressed, and she’d have
been lucky if he stopped there. Wistfully, she revised her
thoughts: “Lucky” might have been if he pushed a bit further. These
days he didn’t even flirt with enthusiasm. Either he was taking his
job way too seriously, or she’d lost her appeal.
Not that she could blame him. She closed her
eyes, fighting despair, which she didn’t have time for. Brandy
needed her, and she still had an inn to run.
Blue hadn’t enjoyed waking Gem up. Sleeping,
she was almost irresistible. Heavy-lidded and with tousled hair,
with her nightshirt riding up her thighs, the vision had been
almost more than he could handle. Professional or not, he didn’t
know how much more he could take. His attraction to the woman was
messing with his head.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his face.
Maybe Zsak was right. Maybe he did need to find a woman. A
different woman. But then he shook his head, knowing it was no
cure. If it were that easy, he wouldn’t be suffering right now.
He sighed and shook the idea out of his
head, finger-combing his hair back off his face. He had work to
do.
Gem was dry-eyed when she emerged from her
room, but her face felt stiff. The first thing she was going to do
was eat; then she’d go see her sister. Feeling better for having a
plan, she headed toward the kitchen…and found Blue at the bottom of
her stairs, looking carefully neutral.
“The police are here,” he said,
imparting information he’d clearly held back when first waking her.
“They want to ask you some questions.”
She
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