The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (positive books to read txt) 📗

inner airlock door, but my strength wasn’t limitless. Together, Violet and I pulled her onto our shoulders, her legs dragging between us as we took her into the medical suite.

Violet slapped a blood patch on me, which began working immediately. I noticed things were a little brighter, my focus much clearer. I began inspecting Ms. Dale. I had limited medical knowledge, but luckily the medical supplies made it much easier.

I put a blood patch on her, and then began cleaning her up, cutting her outfit off of her so I could assess the damage. Of the three of us, she had the most red fly bites. They were everywhere—the flies had even penetrated the rubber soles of her shoes to get to the bottom of her feet.

“Alejandro told me red fly saliva was an anticoagulant,” I told Violet as she helped me undress the woman. “They bite the victims, leaving a puncture hole no bigger than a needle mark, but blood will continue to flow until the chemical in their saliva is neutralized.”

Violet nodded, her eyes wide. “So even though we have the blood patches on, it’s only a stop gap measure?”

I nodded. “In the cabinet, did you see any packets that look similar to this?” I held out the white packet with the yellow diagonal slash running through it. Violet nodded, and went over to grab a few.

I ripped one open with my teeth, and began pouring the powder over the bites. It immediately foamed when it came into contact with them. Violet stared for a second, then grabbed a packet and began helping me apply it. We started with her back, which was the worst, and then flipped her over to work on her front.

If Violet was uncomfortable with Ms. Dale’s nudity, she gave no indication of it. She remained focused and professional in her assistance. Eventually, we got all the bites, and I began working on her shoulder. I cleaned it out, making sure that there was nothing in it, and then applied the same paste that I had used on Violet’s thigh. She was going to have a scar, but I didn’t think there would be any long-term damage.

After she was patched up, I hooked her up to an IV bag. I pumped in a few milligrams of antibiotics. That was all I could do.

I turned to Violet. “Let me check you over, and then you can get some sleep.”

She nodded, smoothing some of Ms. Dale’s hair out of her face. “She’ll be okay?”

I nodded. “I think she’ll pull through, but…” I hesitated, unsure of how Violet would take what I was about to say.

Violet glanced up at me, her face neutral as she studied me. “You want to lock her up,” she said simply, looking back down at the older woman. Smoothing a lock of hair from her forehead, Violet stared at the older woman for a long moment. “It’s for the best,” she whispered. “Even if she’s not here for me, she’s still dangerous.” I watched as she pulled a blanket over Ms. Dale’s body.

“Give me the cuffs,” she said, holding out her hand. I pulled them out of my pocket, and handed them to Violet. She slipped one onto the hand without an IV, and then secured the other end to the bedframe. The bed was bolted to the floor, so it was unlikely that she could move it.

I looked at Violet. “Just until we know why she’s really here,” I said, trying to reassure her. She shrugged and I suppressed a sigh. Violet’s melancholy was deepening, her exhaustion playing havoc with her emotions. We both knew the reason Ms. Dale was there—for Violet.

“I know. I’m tired. You’re tired. Let’s get patched up and find you somewhere to sleep.”

She bit her lower lip, and stared over my shoulder out into the hall. “I think we should explore more,” she said finally.

I sighed, and shifted my weight from one leg to another. “Violet, you need to rest. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, and so have I, for that matter. After we rest, we can explore.”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious? What is this facility doing out here—why was it built and when and for what reason?”

I shrugged. “All good questions, but not important at this moment. The facility will be here when we wake up.”

“Unless whoever is here finds us and arrests us.”

“Like I said, I’ll stay awake.”

“Then we’ll have to run again. The red flies are probably still waiting outside. I am wearing clothes covered in blood. If we have to escape, we’ll probably just run back into them.”

I processed her logic, and in spite of my exhaustion, I found myself agreeing. “Okay,” I relented. “But only after we get this bleeding handled. A few bites can kill you from blood loss, if you don’t stop it.”

I handed Violet a few packets of the powder and took a few for myself. I watched her disappear into the room across the hall.

“Call me if you need help with your back,” I said.

She nodded, and offered me a ghost of a smile as she slowly closed the door between us. I returned it, and then moved to the next suite, uncomfortable with the thought of Ms. Dale waking up to a naked male in the room.

Blood was still streaming from them, with no sign of abating, so I began to pour the powder over my bites. It stung, but it was tolerable.

I was able to reach most of the spots, but my back was a problem, and I was guessing Violet’s was as well. I slipped my pants over my hips, buttoning them, and moved out into the hallway. Violet was already there, her shirt clutched to her chest.

She shuffled nervously, and then turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder. I sucked in a sharp breath as I took in the curve and shape of her back. It was wrong of me to feel attracted to her in that moment—she had several bites