Redeeming The Alien Werewolf

16.

Vanessa

My head throbbed dully as I entered Lorian's lab, my vision swimming from the stark contrast between the dimly lit corridor and the bright white room. I gripped the metallic door frame for support, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

"Hey, Lorian," I managed, forcing a smile onto my face. "I need your help."

Lorian looked up from his workstation, his green-skinned brow creased.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his piercing green eyes scanning my face.

"Been feeling off lately," I admitted, sitting down on the cold examination table with a wince. "Just a dizzy spell, a bit of nausea... I don't know if it's just stress or something else." Lord knows I've been stressed the past couple of days.

"Let's run a scan," Lorian offered, retrieving a handheld device that buzzed softly as he moved it over my body. It was similar to the one Draug had used on me to disinfect my wounds.

I tried to focus on the rhythmic hum, but my mind wandered to Draug. I wanted to find some way to show my thanks. He'd been nothing but kind and protective, despite his haunted past and fierce exterior. A sudden idea struck– I'd make him Earth food– something comforting and familiar, for me but new for him. .

"Scan's clear," Lorian announced, breaking my reverie. "But I'd like to draw some blood to be sure."

I nodded, watching as he deftly found a vein and extracted a vial of crimson liquid with the weirdest looking needle I'd ever seen. "I'll let you and Draug know when I get the results back."

"Uh." My mind scrambled while I tried to find words.

My connection with Draug had grown deeper since we'd met, and I couldn't help but feel guilty for wanting to keep this visit a secret from him. I didn't want him to worry; he had enough on his plate.

"Could you just tell me, not Draug?" I blurted out.

"Of course, my apologies. I assumed– Maya always has me tell both of them their findings, I shouldn't have assumed the same for you." He paused tilting his head. "Also, I heard you and Maya wanted to go down planetside on Helixnova. I'd be glad to take the two of you."

"Thanks, Lorian. I'll talk to Draug about it." I slid off the examination table. "And I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Take care of yourself," he replied, his voice soft and sincere.

I left the lab with renewed determination. I'd surprise Draug with a warm, home-cooked meal– and maybe, just maybe, it would bring us closer together. In this cold, dangerous universe, I longed for connection, for solace in another's arms. And I had an inkling that Draug felt the same way.

I made my way back to the quarters Maya showed me, the ones I was sharing with Draug. Last I checked, he was still with his brother.

I poked at the fabricator, trying to perfect the Earth dish I'd decided on. I hummed along to a tune in my head, a pop song from the radio.

My thoughts wandered back to my visit with Lorian earlier, but I shoved them aside, focusing on the task at hand.

"Vanessa," Draug's deep voice rumbled from the doorway, startling me.

I spun around to see him standing there, his broad shoulders filling the doorframe, golden eyes glinting in amusement. Fuck, he was hot.

"Hey," I breathed, trying to regain my composure. "I was just... um, cooking something special for us."

Did using the fabricator still count as cooking? Yeah, probably.

A soft smile played on his lips. "I can see that. And it smells divine." He stepped further into the room, cradling a large box in his arms. "I brought you something too."