Page 12 of In a Dangerous Orbit
“They did.” Hunt made eye contact with each girl. “Everyone needs to be careful. Don’t go out alone and stick to crowded parts of the market. These men are dangerous.”
The girls all nodded, and the older one cleared her throat. “Relda, I’ve already taken a tray of food to your room.”
“Thank you, Pria.” Relda’s tone was filled with warmth. “All of you get to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“She needs some ice,” Hunt said.
Pria bobbed her head. “I’ll get some.”
“Where’s your room?” he asked Relda.
She looked like she was gearing up to argue.
“If you think I’ll just leave, think again. I have questions.”
Her nose wrinkled. It was probably wrong that he found that attractive. There didn’t seem to be anything about this woman he didn’t find appealing.
“Besides, I want to get some ice on your cheek.”
She let out a gusty sigh. “You are incredibly stubborn.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“The upstairs is my own private apartment.”
He took her up the stairs. It didn’t take him long to find her bedroom. The spacious room had her stamp all over it. The bed was large and covered in a spread the color of emeralds and piled high with pillows.
Low, backless sofas were clustered around a round table and through a door he saw a bathroom covered in creamy tiles and dominated by a deep tub.
He set her down on one of the sofas and strode into the bathroom. He came back with a wet cloth and sat beside her. He set to work cleaning her cheek. Moments later, a knock sounded and Pria came in. She left a small bowl of ice on the table, and left with a smile.
Hunt wrapped some ice in a second cloth and held it to Relda’s cheek. “This will help with the swelling.”
“How do you know old-fashioned first aid?”
“When you and your team are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no medbooths and no functioning medscopes, you soon learn simple, old first aid is better than bleeding to death.”
Green eyes watched him steadily. “Were you injured a lot?”
“Enough.” He had plenty of scars. And he’d lost many good soldiers over the years. Too many.
He didn’t plan to lose anyone else. “Who are you, Relda?”
She stiffened. “Relda Dela-Cruz.”
“Where are you from?”Don’t lie to me, beautiful.
He was gratified that she hesitated this time. “I’m from Brielle Station.”
“Bullshit. There’s no record of a Relda Dela-Cruz before you turned up on Souk.”
She kept his gaze and lifted her chin. “I’m Relda Dela-Cruz from Brielle.”
Hunt swallowed his frustration. “What species are you?” He couldn’t see any sign that she was anything but human.
She leaned over to snag a grape from the tray of food on the table. “That’s an odd question, Marshal.”
He tangled a hand in her hair, wrapping the strands around his fingers. Tight enough that she had to feel it. “I can’t help you if you don’t give me something…anything.”
