.
“Stress levels are still elevated,” the doctor said, leaving out any greeting.
“What can you give her?”
Daneth produced a small gun.
“No.” She tried once more to scramble out of Zander’s grasp.
He caught her wrists in one of his hands and tugged them up, his other arm snugly around her waist. “Hush. This will make you feel better.”
She twisted around, her legs thrashing underneath her. “No, it will make you feel better. I don’t want to get—”
Zander held her immobile and the shot spiked in and out of her arm—a sharp prick.
“Ow!”
“It works on the central nervous system. It will calm her stress as well as alleviate pain. It should take effect in five minutes.”
“I didn’t ask you for that, you know—”she growled through clenched teeth, still thrashing against Zander’s hold.
Zander ignored her, looking up at Daneth. “How did you know?”
The physician shrugged. “She appeared genuinely indignant—as though she’d been wronged.”
~.~
Wronged. That was the understatement of the day. Guilt tightened his chest and made his heart heavy. Neither feeling was familiar to him. He made difficult rulings for his people every day, but he hoped he’d never misjudged a situation as badly as he had today.
Lamira stilled in his arms, her body growing heavy.
He watched her eyelids slide shut. “I asked for something to ease her pain, not put her out.” He ought to be kinder to Daneth, who had been wise enough to seek the truth and brave enough to show it to him.
Daneth studied her readouts. “She may have been exhausted—stress will do that to a human.” The physician glanced at the tray of food beside the sleeping platform. “She never ate?”
He shook his head miserably. “She said she was too upset.”
“She will eat in the morning.”
Heaviness overtook him. He needed to make amends to his delicate little human. Why hadn’t she asked him for anything? He would have made her any gift, though she’d never shown much interest in his wealth or finery. And then he remembered what she did care for. “I want you to purchase her mother. She lived on the same agrifarm where you bought Lamira. Can you arrange it?”
Daneth bowed. “Of course, my lord.”
“Has Seke seen the files?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Thank you, Daneth. That is all.”
He waited until Daneth left, then said, “Call Seke.”
When Seke’s hologram popped up, the master at arms inclined his head to show respect, but said nothing. Because Seke was his teacher of battle arts, he did not grovel as much as the others did.
“You watched it?”
“I saw.” Seke was a male of few words.
“There are no other data files of the two of them?”