Before Beasts, There Was Light--Book 9

Wolf Vigil

He ended up having to shout down Ray from his pre-nap vigils, who was all too happy to help keep the flailing rainbow wings in check. They weren't picky where they stuck him, and this was a ship. There were ropes everywhere. Once they had the string cheese tied to a bed, Ray reluctantly offered to take over feeding him by hand so Kai could take care of Ayah. After a moment of thought, Kai agreed, but worked a promise from Ray that he wouldn't prolong his fatigue if the ingit decided to be difficult.

"Be good," he said to Eiden in the stupid Russian.

That earned him yet another death-by-glare, to which Kai just rolled his eyes and said it was be good, or starve. Then, just to be a brat, and since Ray couldn't understand him, he told Eiden he was going to Ayah. Kai's Ayah.

"Gack! What did you say to him?" cried Ray as their roped mummy began to flail like a worm on a hook.

Kai just smirked and left. It had been a while since he'd done his traditional exit anyhow.

Max had managed to fall back asleep by the time Kai returned. Ray followed, but only long enough to scoop up a bowl of the porridge and head back out. Kai loaded up a bowl for Max then tapped the turtle on the forehead.

"Whaaaaaat?" he whined.

"Food."

"I don't want any."

"Eat. You don't know when you're next meal will be."

"Fiiiiiiiine, but close the gates already. There's too much pneumonia."

Kai grimaced and gingerly helped Max up. There weren't any pillows to prop him up by, so he'd have to trust his teammates sturdy armored back to keep him upright. He stayed around long enough to see Max take a first tentative sip before turning back to the still form on the bed.

His stomach did an awful jerk. On seeing his hands trembling as he reached out for her, he mentally slapped himself and tugged back the sheets to reveal the bundle of off-white feathers within.

"Ayah?" he murmured, slipping his hands underneath her softness and scooping her close. The bundle parted and a sickly pale face rolled against his shoulder. Her closed eyelids were shaded lavender, and he could see blue veins crisscrossing down her neck and lone bare shoulder sticking out from the too large neck hole of her shirt. At least her lips had warmed to a soft pink.

He brushed a thumb across her eyelashes, calling her name for a lack of any better idea of how to wake her up, at least, that he was willing to do. After the third time, her eyelashes fluttered beneath his thumb and she gave a little moan.

"Come on, wake up. Food."

In response, she turned her head and nuzzled into his chest, nose wrinkling when she found the tough leather of his coat rather than flesh.

"You can be warm once you eat. Come on, I know you can hear me."

Another moan, another wrinkling of the nose, then she gave a sigh and didn't close her mouth. After a few more minutes with nothing else, he figured that was the best he was going to get and leaned over to the end table for the soup bowl. Just as he was thinking it was going to be difficult, he spilled the porridge across the sheets trying to get it to her. He attempted it one more time before giving an exasperated sigh, stuffing the rice mush into his mouth, and leaning down to part her lips with his own. She stiffened. Then relaxed and probed the edge of his mouth with her tongue.

He only remembered Max when he didn't hear him comment. Flushing, he sat up and turned around, only to find Max asleep sitting up with the bowl only half empty and threatening to spill. That meant he had to untangle himself from Ayah to rescue the bowl and nudge Max down with a cacophony of squeaking springs. Then he quickly returned to Ayah, who he had to shake back to semi-consciousness before filling his mouth and slipping the food into hers. He kept his fingers on her throat to be sure she was swallowing instead of choking.