Chapter Fifteen

Kyra's POV

You performed a body scan. Double SHIT. So you found it. It doesn't surprise me. They told me it would show up.

"Leave it alone Riddick."

Your face gives away nothing. You just stand there, your arms crossed, looking calm. No emotions. I should be used to it by now but I'm not, and that still frustrates me.

"Leave it alone?" That voice, so smooth. So in control. So annoyingly perfect.

This position is killing my calves. I jump effortlessly from the med table to land on the floor. I stand up slowly, and as I do I eye the door. I guess you must have sensed my thoughts to run from this conversation because you pick up a chair and throw it against the wall behind me. It startles me as it makes a loud impact. Well, there goes one perfectly good chair.

"What the fuck Riddick, I'm fine. Look at me," I start to walk around in a small circle, "I'm walking, I'm talking, and my fucking brain seems to function like it always has. So BACK THE FUCK OFF!"

I'm gasping for air as I finish yelling at you. I can't seem to slow my breathing down. My chest is heaving up and down in an unnatural fashion. That's when I notice it. My chest is really hurting. No, wait, not my chest, but the top front half of my body. I close my eyes a little and my head starts to fall backwards. I'm dizzy and my back is beginning to hurt. I feel something else too. It's like my blood is boiling just under the surface of my skin. I open my eyes, pull my head up and drop to the floor, hitting my knees hard while my right hand braces for further impact as I fall forward. My left hand instinctively goes across my chest. I can't breathe. I can't. I…I can feel your hand circling my waist to lift me up.

"Breathe. Slow and deep."

I can't. I can't. What the fuck is wrong?

"Riddick," I'm able to choke out your name through gasps of air.

There's pressure on my chest and throat. I strain a little to focus my eyes on you. You're bending down in front of me. One hand is on my chest, the other around my throat. Whatever you're doing, keep it up. I can breathe better. I keep telling myself that you're hitting some pressure points and that you're helping me, but still, your hands are going to leave a mark. My eyes keep closing. I can feel my body leaving the floor. You're carrying me again. I know by your foot steps and the direction you're taking that we are heading back to the bedroom.

My breathing is not so erratic anymore, but I'm still weak. I hate being weak. Even more, I hate being weak in your presence. Fuck. I look into your eyes as you place me on the bed.

"Panic attack."

I simply nod for I don't trust myself to speak just yet. I've had panic attacks before, just never this intense. You saved me…again. I like that. I'm hurt and you take care of me. Course you didn't have to run that body scan, but hey, you didn't know that. I'm beginning to realize that maybe you aren't going to go away. Maybe this time you'll stay. Stay with me, stay for me, just stay. I hear a rustle coming from your direction. I glance over and you're sitting on the edge of the bed now, beside me. You wave the papers again, indicating that you want to resume the conversation about the Body Scan results. I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I feel safer in this position. Not safer from you Riddick, for I no longer fear you in any capacity. I just feel safer from your reaction to what you've learned from reading the results…so…I sit like this. Childlike? Maybe, but it helps me deal.

"So, a body scan huh?" I say. This is the one time I wish you were wearing your goggles. I despise the look in your eyes. You look serious. You look worried. I don't want to look into your eyes when you look like that.

"Kyra –"

"I know. They had to. I mean, you can't have women running around in slam pregnant. That just wouldn't work. So they closed them shut, so what? I mean, I still bleed, duh Riddick, you've smelt that, you've even fucking tasted it, but I can't conceive. I guess I'm the perfect one to have se–"

"KYRA!"

I gulp unintentionally. I avert my eyes so I'm no longer looking at you.

"That's fixable, this isn't."

That's fixable? Really? Eventually I can have kids? I look down as you place the papers at my feet. I glance at them. They're just words on papers to me, they mean nothing to me. I glance up at your face. It hasn't changed, but now I'm curious. Maybe you found something new. Maybe you know why I can feel my blood moving through my body sometimes. Why I can hear it rushing through my skin whenever I get –

"I don't speak doctor, so start talking Riddick."

"He experimented on you."

Okay, I wasn't expecting that. My Uncle experimented on me. That's a lot to take.

"How?"

"You have some metal rods in your spine."

"Had them done in slam. Was knifed pretty bad, and opted for an experiment. I was under anaesthetics the whole time. Never saw the doctor. So what? Is anything wrong with them?"

"You have a lot of metal encasing your spinal structure. It's interesting."

"Stop being cryptic Riddick and answer the question. Is anything wrong with them?"

"Aquatol had an adverse effect on you. Made your spine weak. Started to curve. Deteriorate." You shrug as if I understand.

When had my Uncle given me the drug? I was a health child. Why can't I remember…I'm confused.

"Is this conversation going in any direction that I can actually follow Riddick?"

"He infused our blood together."

Silence. Maybe he didn't just say that. Maybe he said something else.

"Come again?"

"Traces of my blood are found flowing through your system. They're not fully accepted by your body, but there as a sort of separate backup system."

"That's fucked up." Fucked, Fucked, Fucked UP!

Something has changed in your eyes. You seem almost at ease with all of this.

"No shit, Kyra. Your blood has adapted beautifully to mine. It's not fighting it like a foreign substance. It accepts it, but doesn't allow the two blood types to mix together as one. My blood flows in you as a separate blood type that only allows for minimal contact with the rest of your system. It acts like a defence system, so to speak. When I cut you, it activated and is helping…Beautiful."

I'm staring at you, and am well aware that my mouth is hanging open. It's just that you've never done that before. Babble, I mean. You're talking funny too. Your choice of words…it's so out of character for you. And look at that, you're smiling. Glad you find this entertaining Baldy.

"Riddick, how much is a trace amount?"

"Fifteen percent, give or take."

You're still smiling. It's beginning to creep me out. You're letting the animal resurface, I can feel it.

"Riddick, are you kidding? Fifteen percent of me…is you? "

"No to the first question, yes to the second." You pause and tilt your head a little. "Makes sense though, why you smell like that. I smell me and you, in you." You pause again and shake your head. What, now your confused?

"How did he – no fuck that, why did he put your blood in me?"

"Think on it."

"I'm done thinking. Spill."

"Disappointing, Kyra. Maybe you should rest."

You're grinning now. Damn, I love your smile. All the worry has left your eyes. What I see in them now is you, as your normal shinny self.

"I don't want to rest," I say with a wicked grin.

I reach up and slide my hand behind your head. I pull you in close to give you a quick kiss on the lips. I deepen the kiss, and urge you to open yours for me. I want to explore your mouth again, but instead you pull back.

"Not now." The two words you say that could ruin the moment if I let them.

"What? You not in the mood, or maybe it's cuz your can't get it up?"

I can hear you growl. Maybe I stepped over that invisible line again. Men and their dicks. Can't think with them, can't think without them. How overrated it must be to be a man.

"Don't push me Kyra." The animal has decided to grace me with his presence again. What fun. I'll play with you. I'll always play with you.

"It's what I do best though, isn't it?"

Your smile has gone and in its place is the humourless animal. Shit, maybe this side of you doesn't want to play the same way I want to.

"Little girls shouldn't toy with dangerous killers."

I narrow my eyes. Toy with you? Hell no, I want you inside of me, where's the toying in that?

"When you find a dangerous killer on this ship, let me know and I'll think about being careful. Until then, I want to play with you Riddick, my dangerous friend, not my dangerous killer."

You lean in close to my ear. I can hear you as you inhale my scent. It must be an animal thing. I turn my head slightly and inhale deeply. You smell the way every man should. Strong, powerful, sexy…stamina like a fucking -

"Do you know why he did it?"

"Why who did what?" No more talking Riddick, I want to –

You leap up and in one fluid motion land on top of me, effectively pinning me to the bed. One minute I'm sitting up with my arms wrapped around my knees, the next I'm underneath you. You're warm. I like where this is going.

"My blood. Our blood. It's strong. Stronger than most. I'm Furyan, so the blood holds special, shall we say, strengths."

On second thought, I'm not sure I like where this is going. You look upset now. I don't like you looking upset. I like you in control of your emotions. I think I want the human side of Riddick to rear its deadly head.

"He put my blood in you to make you stronger, to make you heal faster…like me.. He dared use my blood for an experiment of his. My blood. He treated me like a fucking lab animal with his poking and prodding. I want him dead, Kyra. You want him dead?"

You're growling now. Not the usual growl, but deeper, more feral. I know I have to be careful answering the next question.

"Yes, Riddick, I do."

"Good."

You're looking at me with you head slightly angled to one side. You bend just low enough to sniff me again. I probably stink. Haven't showered since, well, since – .

"I like you Kyra. Do you like me?"

"Yes."

"You accept this part of me?"

"Yes."

"Completely?"

"Yes."

I'm not even panicking. My breath is slow and even. I'm impressed with myself. I'm in control. He may be asking all the questions, but he has to wait for my answer.

"I accept you. All of you."

With that you lift your body off of me just high enough to look me over with your eyes. You growl again, low and deep. I can feel the remnants of it as you press your body along mine, and with that I have lost all control of the situation. "Riddick?"

"Hmm?"

'What are you thinking about?"

"About you. About me."

"Yeah?"

"You're going to stay with me now. You're mine. No one else can have you. I protect what's mine. You're going to stay."

I'm still not sure I'm fully okay with that. I mean, I don't want to be a possession, but I'm glad that you want me with you.

"I'm going to stay Riddick, but I'm yours as what? What am I to you?"

"You're mine. You're everything I need. Everything I want. I want you near me, always. Rest now, Kyra. Sleep, because when we get to Dirkshire, you won't be able to rest as deeply."

"I'm not tired."

"I know."

You ease yourself off of me. I watch you as you stride to the door. You stop and turn your head just slightly so that I can see the shine in your eyes.

"You're my friend, Kyra. The only woman I trust."

Riddick's POV

I'm happy, I think. Happy? What a foreign word for me. Friend is another. Of course you're my friend Kyra. Actually, you're my second friend. Jack was the first. Hayden is not my friend. That's not true. He's…well, he's my friend, but not the way you're my friend. I hate reflecting on my feelings like this. FUCK. It only takes one woman to screw with my head so badly, and that one woman is you Kyra. You're my friend, but you're also more. Best friend? Lover? Definitely my lover. Never had that before. Shit, I'm pacing again.

You make the animal in me want things he's never wanted before. Never. The animal in me trusts you. I trust you. Never had that before. I stop pacing only to glance around at my surroundings. There is shit all over the place. I've cleaned as much as I could. Some broken plates, a broken chair…well that's my fault, I threw that. You were going to fuckin' run. Run away from me! I don't fucking think so, Kyra.

Not too much stuff is out of place from that failed star jump. I know I should clean the bedroom. There's going to be all your new clothes over the floor. No. You'll do that. You'll want to anyway.

Planet Dirkshire. What a planet. Eight hours till we arrive. I'm hungry, but I'm more tired. Maybe I'll sleep beside you. What's the worst that could happen?