Chapter 227

Chapter 227: Chapter 227

Tempest didn’t know what to say to Minnie.

For what felt like the hundredth time since she’d come to Ustea, words failed her completely. She had spent so much time learning how to communicate with people who weren’t human, learning how to explain things that seemed simple to her and understand things that seemed completely insane, but somehow standing beside another human woman was harder.

Maybe because there wasn’t anything she could say that would make this better.

Minnie sat with her knees pulled against her chest, staring at the floor between her feet. She hadn’t looked up in several minutes. Her hair hung around her face, hiding most of her expression, but Tempest didn’t need to see it to know what she was feeling. Her fingers gave her away. They were twisted together so tightly that the tips were beginning to lose their color.

Tempest wanted to tell her Rynax was going to be okay.

She couldn’t.

Gerax hadn’t said that.

In fact, every time Tempest asked about him, Gerax’s answers had become shorter.

His temperature wasn’t dropping.

That was all anyone seemed willing to tell her.

Around them, the ship had transformed into something Tempest barely recognized. There were people everywhere. Humans moved between the sick carrying water and whatever supplies Gerax requested. Aliq had been running back and forth so much that Tempest hadn’t seen him sit down once. Every available container seemed to have been repurposed for something, and the blood donation drive she’d joked about in her own head had become frighteningly real.

The humans had come through.

Every single one of them.

Tempest still couldn’t believe it.

Some had been afraid. Others had been angry. A few had needed more time before they were willing to roll up their sleeves, but eventually every human who could safely donate had done it. Gerax and Aliq had worked with the blood, separating what they needed and using the limited equipment they had to isolate what Gerax believed was helping the sick Usteans fight the virus.

And it was working.

That was what made this so difficult.

It was actually working.

Several Usteans had improved. Fevers were dropping. Breathing was becoming easier. One male who had barely been conscious earlier had sat up and demanded food. Tempest had nearly cried when she’d heard that.

She probably would have if Rynax had been getting better too.

But he wasn’t.

"You should rest," Tempest finally said.

Minnie gave a hollow laugh without looking at her. "That’s what everyone keeps telling me."

Tempest leaned against the wall beside her. "Probably because you look like shit."

That got Minnie’s attention.

Her head lifted slowly.

Tempest shrugged.

For a second, Minnie just stared at her. Then the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

"You look like shit too."

"Good. I’d hate to be the only one."

The tiny bit of amusement disappeared almost as quickly as it came, but Tempest was grateful for it. Anything was better than watching Minnie sit there staring at nothing.

Tempest lowered herself beside her.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

There wasn’t much privacy on the ship. People moved past them constantly, but Tempest barely noticed anymore. Everything had become a blur of footsteps, coughing, hushed conversations, and the occasional call for Gerax.

Minnie picked at one of her fingernails.

"Did he ask about me?"

Tempest looked at her.

Minnie still wasn’t looking back.

"Rynax."

"I know who you mean."

"Did he?"

Tempest hesitated.

She didn’t know what Dron and Rynax had talked about. Dron had gone to see him alone, and Tempest hadn’t pushed him when he returned. She’d seen something different in Dron’s expression afterward, something she couldn’t quite name, and she’d known he wasn’t ready to talk about it.

"I don’t know what he said to Dron."

Minnie nodded.

Tempest hated the disappointment that crossed her face.

"But before that, yeah. He was worried about you."

Minnie’s eyes lifted.

"He was?"

"Very."

"He’s an idiot."

Tempest smiled faintly. "Yeah."

"He wouldn’t let me near him."

"I know."

"He acted like I was going to drop dead if I stood within ten feet of him."

"Sounds familiar."

Minnie looked at her.

Tempest rolled her eyes. "Dron."

That earned another tiny smile.

"Right."

Tempest rested her head against the wall.

"They’re ridiculous."

"Completely."

"Bossy."

"Extremely."

"Possessive."

"Annoyingly."

Minnie finally laughed.

It was small and broken, but it was a laugh.

Tempest took it.

For a few seconds, it almost felt normal. Like two women complaining about men who drove them crazy instead of sitting on a ship in the middle of an alien ocean while one of those men fought for his life.

Then Minnie’s smile disappeared.

"I don’t even know what we are."

Tempest turned toward her.

Minnie swallowed.

"Me and Rynax."

"Oh."

"We haven’t..." Minnie stopped and shook her head. "Nothing happened. Not really. We haven’t mated or whatever they call it here. We haven’t made promises. Half the time I can’t tell if I want to kiss him or throw him off the side of the ship."

"That’s probably love on Ustea."

Minnie snorted.

Tempest smiled, but Minnie didn’t keep laughing.

"What if I waited too long?"

The question was so quiet Tempest almost didn’t hear it.

Her smile disappeared.

Minnie finally looked at her, and the fear in her eyes made Tempest’s chest ache.

"What if I spent all this time pretending I didn’t care because I didn’t want him thinking he’d won?"

Tempest knew that feeling far too well.

She’d done the same thing with Dron.

Different circumstances, different reasons, but she’d spent so much time fighting what she felt because admitting it had terrified her. Loving Dron meant accepting that Ustea mattered to her. It meant accepting that he mattered enough to destroy her if she lost him. There had been a time when Tempest thought leaving him would somehow protect them both.

Now the thought of a life without him made it difficult to breathe.

"You didn’t wait too long," Tempest said.

"You don’t know that."

"No. I don’t."

Minnie looked away.

Tempest hated herself for not lying.

She could’ve told Minnie everything was going to be okay. She could’ve promised Rynax would recover, that they’d have time to figure out whatever was happening between them.

But what good would that do?

Tempest had heard too many promises that meant nothing.

"I do know Rynax knows you care about him."

"How?"

"Because he’s not stupid."

Minnie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, he’s not always stupid."

That almost worked.

Almost.

Tempest reached over and took Minnie’s hand.

"You don’t have to decide what you two are right now. You don’t have to name it. You don’t have to make some big declaration. Just..."

She stopped.

Just what?

Wait?

Hope?

Pray?

Tempest wasn’t sure who she would even pray to anymore.

"Just don’t decide it’s over before it is."

Minnie stared at her for a long moment before nodding.

Tempest squeezed her hand.

Another burst of movement came from farther down the ship. Tempest glanced toward it automatically, but she couldn’t see anything past the people moving through the narrow space.

Minnie stood.

Tempest looked up at her.

"Where are you going?"

"I can’t sit here anymore."

"Minnie."

"I just want to see him."

Tempest pushed herself up.

"Gerax said..."

"I know what Gerax said." Minnie rubbed her hands over her face. "I know I’m supposed to stay away. I know Rynax doesn’t want me near him. I know everyone has a thousand reasons why I should sit here and wait, but I can’t."

Tempest understood.

God, did she understand.

"Okay."

Minnie stared at her.

"Okay?"

"I’ll walk with you."

They started toward the other end of the ship.

The closer they got, the more Tempest realized something was wrong.

At first, it was nothing she could pinpoint. There were already people moving everywhere. The entire ship had been chaotic for hours, but this was different.

People weren’t just moving.

They were rushing.

Aliq shot past them carrying a container of water. He didn’t even acknowledge Tempest.

That stopped her.

"Aliq?"

He kept going.

Tempest’s stomach tightened.

Minnie must have noticed it too because she stopped beside her.

"What?"

"I don’t know."

Tempest looked ahead.

Gerax appeared for half a second between two bodies before disappearing again. Someone moved aside, and Tempest saw another Ustean carrying strips of soaked fabric.

Her heart started beating faster.

"Tempest?"

She didn’t answer.

She started walking again.

Faster.

The sounds changed as they got closer. Tempest could hear Gerax speaking, but she couldn’t understand the words. Someone else answered him. There was splashing water, movement, the scrape of something being dragged across the wooden floor.

Then she heard Dron.

"Again."

Tempest’s stomach dropped.

She moved faster.

Minnie stayed directly behind her.

"Dron!"

His head snapped around.

Tempest barely recognized the expression on his face.

He immediately moved toward her.

That terrified her more than anything.

If everything was fine, he would’ve told her.

If Rynax was getting better, he would’ve smiled.

Dron didn’t smile.

He stepped directly into her path.

"What happened?"

"Tempest."

"What happened?"

She tried to look around him.

Dron moved with her.

"Move."

"No."

Her heart slammed against her chest.

"Dron, move."

"You don’t need to see this."

That sentence nearly broke her.

Tempest tried to step around him again, but Dron caught her by the shoulders.

"What happened to him?"

Behind Dron, Gerax shouted for more water.

Tempest looked past him.

She saw Rynax.

Only part of him.

It was enough.

His body was stretched out on the cot. Most of his clothing had been removed, and wet pieces of fabric covered parts of his chest, neck, and legs. Gerax was beside him while Aliq moved around the other side.

Rynax wasn’t moving.