Mission: Planet Biter (Veslor Mates #4)(21)

“I understand.”

Then Vera remembered something important. “I cut my hand two weeks after we moved into the pods and had to go to the Med Bay. Doctor Hazel and Nancy wore gloves and thin contagion suits while running those tests. There’s also a part of Med Bay that seals off with clear glass. When I came in, they put away their samples and it was like a decontamination chamber. They were sprayed down before removing their suits and opening the doors to come take a look at my injury. They would have been protected in those suits inside that room, right?”

“Yes.” Roth seemed lost in thought before he looked at her again. “You weren’t wearing much when I found you.”

“Doctor Hazel put me in charge of the security pod. I got access to the controls and warmed up the pods to a comfortable temperature. I figured we were seeing and hearing shit. We might as well not be cold on top of that.”

Roth slid off the bed. “I need to share this new information with Clark.”

She panicked. “Don’t leave me!”

She also slid off the bed to make a grab for him. The blanket and sheet both fell, leaving her naked, but she didn’t care. She lunged, her feet tangling in the sheet, and she stumbled into Roth’s big body.

He caught her before she could fall, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against his front. Her head only came up to his chest but didn’t reach the underside of his chin. He was a really big alien.

“I wasn’t leaving you, Vera. There is a communications device built into the wall near the bathroom door.” He adjusted his hold on her, gently stroking her upper back. “Let me put you back in bed. You are still unwell.”

The door burst open and Dr. Mead rushed back inside, with another man behind him. “What in the hell is going on? We lost her vitals.”

Roth tightened his hold and twisted, lifting her right off her feet when he did. She couldn’t see either men anymore. Roth blocked them from her view. “She got out of bed. She is fine. Leave us.”

“Put her down,” Dr. Mead ordered.

“I will when you leave. She is bare-skinned. You are human males. Your kind sexualizes nudity. Veslors do not.”

“I have to pee.” Vera hadn’t realized that until Roth had lifted her, squeezing her middle enough that her bladder started to protest.

Roth growled low and walked toward the bathroom, holding her inches off the floor. “I will take you. It is just a few more steps away.”

“Ralph, go get Paula,” Dr. Mead snapped. “A woman should assist Miss Wade. Not you. This is highly―”

“Inappropriate,” Vera snapped back. “You mentioned that before. We’re in a hospital. Have a coworker remove the stick from your ass.”

Roth took Vera inside a bathroom and gently placed her on her feet. When she looked up, he stared down at her face. “Do you need me to help you do this? I will.”

She turned her head. The toilet was close. “I’ve got it. Just don’t let them come in here.”

He kept his gaze locked with hers as he carefully released her. “I will remain within sight.” He made sure she could stand on her own and then turned his back, stepped to the open door, and blocked it with his big body.

She made it to the toilet and as soon as she sat, her bladder let loose. Heat warmed her cheeks, since Roth would hear her peeing, but she didn’t want to lose sight of him. She wasn’t seeing imaginary things anymore, at least she hadn’t since she’d woken, but she was still afraid that particular symptom would return.

I’m just moody and bitchy, she silently admitted.

She hit the toilet function to clean her privates when she was done and then tried to stand. She made it to her feet but her legs felt rubbery. “Roth…”

He instantly spun and hurried toward her as she swayed. He scooped her into his arms, his gaze locking with hers. “I have you, Vera.”

He was a really strong alien man. Later, she figured she’d be extremely embarrassed about how she’d treated him like a breathing security blanket, and he’d seen her nude, listened to her pee, and witnessed her ranting like a lunatic. That time wasn’t now, though. She only felt grateful as he carried her back to the bed, sat her on it, and then bent, retrieving the sheet and blanket. He covered her.

A woman entered the room. That was when Vera noticed that the doctor and the other man were no longer there. “I’m nurse Paula. Let me get you a gown, Miss Wade. Perhaps you’d like to be bathed, as well. I can help you with both.”

Vera hesitated. She did feel better. At least mentally. Her body was weak and achy. It was tempting. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d showered. It hadn’t been safe to expose herself to the water in the pods.

“I won’t leave you, Vera,” Roth promised, in that gruff voice of his that she was starting to love the sound of.

“Okay, but only if Roth remains within my sight.”

The nurse’s eyebrows arched but she recovered fast. “Whatever makes you feel more comfortable, Miss Wade.”

“Thank you.”





Chapter Six



Roth stood in the doorway of the bathroom with his back to the shower. Vera was inside it, a female nurse helping her get clean. He could hear their softly murmured conversation over the water. Paula asked Vera medical questions.