Having to lie still while her body ached and muscles burned was an unpleasant experience, especially when compounded with a parched mouth and a shrivelled stomach. But Katie had no choice but to keep lying there – even if she desperately wanted to roll onto her side and stretch – on account of the restraints on her wrists. They were secured to the bed up near her shoulders, giving her no leeway to move her torso at all.

She lifted her fin and flopped it back down as she sighed. She had woken up – though she was not certain how long ago because the clock in the room was behind her – and Riley wasn’t there. It was making her anxious because she knew they had moved her friend, she just wasn’t certain of where or why, or what could have made Riley go without a loud commotion. It would have woken her if Riley had resisted, but had she been coerced or sedated was what Katie really wanted to know. She hoped Riley was alright, either way.

Katie smacked her lips and sighed. She desperately wanted a drink of water, if nothing else. The air conditioning was on, but it was still incredibly dry, and she was feeling the need to pant.

She winced and tried to arch her back off the table. Her body was sore – probably from lying prone for as long as she had – but her back was throbbing, especially up between her shoulder blades. It was concerning given the IV tube still dripping omega fluid into her. No one seemed to know if there would be side effects, and it wasn’t lost on her that Riley and Luna were two entirely different Mer, and she now had a high concentration of both their genetics. She wasn’t a scientist, and genetics was never her strongest suit in biology class, but she figured there were probably risks to that. She wasn’t sure what they might be, but she couldn’t help wondering if it was the source of her pain.

She rolled her shoulders, trying to alleviate some of the pressure. It didn’t work and she fell limp with another sigh and closed her eyes. Maybe if she could fall back asleep, she could escape it for a little while.

As she lay there listening to the beeping of the monitors and the drumming of her own heart, feeling like she was beginning to lose her mind, Katie heard the door open. At first, she didn’t move. Sometimes it was safer to appear asleep with Lemuria. They were sometimes inclined to leave her and Luna be. Sometimes.

Katie inhaled deeply as she tried to drink in the person’s scent, but she wasn’t very good at deciphering scents. She was hoping Riley could teach her how to read the sensory overload she received when she tried. She did know it was familiar.

“I know you’re awake,” the newcomer murmured as they laid a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “People breathe differently when they’re asleep. It’s hard to truly fake to a keen eye.”

Katie sighed and her eyes fluttered back open. Lukshia was leaning over her, with her hair tied into a tight French braid that was then twisted up and pinned atop her head. She was dressed in dark colours as usual, but something was glittering in her dark brown gaze that made Katie’s heart sink. “Lukshia…” she rasped.

A wry smile pulled at Lukshia’s lips and she sighed. “Hey Katie,” she greeted in a low, whispered tone. “It’s good to see you open your eyes; you weren’t looking so hot last time I saw you. How are you feeling?”

Katie’s brows furrowed. “What are you doing here?” she rasped. “You’re supposed to be with Luna and the others.”

Lukshia didn’t reply. Instead, she moved away from the medical cot and opened a cupboard under the small sink for washing hands and equipment. She crouched down and pulled out a water bottle before returning to the bedside. Katie watched her twist the top off and then angle the bottle down towards Katie’s lips. “Here, drink something,” she encouraged.

Katie gulped gratefully at the water pouring down her throat. She was parched and though the water was still rather warm, it felt incredibly soothing.

After a few mouthfuls, Lukshia pulled the bottle away and Katie took a moment to catch her breath. “Lukshia?” she queried again. Her question still hadn’t been answered.

Lukshia sighed and shook her head. “They’re here too, Katie.”

Katie’s heart squeezed and she glanced around for any indicator that Lukshia was wrong, though she knew that wasn’t true. “No….” she breathed. “No, but how…What about her parents?”

“Everyone’s here, Katie,” Lukshia sighed. She reached out and brushed some of Katie’s hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Lemuria has taken over the park; rather efficiently.”

Katie frowned and shook her head. “Sophie would never let them…” she trailed off as Lukshia gave her a pointed look. “No, this park is Sophie’s life. She and Lewis worked to make this a reality before I even existed….but she would to protect us….I’m sorry,” Katie sighed. “You got captured because of us. Because of me…because I got sick.”

“That was not your fault,” Lukshia refused. “You can’t hold yourself responsible for getting sick, nor for the choices made while you were unconscious. You have nothing to be sorry for, Katie.”

Katie sighed and averted her gaze. “I suppose not. Where are the others? Where’s Riley? Does she know the others are here?”

Lukshia shrugged. “They have the other Mer set up in a room in the Search and Rescue Quarantine wing, I believe. Sophie and Lewis are with them, and they’re not letting them leave. Otherwise, Sophie would probably have already come down here to check on you. I don’t know where Riley is or if she knows about the others. I imagine if she doesn’t, she will soon.”

Katie nodded. That made sense. Riley’s senses were highly attuned. It wouldn’t be long before she picked up the scent of Lewis or the other Mer on someone and found out; if she didn’t already know what was going on. Katie still wished she knew where her friend was or that she was alright. It seemed too quiet for someone to have picked a fight with Riley, and the silence was more concerning than signs of a scuffle.

She also missed Sophie and Lewis and Luna and hoped that they were alright. She wanted to see them, but if they were being kept in quarantine as Lukshia said, she probably wouldn’t get to for a while. “Wait…if they’re in quarantine, how are you in here? Of all people, I wouldn’t expect them to let you wander, you’re probably the most skilled and dangerous of us all…did Lemuria actually capture you?”

Lukshia regarded Katie’s gaze calmly and then shook her head. “No, they didn’t.”

Hope blossomed in Katie’s chest at the news. Lemuria didn’t know Lukshia was here. They could still get away. “Oh, okay, that’s great…what’s the plan?” she inquired. She then winced as another flare of pain stole her attention away from the conversation. She tugged at the restraints holding her down. “Can you let me up, please? I need to stretch, and it’d be easier to talk that way.”

Lukshia pursed her lips and sorrow glistened in her gaze. “I’m sorry, Katie,” she whispered. “But I can’t do that.”

“Why not? I mean, it has to happen anyway, right? I can’t exactly help you with an escape plan if I’m tied down like this….” Katie trailed off as the grim expression lingered on Lukshia’s face. “Right? That’s why you’re here?”

Lukshia looked away and Katie’s heart sunk like a stone. She cast her gaze down as she realized. “Oh.” Tears burned in her eyes at the sharp sting of betrayal, and her hopes died, snuffled like a candle flame in the wind. It made sense now. They had been well hidden in a secluded cabin off the grid in a difficult to access area. The chances of Lemuria finding that place were slim unless someone tipped them off. And Lukshia would have known immediately when Luna’s family arrived.

“I’m sorry, Katie,” Lukshia replied with a rueful tone to her voice. “It’s nothing personal.”

Katie scoffed. “No, of course not. The lives of innocents depended on you and you sold them out, but I’m sure it was never anything personal.”

Lukshia placed a hand on Katie’s shoulder and Katie shrugged it off. “It wasn’t like that, Katie. I’m a bounty hunter, not a miracle worker. My resources are finite. When someone like me goes to war with an international, government-supported corporation like Lemuria…you do that and you wind up in prison, dead, or worse. Dead is dead, and I’ve helped put a lot of people away all across the globe, I would not survive prison and I have no intention of dying or living my life in a cage, prison cell or otherwise. I was genuinely rooting for your survival.”

Katie shook her head as tears burned in her eyes. “Then why didn’t you just cut your losses and run? You didn’t have to turn around and join the other team. We trusted you.”

Lukshia sighed. “That’s the problem, Katie. You shouldn’t have. Maybe at first, because you didn’t have another choice…but in a situation like yours, blindly trusting a friendly face or a perceived offer to help…that’ll get you killed. Your friend knew that; she might very well have ripped my throat out if Lewis hadn’t vouched for me and managed to talk her down.”

“So because I try to see the best in people, my family deserves to be locked up and tortured? Luna deserves that, and her family?”

Lukshia shook her head. “Of course not, and it’s heartwarming to see someone with such a positive view of the world – especially after everything you’ve been through – but people have let you down before, Katie, several times. You have your family to protect, so stop letting outsiders put it at risk. Sophie and Lewis both seem like they’d take a bullet for you girls. They just might before all this is over. I don’t think Luna means you any harm, but she’s been through years of psychological abuse and conditioning, and you don’t know what triggers she might have, so I would be careful even there. I don’t know about Riley. She seems loyal and trustworthy, but in your position, I would question everything. You’re the only one you can truly trust, Katie.”

“What about Olivia?” Katie countered. “You seem to trust her enough to break into a government facility and risk everything because she asked you to. Or was that all some bigger ploy too?”

Lukshia grimaced. “Olivia is my weakness, Katie. We all have one. No one is perfect. It’s true, Olivia very well could be coerced or persuaded into betraying me, and I’ll have to live with the consequences of that; but that’s my cross to bear. You need to worry about yourself now. Decide what it is you care about, what you need to protect, and what you’ll risk to do so, and consider the various threats to that before you depend on others outside of it.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Katie sighed. A tear slipped down her cheek. “What do you care anymore?”

Lukshia brushed away one of Katie’s tears and took a seat on the side of the medical cot. “I can’t help you anymore, Katie, but that doesn’t mean I wanted you to end up a display piece. I am still rooting for you, Katherine, but you’re on your own now.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Katie muttered. She closed her eyes and more tears leaked from behind her lids. She was tired of being treated like an animal and a thing, and lesser than those around her. She already felt that way on her own, without people betraying her trust and reminding her of her own inadequacies. “Just go away, Lukshia. You obviously don’t want anything to do with us anymore, so don’t waste your time.”

“Don’t be bitter,” Lukshia scolded. “It is naïve to blindly trust, but only the fool refuses advice when it is offered. You have a disadvantage in this fight, Katie. You are losing, but you have not lost. You have the body and abilities of the Mer – which are rather impressive from what I’ve observed – the mentality and upbringing of a human being, and you’re too valuable to your enemies to kill. You have more than you think in your fight. You just have to stop depending on everyone else now. Be strong.”

Katie turned her head away from Lukshia. She wasn’t so much angry as she was disheartened. It felt like every time they stood a chance, things went wrong, and this betrayal stung even worse than Jenny’s had. She had genuinely liked Lukshia and Olivia and had hoped she could count on knowing a few friends in America if she ever wound up there again.

She heard the woman sigh. “Good luck, Katie,” she murmured before the door squeaked open on its hinge and then swished shut behind her.

Katie took a shuddering breath and broke down into heavy sobs. Her fingers curled into fists and she bit down on her lip as it quivered. Her entire family was now held captive, and she did not know if Sophie or Lewis were going to be safe. She wouldn’t put it past Lemuria to kill them in a fake accident that would close down the park. Luna and her family would be dragged back into captivity along with her and Riley. Everyone else in the world who knew her thought she was dead, and she knew they couldn’t count on Olivia looking again. Not if Lukshia told her there was nothing she could do.

It felt like every final hope she’d had, every chance to come to grips and forge a new life had been wrenched from her. She and Luna had talked in hushed whispers about what would happen if they went back. It was always a grim conversation. Katie didn’t need to have it to know. Security would tighten, they would always be watched. And this time, there’d be more of them to torment. Katie just wanted to feel like a person again, not an animal on display or a fugitive in hiding, but a normal accepted human being. She supposed that so long as she had a tail, that was never going to happen, but some sense of normalcy was all she truly craved anymore.

***

Time seemed to pass in a daze. Katie had exhausted herself in a fit of sorrow, and now the pain between her shoulders was growing worse. Despite her hurt and anger, part of her almost wished Lukshia would return just so she would have someone to talk to and distract her from the discomfort. It only continued to grow worse as time went on. Katie’s body weight was exacerbating the issue, and Katie began to tug flutily at her restraints. She just wanted to sit up.

Finally – after what felt like an eternity – the door clicked back open once more, and Katie’s attention whipped over to see who it was.

A man who looked to be in his mid to late twenties had his back to her as he backed into the room pulling a gurney with him. Riley was sprawled out on it. She wasn’t strapped down, but her fingers were dangling limply over the edge of the gurney. Her hair was strewn messily across her face, but Katie could see one of her icy blue eyes cracked open, but it was unfocused and rolled back in her head.

The man pulled the gurney up beside Katie’s and began moving around it to lock each of the wheels.

“What’s wrong with her?” Katie inquired.

The man started and his attention whipped to her. He had buzzed brown hair and his gray-green eyes were widened and a little spooked. He obviously hadn’t been expecting her to speak, probably didn’t know she could. Katie resisted the urge to roll her eyes and stared him down expectantly as she waited for an answer.

“Oh, uh…she just got out of surgery,” he reported. “Dr. Auldon said she was given some pretty heavy painkillers and that she might be rather dazed for a while.”

“What kind of surgery?” Katie pressed as she twisted to get a better look at Riley. She didn’t like the idea of them drugging her and performing an operation. What had made her let them?

“I don’t know,” the tech admitted. “I was just told to bring her back here and make sure there are no side effects to the medications. He anticipated you would still be unconscious.”

Katie winced and rolled her shoulders. “Well, I’m not,” she replied. “Listen, I don’t really care if you’re staying; goodness knows we don’t get a say, but if you are going to linger, do you think you could loosen these?” she asked as she tugged on the restraints for emphasis. “Because I’m actually in a fair bit of pain, and I just want to stretch and roll over. Please.”

The tech hesitated, ducking his head and shifting his weight. “I don’t think I should be messing with that, I’m afraid. I can probably put some painkillers in your IV though. There’s nothing on these charts prohibiting it…” the tech offered as he glanced at the monitors of equipment set up around Katie.

Katie shook her head. “No, I don’t want painkillers, I just need to take the pressure off; I’ve been lying in one position too long. Please, you can reapply them, just let me roll over.”

The man shook his head. “No. No, if you’ve been restrained it was for a reason. I won’t tamper; Dr. Patron would be very angry.”

Katie’s heart seized in her chest. “Dr. Patron is here?” she inquired warily.

The tech nodded. “Of course. He’s heading this field mission.” He had moved over to the opposite side of the room and sat down in a chair where Katie could barely see him unless she craned her neck. He pulled out his cellphone and his attention shifted to it.

Katie swallowed the lump clogging her throat and moistened her lips. “I thought Dr. Auldon was in charge of the…of the mermaid attraction,” she stated finally.

The tech shrugged. “I’m not informed of the prolonged chain of command, but Dr. Patron is leading this particular venture.”

Katie felt violently ill at the statement. Dr. Patron was not only here, but there was no one to rein him in if he was in charge. Katie pulled against her restraints again. She needed to know where Luna was, and if she was okay. As she pulled, the pain between her shoulders worsened and she winced openly.

“Are you sure you don’t want any painkillers?” the technician inquired without looking up from his phone.

“How is giving me something for the pain less of a potential offence than allowing me to roll over?”

“Painkillers won’t hurt you, and you’re still under control. They’ve got you tied down for a reason, surely. You seem reasonable, but it’s a higher risk to release you even for a few moments.”

Katie arched her back and a high-pitched whine whistled past her lips. “They strapped me down because I was practically in a coma and tossing around in my sleep. Please, this isn’t like a surgical or injury based pain that I just need to sleep off and heal from. Something is wrong and my weight is making it worse. And she’s not secured, so they’re not worried about escape.”

The man sighed and looked up from his cellphone. “I don’t make the rules,” he argued. “I’m sorry you’re in pain; wasn’t entirely expecting you to speak, to be frank, but I can’t help you. I was just told to bring the other one back here and make sure neither of you stopped breathing or something until they come for you. If you want a shot, I’ll get it for you; I don’t much care for seeing any animal in pain and you’re a bit more than I was anticipating, but otherwise, there’s nothing I can do, alright?”

Katie wanted to argue further, but she knew she wasn’t going to convince him to help her. Already, he seemed more decent than a lot of Lemuria employees and she couldn’t truly fault him for being unwilling to put his neck on the line for her.

She glanced back at Riley on the other gurney. She was still slumped limply, and her hair had shifted, so Katie could no longer tell if her eyes were open or closed.

“Riley?” she called between gritted teeth. She’d come to know the other Mer as hypervigilant and an incredibly light sleeper, but the other girl didn’t even twitch. “What did they do to her?”

“She’s just sedated,” the technician responded. “Very heavily. They don’t want her shifting around too much after her surgery.”

“So, the solution is to just keep her under? That’s not healthy for her,” Katie protested. She groaned and arched her back again. Her fin flared and flopped back down noisily as she moved.

“I don’t think so. I think they just don’t want her moving for the rest of the night. I was there when they injected her. She was only just coming off from the IV anesthetic when they gave her the shot. I don’t think she felt any pain, but I’ve also never seen drugs take effect so fast, so whatever they gave her was potent.”

Katie glanced back at Riley’s prone form and sympathy stabbed her gut. Riley relied heavily on her heightened senses and instincts, and Katie couldn’t imagine a worse situation for the girl than to have all those reflexes forcibly shut down. Her eyes had been open – if only partially – when she was brought in. Katie didn’t think she was fully asleep – though she had no way of knowing what state of awareness Riley was in – it couldn’t feel pleasant to be paralyzed like that.

Another spike of pain flared between Katie’s shoulder blades and she bit her lip and whimpered as she attempted to smother the sound.

The longer she lay there, the worse the burn grew, like an ever-increasing pressure while someone shoved a hot poker against her flesh. It wasn’t long before she was panting, and tears were blurring her eyes. Her head was spinning and her muscles ached from straining against the restraints as she tried to keep her weight off of her back as much as possible.

She wasn’t sure how long she continued to lay there, but the sound of her blood rushing in her ears drowned out the rest of her surroundings. Eventually, that noise was replaced with a high-pitched whistling scream. It took a few seconds to register that the sound was coming from her. Her vision was blurred and doubled, and it was hard to hear, but she did pick up on some shuffling sounds. The movement wasn’t comforting. She hoped maybe the technician would let her up now, and not just pump her full of medication. There was a twisting in her gut telling that would be a very bad thing.

“Katie…” The voice was raspy, but it was unmistakably Riley’s. “Katie, what is wrong?”

“Hurts,” Katie spat. “Have to…sit up. Please.” Her chest heaved and her teeth ground together as her jaw clenched, and another cry echoed behind her teeth.

She heard Riley hiss and then felt her fingers graze over one of Katie’s restrained wrists.

Katie arched her back and wailed again, but her vision began to clear a little, and she finally twisted her head to glance at Riley.

The blonde’s face was scrunched in concentration, but her hands were shaking as she fumbled with the latch on the straps. She was noticeably struggling with the lingering effects of whatever they’d given her because she kept shaking her head and narrowing her gaze, and her shaking didn’t get any better.

Riley hissed in frustration as her fingers slipped and she failed to thread the strap up through the buckle once more. “Okay, hang on,” she growled.

Katie whined again. She wanted to have better control; Riley was trying to help her and it was obvious she was struggling; Katie didn’t need to make that worse by complaining about it, but it was too much pressure and she could hardly stand it.

Riley twisted her arm and slid her spines beneath Katie’s hand. “Stay very still,” she warned in a weary voice before she wrenched her arm up and winced. Katie watched her saw back and forth a few times whilst tugging, and then the belt snapped and fell away from Katie’s arm.

Riley’s face scrunched with pain as she braced her hands on Katie’s cot and pulled herself across the gap. Her hair tickled Katie’s face as she leaned over and ripped up the other restraint.

The moment Riley pulled away, Katie shoved herself up off her back with a gasp. She rolled her shoulders and sighed with relief as the discomfort finally lessened. It still lingered like an irritating bee sting on her back, but it was much more tolerable now.

“Thank you,” she whimpered. She brought a hand up to her face and scrubbed at the tear tracks staining her cheeks.

“What happened?” Riley pressed.

Katie shrugged and cast her gaze down at her scales. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “The longer I laid on my back, the more it hurt. It’s better now.”

Riley nodded, but the worry lines creasing her features indicated that she wasn’t entirely reassured.

“You were supposed to be asleep for several hours still,” the technician muttered. He had risen from his seat, and taken a step towards them.

As he spoke, Riley’s attention snapped to him and her eyes narrowed. “My friend was in trouble. That tends to be a powerful motivator to be up and moving. Keep your distance,” she warned. “I am in no mood to be tolerant.”

Katie believed that statement based on the growl in Riley’s tone. The other girl’s fins twitched on the end of her tail, and her spines flexed a few times. It was a strong indicator of Riley’s increasing irritation.

The man frowned and nodded at the severed restraints. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

Riley snorted. “I hardly had much choice; you did not seem inclined to offer aid. I am not in the habit of abandoning those I care about when they need me most. Whatever consequence seems to be holding you back, I am not afraid of.”

The technician rolled his eyes. “I can see who the more civilized of you two is,” he stated as he returned to his seat.

Riley’s lips pulled back into a furious snarl and she hissed. “Why are you here?” she growled.

The man met her gaze evenly, though Katie thought she saw a flicker of doubt waver in his eyes. She didn’t blame him; Riley was a scary individual to be locked into a staredown with. “I’m meant to be keeping an eye on the two of you; you’re both under watch after your operation and her unstable condition. Dr. Auldon requested I supervise to ensure no complications arose while both of you were incapacitated.”

“Well, neither of us are incapacitated now,” Riley sneered back. “So leave. I have no patience for someone so shallow and subservient to leave another in great pain for no justifiable reason. You and your people have truly begun to irritate me. We will keep an eye on each other, and in case of an emergency, we have excellent lung capacity as well as this,” she paused to hold up the call button that was still hooked up to Katie’s cot. “We will be fine.”

Katie covered her mouth to smother an amused chuckle. Riley was brazen when she was annoyed, and Katie was constantly impressed by her bold bravery. She seemed to have no fear of repercussions.

The man took a step closer and a scowl morphed across his features. “I’m afraid you don’t get to dictate those sorts of decisions. You should lie back down, though. You’re fresh out of surgery, and it would be best if you remained as motionless as possible. I’ll get you another dose of painkillers.”

Riley grimaced. “If you intend to suppress my senses again, then I shall pass,” she muttered with a flick of her fins.

“What, mermaids have a thing against pain relief?”

Riley hissed at him. “We do when it removes our ability to react. And we are not mermaids.”

The tech’s eyebrows raised and he regarded the two of them. “Riiight,” he mocked.

Riley snarled in response, and Katie reached out to touch her shoulder. Talking big was one thing, but Riley had still just come out of surgery and it would only be detrimental for her to get too worked up over a low-level Lemuria worker who wasn’t half as bad as most of them.

“It’s okay,” Katie murmured to her. “The polite term is Mer,” she stated, redirecting her attention to the man.

“What’s the difference?” he inquired.

“The difference is that humans call us mermaids, but we identify as Mer. We do not separate by gender,” Katie replied evenly. She honestly wasn’t entirely certain the real reason Mer were quite so sensitive about the term, but she did respect it as part of their culture.

“Mer then,” he relented. “Regardless, both of you should be lying down.”

Katie shuddered and rolled her shoulders again. Her back still throbbed, but it was much better than before. She wasn’t interested in lying back down even if she was still fatigued. If she fell asleep, it only made her vulnerable again, and a harsh lesson about trust had been crammed down her throat only hours ago. She never wanted to be in a position of helplessness again if she could avoid it.

She glanced at Riley but wasn’t surprised to find the other Mer’s gaze narrowed in on the Lemuria worker. There was no way she was going to relax even slightly while he was still around.

When neither of them budged, the man sighed. “I’m just trying to do my job,” he protested.

Katie shrugged. “Perhaps you can understand why we’re less inclined to cooperate with that?”

The Lemuria worker sighed and walked around the two cots. Riley followed him with her gaze and growled softly when he stepped up to Katie’s side. He eyed her warily before clearing his throat and raising a hand to tap his index finger against the mostly drained IV stand feeding into Katie’s hand. “This should be replaced,” he announced. “I’ll go down the hall to see about getting a new one filled, and I’ll lock the door while I’m gone. If when I get back, you two are both still roughly where you’re supposed to be and not causing any problems or risking aggravating your situations, I’ll sit outside with the door only very slightly ajar. In exchange, I trust when it comes time to move either of you or have anything else done, you’ll be polite to me about fangs and spines and all that.” He gestured bodily at them as he spoke.

Katie could only stare at him with widened eyes for a moment as she processed what he had said. He was going to compromise with them. He was going to consider them sentient and enough like people to strike a bargain. It wasn’t perfectly ideal, but it was probably the best he could offer, frankly. And all he wanted in return was for them not to attack him if he was ordered to do something they wouldn’t like. Katie figured that was inevitable.

“I can agree to that…within reason,” she added. She wasn’t going to sit passively and be abused anymore. That hadn’t worked the first time around and it wasn’t going to work now. And this way, she didn’t have to trust him. He either kept his word or he didn’t, and she was under no obligation to keep hers either. She turned to regard Riley. “You?”

Riley shrugged. “Within reason,” she agreed. Her hand still shook as she reached up to shove her bangs back out of her face, and sympathy surged in Katie. She wasn’t sure how Riley was fighting off the worst of the sedatives in her system, but they were still noticeably affecting her.

The tech nodded his confirmation. “Alright then,” he decided. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked back towards the door. “I’ll be back.”

The door clicked shut behind him and Katie slumped with relief.

“Do not hurry,” Riley muttered. “What happened earlier, Katie?”

Katie shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve been aching since the last time I woke up and being secured on my back made it so much worse. Thank you for what you did, by the way. You were probably better off still under the influence of your painkillers. What did they do to you, anyway?”

Riley waved a hand. “Do not fret about me, I am fine. The intent was to repair lingering damage to my hip. Lewis was there,” she stated.

Katie nodded. “That’s good, at least. Lewis would have made sure it was done properly.”

“I do not think any of them wish for me to be crippled. Whether he was there or not made no difference to that. But it was comforting to have a friendly face around,” she agreed. Her gaze wandered the room and she drummed her fingers against the cot. She was still half sprawled on Katie’s, but the last thing Katie wanted was to lie down, so there was more than enough room for the two of them and no reason to make Riley move about even more after her surgery. “Katie…why is that woman’s scent in here? Her name is Lukshia, yes?”

“Yeah,” Katie confirmed. “She umm…” Katie’s shoulders sagged and she bit her lip. It still hurt to consider. “She betrayed us. She’s probably the reason Lemuria found the rest of your family, and we certainly can’t count on her help out of this.”

Riley snarled and lashed her fins. “I knew there was something off about her. I should never ignore my instincts, but Lewis requested that I make peace.”

“Lewis didn’t know,” Katie argued. “He couldn’t have.”

“I do not think he did. He would not have betrayed our trust; he has a good heart and I trust him. But she had better hope I am never in a position to make good on my warning to rend flesh last I was in her company. I have no tolerance for betrayal.”

Katie nodded, but she didn’t reply. Her throat was closing up and she gulped desperately at the rising lump, but it had no effect. She finally settled for chewing on her lip to help keep the stinging tears brimming in her eyes at bay.

“Are you okay?”

Katie nodded. “It aches, but it’s a lot more bearable than it was before.”

“That is not what I meant,” Riley deadpanned.

Katie forced a small smile and nodded at her. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Riley snorted and leaned closer with her jaws partially parted. “You are lying to me,” she stated.

Katie blushed. She was going to have to get Riley to teach her that particular trick someday, but for now, it sucked having it used against her. “That’s not fair,” she protested.

Riley grinned and shrugged. “Fair or not, you are still not being honest. What is wrong?”

Katie raised an eyebrow and gestured around them.

Riley shook her head. “I mean; why are you trying to hide your emotions?”

Katie opened her mouth to protest, but her voice gurgled in her throat and the words died away. She looked away and shrugged. “I-I just don’t want everyone else to have to worry about me any more than they already have.”

Riley clucked her tongue. “You are used to only having Luna around,” she said. From the tone in her voice, it wasn’t a question, merely an observation. “You hide your feelings because you are used to having to; because Luna is not strong enough to lean on and needs to be reassured more often than not.”

Katie gritted her teeth and nodded. She had never confided that, but she assumed it was noticeable. Her mom had noticed too, back when she and Luna had first gotten back home. “Yeah,” she admitted finally.

Riley hummed. When Katie looked up at her, her pale blue gaze was glistening with understanding. “I am not Luna,” Riley pointed out. “You do not have to conceal your fears or struggles around me.”

Katie stared at her. Riley’s gaze remained calm and unwavering, and Katie felt her throat close again. Bile rose in Katie’s throat and tears began to swim in her eyes. In the next moment, they were spilling uncontrollably down her cheeks, and a sob scalded her. She bowed her head and the salty droplets began to spatter over her scales.

Her shoulders began to shake and she bit her lip to dampen her cries.

Riley’s hand brushed Katie’s arm. “Tell me what is wrong,” she insisted.

Katie swallowed a whimper and sniffled. She raised a hand to rub her nose. “I’m so tired of being betrayed,” she sobbed. “Of being treated like an animal, like some prized possession to be put on display. They took everything; my humanity, my future, my dreams, my freedom, all of it and no one cared. I’m not sorry I met you or Luna, but that doesn’t make this any easier. I just want to feel secure, I want to go home and never have to worry about Lemuria again. I don’t want to go back, Riley. It was so awful all the time, and I worry about what will happen to Luna and our family. I can’t keep doing this anymore, it’s too much.”

As she cried, Riley leaned closer and wrapped her arms around her. Katie flinched as her hands brushed the sensitive part of her back. Immediately, Riley pulled her hands back, kept them on Katie’s shoulders. Then her gliders shook out from her sides and curled around Katie’s waist. They were soft and warm despite how rigid and powerful they usually appeared. Riley pulled her close into a firm embrace and Katie couldn’t help throwing her arms around Riley’s neck and clinging to her.

Riley’s gliders tightened across the small of Katie’s back, and she began to purr deep in her chest. The sound was soothing, and Katie felt another, weaker hum rise in her own throat in response. Despite it, her shaking and sobs only deepened, and her tears flowed unbidden down her cheeks.

“You have held this in for far too long,” Riley murmured. “You should not do that. You do not have to be strong for everyone else all the time, Katie.”

“I don’t want to have to lean on the others,” Katie gasped.

“Then do not; lean on me. You are not heavy,” Riley replied.

At first, Katie thought Riley had misunderstood and was being literal, but when she pulled away and looked into Riley’s face, she saw a careful smile. Riley opened her arms once more.

“And who will you lean on?” Katie pressed.

Riley shook her head. “I have had to deal with my own emotional turmoil for a very long time. I have been on my own for far too long not to. I do not need to lean on anyone.” Riley pulled Katie close again with her gliders and her purr returned. “I am not very good at admitting it, but this is what I need. Sophie knows, I think. She always seems to know.”

“Physical affection,” Katie realized.

Riley nodded. “I was alone for too long,” she confirmed. “But I am comforted merely by proximity and contact to those I care about and can trust. You need not fear overwhelming me.”

Katie nodded and resumed clinging to her friend. She wasn’t sure if she truly believed Riley or if she just needed it to be true, but at that moment, it was the comfort that she needed from someone she could trust. Riley was warm and solid and real, and they were all connected by the same struggles. That was enough for her for now. “Thank you,” she whispered.