Blood Will Tell Read Online Free Page B

Blood Will Tell
Book: Blood Will Tell Read Online Free
Author: Christine Pope
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Finally she left the room and headed down, past the second floor where Thorn slept, all the way to the cellar where the kitchens were located. Although she felt considerably better than she had before she showered, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep going without a cup of coffee…or several, she thought. It wasn’t the first time she had pulled an all-nighter, but a healthy dose of caffeine would be just what she needed.
    It was somewhat unpleasant to be returning to the kitchens, where she had labored in ugly anonymity for several months, but at least now she felt like herself again. She made short work of brewing the coffee and decided to bring the whole jug of it with her back to the med unit, along with half a loaf of only slightly stale bread. Miala couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten anything.
    When she returned, all was as she had left it: the mech hovering by Thorn’s bedside, the mercenary lying still under his covering of bandages.
    “How is he?” she asked, as she set the jug of coffee and the bread on a counter.
    “Better,” the mech replied, and pointed at the monitor as if it thought she could translate its readings. “He comes out of the coma soon.”
    “Good.” She busied herself with pouring a cup of coffee. Behind her, the mech seemed to hesitate for a moment, then moved off to its corner.
    The rush of the stimulant along her nerve endings was almost as heavenly as the shower had been; she hadn’t realized how groggy she was until she let the caffeine wake her up. It was good, too—only the best off-world brew for Mast. The bitter-chocolate taste awoke her stomach as well, and she pulled off a chunk of bread and took several healthy bites. It was only after she had satisfied her appetite somewhat that she picked up her cup of coffee and resumed her watch over Thorn.
    She didn’t think him particularly handsome, although there was something about his mouth that suggested he might have a nice smile—not that he probably had much use for it. Certainly he seemed swarthy and exotic when compared with someone who more closely fit her masculine ideals, such as Captain Malick.
    Not for the first time since coming to Mast’s compound, she found herself thinking of the young captain and his offer to her. Was he even still on Iradia at all? He’d said his tour was up in three months, and she had been here more than two. It was entirely possible that he would be gone by the time she finally cracked the security system. No, her only real hope of leaving remained with the man who lay so still before her. At least now she was certain he was going to make it, although she couldn’t imagine at the cost of what pain. Right now the mech had a heady cocktail of narcotics coursing through his system so he could rest, but he couldn’t function that way indefinitely. Sooner or later he would have to heal on his own.
    Despite the coffee, she could feel her head beginning to droop. Perhaps it would be best if she went back up to the slave girls’ dormitory and caught a few hours of sleep on one of the narrow beds there. Thorn didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, and right now her eyelids were beginning to feel like lead.
    So she rose, and turned to set her empty cup down on the counter, but not before a hoarse whisper from the bed behind her halted her movement.
    Miala whirled to see Thorn staring up at her, eyes very black beneath the heavy brows.
    “Did you,” he asked, in so soft an undertone she could barely understand him, “say something about Mast’s treasure?”

III

    For a moment all she could do was stare at him, not believing he could have actually spoken. A few drops of coffee spilled from the mug that dangled from her suddenly heedless fingers before she recovered herself enough to place it on the counter.
    “You heard that?” she managed at last.
    His eyes shut briefly, lashes black against his bloodless cheeks. “I heard a voice. Gave me something to concentrate

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