HeartbeatofSilence Read Online Free

them grew over hours. For those hours, they sat with their hands together in the darkening room.
    When Stanik completed the link, Veera fell forward into his arms. “Why do I just want to sleep?”
    “Because your mind will need time to get used to synching with mine. Also, if you try, you can shut out the world now.”
    She laughed weakly. “I did. It is why I am so tired. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in six years. The silence is amazing. I can hear my own heartbeat.”
    She smiled and relaxed completely for a moment before sitting upright again. “Okay, I really need to get some sleep. What happens next?”
    He grunted and lifted her as he got to his feet. “You get some sleep and I watch over you.”
    He carried her to his bed and placed her on the covers, in her clothing. He curled up next to her, his mind and hers whirring together. The hum felt right in her thoughts, and she listened to nothing but the sound of their hearts in the silence.
    She was able to sleep without being completely exhausted for the first time in years.
     
    Hours before dawn, she slipped out of Stanik’s embrace. She tiptoed into her room, slipped into a bodysuit from her trunk and grabbed the music crystal that her mother sent her before she went to the island. Taking two lengths of steel with her and off she went.
    There had to be a gym in a facility like this, and she was going to find it.
     
    She listened to the music as it pitched up, and she raised her arms over her head. With slow deliberation, she stepped to the beat. Her dance was careful, measured and controlled.
    When she had worked out muscles that were far too stiff, she picked up the blades and started to move to a song that her brother had written for her, entreating her to wake.
    Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she engaged in a blade dance. She was awake now, and Reynal was going to see her dance again.
    When she finished whirling and spinning the swords, she stood and panted with sweat and tears tracking her body.
    “Well done, Veera. Time to take a shower and get back to bed. You are still tired.” Stanik was concerned, it radiated out of him.
    She straightened and enjoyed being able to touch his mind only. His emotions radiated from him but no clear thoughts, and she preferred it that way. Listening to too many minds was what sent her into the coma to begin with.
    She put her swords in their case and retrieved her crystals and player. Veera smiled at Stanik and swayed slightly as she passed him. She might have done too much too soon, but she didn’t regret it.
    He paced with her back to their adjoining rooms, and he watched as she tucked her blades back in her trunk along with the music.
    She showered and wrapped herself in a light robe. She scrubbed her hair with a towel and combed it straight. A blast with the dryer took most of the dampness out of her scalp, and she left the lav, creeping on bare feet into Stanik’s room.
    He was sitting up in bed wearing only loose, silky trousers and reading something on a data pad. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she fought to control the hormone surge that all that muscle and size spurred. As an entertainer, she had seen men with beautiful bodies before, but to her eyes, Stanik was stunning.
    He had a silky wave of black hair that was now unbound and flowing over his shoulders. His brows were straight and his features were stern as he scrolled through his pages.
    He looked up as she sat on his bed. “The robe is lovely.”
    She blushed. “Thank you. I got it for my birthday years ago, before… well, before.”
    Veera settled carefully on her side with her back to him. He curled around her as he had before, and his mind hummed along with hers as they returned to rest. She thought she would be keyed up, but he calmed her thoughts and took her down with him into sleep.
     
    Light streamed in through the window, bringing Veera to a gradual alertness. The arm around her shifted slightly and a voice rumbled in her ear.