Page 21 of Truthful Deceptions

“Of course it doesn’t,” I snapped. “Tolly, you’re going to have to trust my judgment on this.”

To my surprise, Tolly held out the packet to me with a purr. His next words were downright shocking. “You’re right. I need to trust your judgment.”

I grabbed the wafers, my hands trembling too badly to get the package open. Tolly took it from me again but only to open it and pull one out. He set it in the palm of my hand.

“Is that enough?” he asked, even as I popped it into my mouth.

“Should be,” I mumbled as I shut my eyes and let it dissolve under my tongue. Within a few seconds, the headache receded, then disappeared.

I sighed with relief.

When I lifted my lids, all three Talins were staring at me intensely enough to make me jerk back.

“I'm fine!” I nearly shouted. That reminded me that my mouth was dry. “But I need some water.”

Lexarit jumped to his feet and stopped Tolly and Mieshorum from getting up with a rattle. “I'll get several canisters of water, one of sopa, and a mug of tlash tea. They're all safe for Opal to consume, and the sopa and tea will be soothing.”

Mieshorum made the agreeing sound as Lexarit left.

“Bring some flat bread also,” Tolly called out as the door shut. I was thankful to Lexarit because tea sounded good.

“How often can you safely take one of the wafers?” Tolly asked.

“One a day,” I said. “Are we really going to make an unplanned stop at a station because I had a headache?”

Tolly purred. “Absolutely. The headache might be an indication of something else.”

“Yes, it is,” I said, half amused and half frustrated. “I'm stressed because someone kidnapped me!”

This time the Talins drew back and went silent. They didn't make a sound, but I got the distinct impression of guilt coming from all three of them.

Narmuna returned and resumed his spot outside my nest. “The nearest station with adequate facilities is a little over a rotation away. I've already sent them a docking request.”

“What station?” Tolly asked.

“Twin Star Station,” Narmuna answered.

Several years ago I’d stayed briefly on Twin Star while waiting for final confirmation on my job with Bright Star. I didn’t have any friends there, but I was familiar with the layout of the place. If I was lucky, there might be an opportunity to get away from Tolly and his crewmates.

If only I wouldn't miss the purring.

Chapter 8

Opal

After they tried to feed me seven meals’ worth of food in one sitting, I kicked them all out of the room and took another long, hot shower.

I hated putting on my soiled clothes, so I rifled through Tolly’s items. There wasn’t much there. All I found was a pair of pants and a belt half tucked under the bunk. Did he not have many possessions or had he cleared them out because it was my cabin now?

I was able to wear the pants by rolling the waist down and then belting them tight enough to keep them from sliding off my hips. It was too bad these guys didn’t wear shirts, but I made a top out of one of the sheets in the nest.

It was an easy garment my mom would make us when we were kids. It ruined the sheet because I had to cut out a big triangle. I cut a slit in one of the points and slipped it over my head then tied the other two points behind my back.

Feeling better, I spent some time washing my clothes in the cleansing unit then left them to dry. I’d never washed anything by hand before, but I hoped they were clean enough to wear later.

I wasn’t tired, and I was feeling a little restless. Standing in front of the door, I debated about opening it. Tolly or one of the other crew members would be in the hall, I was sure. As much as I was frustrated with them, I had to admit that, outside of kidnapping me, they were being intensely caring and kind.

Maybe even too caring.