They’re back in the cave. She’s trying to kill him. Her hands are empty, and they feel numb. She tries to beat him with her bare fists, but he’s holding her wrists. He doesn’t laugh or say anything, he only watches her, as if she’s nothing. He’s completely indifferent to her pain and her attempts to hurt him.

She thrashes more and more. Her fear and desperation builds to a pitch as she fights. Then she hears the sound of metal feet on a tile floor behind her. Rurik doesn’t speak, but she knows the order’s been given.

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“Alix!”

Reyer tried to throw herself forward, but something stopped her. When she came back to herself, she realized where she was.

Vas was leaning over her. His right hand was locked on the inside of her left elbow, holding her arm back. She had still managed to grab onto the sleeve of his jacket. She felt his other hand under hers, gripping the handle and guard of her knife to keep her from pulling it.

They both stayed there for a second or two, not moving.

Vas smiled. “Got you.”

To the captain’s surprise, she didn’t pull away when he tried to let off her arm. She held onto his jacket sleeve; her other hand closed over his.

“Vas.” She took a gulp of air. “Is it that easy to take me down?”

If she wasn’t going to let go, he certainly wouldn’t force the issue. Instead of pinning her elbow, he held her forearm as he sat on the bed beside her. The berth was small. He had to keep his head ducked so he wouldn’t knock it on the wall. Her words sounded like a joke, but her smile was forced. Despite the dimness of the lights, he noticed tears at the edges of her eyes.

He was trying to understand, so his own face was grave, but he did his best to respond with the same aspect of humor. “I hope most of your enemies don’t know you as well as I do.”

That had been the wrong thing to say. Vas realized his mistake when he saw her shoulders curl as she worked to banish the too-raw image of Ivan Rurik from her mind.

He hurried to say something else. “I would have let you wake up on your own, but that one seemed worse than most.”

“If you’re going to wake me, you could at least give me the satisfaction of stabbing you.”

The question slipped out: “Alix, are you all right?”

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Her hands started trembling. The small beads of tears grew until they were large enough to roll down her face. She kept her mouth shut, but her chest jerked and heaved.

Vas pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. She threw hers over his shoulders and buried her face in his neck.

“You ass,” she mumbled. “I thought I could count on you to joke about it. What did you have to go and ask me a question like that for?”

He closed his eyes. “Yup. That was damn insensitive of me.”

He couldn’t tell if she was giggling or sobbing. He put a hand up on her head. They stayed there for a long time as she struggled to control herself.

Once she had calmed down enough to stop shaking, she said, “It was worse than most.”

Vas shifted on the bed and pulled her closer. She murmured something, but Adan wasn’t able to make it out.

“I’m sorry?” Vas muttered in her ear.

“My back,” she said, louder.

He let go. She used his arms to help push herself back so she could lean up against the wall. Once she was settled, he went to pull away, but her fingers pressed down on his left wrist for the barest moment.

Did she not want to let him go? Vas hesitated.

“Please,” she whispered.

Adan waited, feeling as if the whole world was made of paper-thin glass. When she still didn’t move, he took her wrist the same way she was holding his.

“Thank you.” The words were so quiet, if he hadn’t been watching her lips, he might have missed them.

A minute passed, then Reyer said, “We’re never quite the people we want to be, are we? Never quite whole. Never quite as tough and independent as we should be. They say that needing others will always leave you vulnerable. The strongest heart is the one that can give and love while asking nothing in return.” She swallowed and shook her head. “But they also say being human is a process—that our nature is to struggle and grow. Maybe there’s hope for me.”

Vas took her other hand in his own and waited until she looked at him. When their eyes met, he finally spoke.

“Alix, you read too much.”

Reyer laughed. “That’s more like it.” She pulled her hand away to wipe her eyes but still kept her hold on his wrist. Leaning her head against the wall, she said, “I’m sorry for taking advantage of you, Captain.”

Vas sat back, choking on nothing. Despite its nonexistence, it took him a moment to get it out of his throat. “You’re taking advantage of me? And how do you figure that?”

“I was alone for years, Vas.”

Vas, he noted. I’m still the captain and Vas to her.

The dash of bitterness vanished when he heard the strained nonchalance in her voice. “I never thought about it, but being that long without real human contact is hard. I noticed it whenever you touched my hand or my arm.” She took a deep breath. “I think I really wanted someone to hold me.” Her voice had dropped to the point it was hard to hear. “It’s comforting.”

Adan glanced down at their clasped hands. “I see.” He looked up. “I understand. Rumor is I’m human too—I know that it’s comforting to have other people there. I don’t mind.” He held up their joined arms. “This is not the worst assignment I’ve had.”

“Oh, that’s good to know,” she said in her teasing voice. The voice faltered and became serious. “But it still wasn’t appropriate to ask you. It’s not covered in your bodyguard duties.”

“I’m glad you did.” Vas worried his sincerity was too obvious, so he tried to lighten his tone. “You know how much I like to play the hero-type.”

Reyer smiled. “All right, Captain. Far be it from me to deny you that chance.”

“Good.” He slid off and sat beside her bunk to give her more room. “You should lay down. Try and get some rest. I won’t go anywhere.”

Alix didn’t argue. She curled down on her side, facing him. Eventually her eyelids drifted shut. Vas was still holding her hand.