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we’re found?”
    “Probably, but they won’t have as many people on the lookout after tonight.
    They probably don’t want to draw too much attention to the hunt because people would begin to wonder why they’re using so much manpower.”
    “They’d probably say we’re armed, and dangerous, like they did with Sydney.” Her voice was weak.
    Chase ran the damp cloth over her head. “How do you feel?” He had a pretty good idea, but he wanted to hear where she ached.
    “I hurt all over. Not as badly as I did when they first injected me with that green junk, but it’s still painful to move. I’m so hot.”
    “You’ve got a fever, which is why I need you to rest. I think the more sleep you get the better you’ll feel.”
    “How long have I been out?”
    “Not long. A few hours. I had to find a temporary hiding place before we made it to this location because I was afraid we might be spotted.”
     
    35
    “Oh.” She moved her head from side to side and then winced.
    “I’d offer you some type of pain medication, but seeing as most of the drugs on this planet are manufactured by the Cyrellians, I don’t think that would be a good idea.
    One never knows what they’ll get. I’ll continue to wipe you down with this cool water and hopefully your fever will break soon.”
    Holly attempted to lift herself onto her elbows, but immediately fell back into a prone position. “Oww,” she groaned. “What the hell did they give me?”
    “You say the stuff was green?”
    “Yes,” she whispered weakly.
    “Did you see different colors dancing before your eyes? Did the objects around you look distorted?”
    She nodded. “Yes to all of those questions. But how did you know?”
    “It sounds like they administered you something they call the essence of pain.
    Apparently they used it on the patients they experimented on in the clinic to keep them in line. Also from my understanding, Cyrellian scientists have been testing it on some of the humans to make the drug more powerful. For what purpose we have yet to determine, but my personal belief is that they are attempting to make it powerful enough to become lethal.”
    “When that stuff shot through my body, I thought I would die.” Chase placed a finger over her lips. “Shh. You should rest. We can talk about this later.” He could see how much of an effort it was for her to speak. “Would you like a drink of water?”
    “Yes, please.”
    He took the canteen and placed it against her lips and after she’d had a few sips, he pulled it away. “I know you could probably use more, but we’ll need to conserve what’s left in here for our trip back to the base. Besides, I’ve already used a great deal bathing you.”
    A tear slid from the corner of one of her soulful brown eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

    36
    Chase shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize. I didn’t mean it as a criticism. Just close your eyes and get some rest. I’ll be here if you need me.”
    “But --”
    “No buts. Relax.”
    “Okay.” Though she lowered her lids Chase knew she wasn’t sleeping. It would probably be a few more hours before the effects of the essence of pain wore off, but hopefully she would be able to fall asleep soon.
    He’d learned about this particular drug through Jack, who had suffered at the hands of the Cyrellians when he was kept locked in a glass cage for months along with several other patients while the aliens performed medical experiments on them. Jack had told him whenever one of the patients dared to fight back or get rowdy, they were either beaten or given an injection of the foul drug. From Jack’s description, Chase knew the drug caused muscle spasms and an excruciating ache that made the sufferer wish for death.
    To see Holly going through this tore at his heart. He wished it was him dealing with this instead. She was as brave as she was beautiful. Unable to help himself, he bent over, placed a kiss against her soft cheek and quickly