The guys had done so much for her when they didn't have to. She was their guide. She was the one that should have been stepping up and leading them, finding a way to get them home. After all, that's what she'd promised them she'd do. Take them up the mountain so they could have a 'Warrior's Weekend', and then make sure they got back down. They hadn't seen it that way. Especially after they realized what the species that took them, the Ganglians, did to females. They'd all rallied around her and Jen, protecting them, never letting the Ganglians know they were females.
In return, Mac tried to stay strong for them, tried to help whenever she could. She had the skills to survive outside in harsh conditions, and she'd needed all those skills to help them survive. They had relied on her for that.
Now there was someone she could rely on, and he was carrying her somewhere.
Nikhil glared at every warrior that looked his way. They were all trying to see what was wrapped up in the blanket he was carrying, but he refused to let them. Luol had wrapped a blanket securely around his True Mate since her coverings were nearly non-existent. He would have to see what he could find for her to wear.
"Squad Leader," a warrior approached.
"Not now!" he growled, his arms tightening around Mackenzie, and the male quickly moved away.
"Where are we going?" Mac asked quietly.
"To my quarters. So you can rest without being disturbed."
"Oh."
Rounding one more corner, Nikhil stopped in front of his door, and shifting her slightly, pressed his palm against the access panel. The door silently opened, and he took his True Mate inside.
Mac pulled down the edge of the blanket that had been partially covering her face, and tried to look around, but the room was too dark.
"Is it always like this?"
"Like what?"
"So dark?"
"No, let me increase the energy crystals."
Still carrying her, Nikhil stepped deeper into the room and waved his hand over a bowl of crystals, and the room began to brighten.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you."
For several minutes Nikhil just stood there, holding her as he gazed down at her.
"Umm, Nikhil?"
"Yes, Little One."
"Are you ever going to put me down?"
"Only if that is what you wish."
"I think you should. I have to be getting heavy."
"You could never get too heavy for me to hold," he snorted at the thought, but slowly lowered her feet to the floor. Yet he couldn't bring himself to release her completely. "Luol said you should eat, rest, and cleanse. Which would you like to do first?"
Mac's first thought was to say eat; it had been a long time since she had. The Zaludians hadn't given her anything since they'd discovered her. Punishment, they'd said. But then he said 'cleanse.'
"Cleanse... you mean as in bathe? A shower? Getting clean?"
"Yes."
"Cleanse." God, how long had it been, she thought, since she'd actually bathed? The morning before she'd led them up the mountain? The Ganglians had kept them in that cage giving them very little water, and even if they had given them more, she wouldn't have risked washing in front of them. Wouldn't have risked them discovering she was female. And in the mine... there'd only been a small stream that trickled down the back wall of the cave. It had been because of that stream that she'd found the narrow crack that led to the smaller cave where her and Jen were able to hide. And while the stream was big enough for them to get some extra water to drink and cook with, it wasn't enough to cleanse.
Just the thought of getting clean, of getting rid of all the grime and stink that clung to her body, had her trembling with need. She'd grown used to the smell. They all had. But now that she was free it suddenly overwhelmed her.
"Where is it?" she demanded.
"It is this way." Nikhil guided her out of the living area, through his resting area, and into his private cleansing area. Only those of the highest rank received quarters such as these, and Nikhil had almost declined the room, knowing he would rarely use it. Now he was glad he hadn't, for if he had, he would have had to take his True Mate to the large shared shower where males cleansed together. And that would never do.
Mac barely noticed the rooms Nikhil led her through. She could investigate them later. Right now she was totally focused on finding out if this cleansing room was anything like a bathroom on Earth. A little cry of joy escaped her when she saw it was.
"This is the cleansing room," Nikhil said stepping into the room. "And this is the cleansing unit." Mac's little cry had him spinning around. "What is wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!" she immediately told him, "It's a shower! How does it work?" She let the blanket around her shoulders fall away, and walked straight into the stall.