Chapter 6: The Healing Touch
223 Words
The adrenaline from the engine room was fading, replaced by the stinging reality of the burns on my palms. Vax hadn't let go of me since he’d pulled me from the crawlspace. He carried me into a private medical bay that smelled of sterile herbs and ozone.
He set me down on a floating silver table and barked a command at the wall. A small robotic arm extended, hovering over my injuries with a soothing blue light. Vax watched the machine with a scowl, his tail lashing the air behind him. He looked like he wanted to rip the machine apart for touching me, even if it was helping.
"It’s okay, Vax," I whispered, reaching out with my uninjured hand to touch the cold obsidian of his chest plate.
He caught my hand, his grip surprisingly gentle. He pressed my palm against his cheek, his violet eyes searching mine. The mechanical translator on his belt crackled to life. "Warrior," he rumbled. "You... fight for my ship. Why?"
"Because it’s your home," I managed to say. "And right now... it’s the only home I have."
Vax let out a low, vibrating sound. He leaned down, his forehead pressing against mine in a gesture of total protection. He didn't just want a prize anymore; he wanted to keep me safe.
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