Free The Bonding by Victoria Hansen

going to have a celebration you can't even imagine.”
    “Sex?” she asked impishly, her emerald eyes hopeful.
    “Gods, you're a greedy little thing.” He laughed. “Yes, baby, until neither of us can move.”
    “Good,” Kiri said, and went to sleep at once.

Chapter 6
    Kiri woke slowly, feeling very strange. Her senses were giving her signals she did not understand. She was sore all over, as though she had been in a terrible fight. Her arm burned and wouldn't move. But in spite of it all, she felt rested, content, and warmer than she could ever remember being. The previous day's events came back to her in a rush, and she snapped her eyes open and found herself looking into warm brown eyes, filled with tenderness and concern.
    “Good morning, baby.”
    Kiri smiled at him. The scars on her lips pulled uncomfortably. She hadn't smiled this much in so many years. She wondered how grotesque it must look.
    “How are you this morning?” he asked her. “Do you need anything?”
    “You,” she said softly, enjoying the way his expressive face lit up at her words. She could feel the arms around her tighten in a warm embrace. “Actually,” she added, a little embarrassed. “I need to…relieve myself.”
    “Oh. Well of course.” He made a move as though to pick her up and carry her to the small water closet off to one side of the bed.
    Kiri dug the nails of her still mobile hand into the sheets and protested, “No, Davin, not you. Can you get a woman to help me?”
    He chuckled at her squeamishness, but replied, “Of course.”
    It only took a few moments to deal with that humiliating business. Thankfully, the assistant with the bedpan proved efficient and unflappable. She also bathed Kiri gently and dressed her in a hospital gown. Once Kiri's garments were settled around her again, Davin returned to her side, trailed by Jaya and two more assistants, one carrying a large tray of steaming food, another with a flask of something that looked tarry and smelled disgusting. Kiri's stomach, not sure what to make of the odd juxtaposition, decided on queasy. She made a face.
    “We might as well get started on the treatment,” Jaya said. “Here's how this will work. First, I'll clean and bandage the wounds on your arm, while it's still in stasis, which will minimize the pain. Then I'll have you take the potion. I also want you to eat as much as you can. The process will be easier on you if you have food in your stomach. After that, I'll release your arm from stasis. Sorry, but that's sure to hurt like hell. Another half hour after that, we'll begin the purging. It really is likely to take all of today and tonight to clear out the contagion from your system. I'll do whatever I can to help make this process easier on you. We'll bring food and chamber pots. Is there anything else you want or need?”
    Kiri considered what lay ahead of her with a sigh. “Toothbrushes, lots of them, and something powerful to rinse out my mouth. I
hate
vomiting. Also a hairbrush and some hair bands.”
    “Good ideas. We'll get those things right away.”
    Davin chimed in, “I think also some cold water and a cloth. It might be soothing to bathe her face after purging sessions.”
    “Right.”
    The two orderlies helped Kiri into a sitting position and placed the tray of food on her lap. She concentrated on trying to eat with her non-dominant hand; quite a task to be sure, while Jaya and her trainees examined the damaged sword arm, cleaning the wounds with a potion that stung and burned dully even through the stasis field. They stitched the worst punctures and finally wrapped the whole thing in bandages. By this time, Kiri had eaten all she could stand. Her stomach was already in open revolt at the very idea of what lay ahead of her, and from the stench of the potion. She took several deep breaths as the reeking concoction was brought to her. She looked at it in deep disgust.
    “Try to down the whole thing as fast as you can. It won't do for