Page 87 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

She hadn't been in danger when they had decided to do it anyway for their own very selfish reasons. They wanted to enjoy each other for the remainder of the cruise, which wouldn't have been possible if Frankie had spent the entire time convalescing.

Besides, Dagor didn't want any scars to mark her perfect skin. He felt guilty enough for failing to protect her as it was. Since it wasn't certain that she would transition, the only way to eliminate scarring was with the help of his blood.

From the corner of his eye, Dagor noticed Bridget looking at Frankie with a frown and probably wondering why her patient had such an appetite while recovering from a gunshot wound and taking strong painkillers.

He leaned over to Frankie and whispered, "Slow down. The doctor is watching."

"I can't," she said between one forkful and the next. "I'm starving,"

"Perhaps we should get food delivered to the cabin." He waited for Bridget to look away before swapping Frankie's plate with his.

"What did you do that for?"

"So it won't be so obvious that you gobbled down everything on your plate in two minutes."

Frankie turned to him. "You'll be hungry."

"I'll go to the kitchen and ask for a box to go." He leaned closer to her. "We can leave right after you finish what's on the plate."

They had plans that he was getting impatient to get to.

"I want to stay a little longer." She smiled. "I want to see the bride and groom's first dance. After that, we can leave."

Frankie

After enjoying two hearty plates of delicious roasted chicken, Frankie finally felt sated. Dagor's blood was the catalyst in her fast healing, but it seemed that her body needed more fuel than usual to facilitate it.

"Full?" Dagor asked. "Or should I request another plate and pretend to eat it?"

He had done so with the two previous ones, so it looked like he had eaten those enormous quantities of food.

Leaning toward him, Frankie smiled. "My knight in shining armor, always ready to come to my rescue."

He winced. "I didn't do such a great job of it today."

She lifted her head and mock glared at him. "You saved my life, so stop blaming yourself."

He opened his mouth, ready to argue, when the background music changed to a love song, and the newly married couple took the dance floor.

"They are so beautiful together," Gabi said across the table. "Amanda is stunning, and Dalhu is sex on a stick."

"Hey!" Aru leaned away from her and whispered, "You are not allowed to talk like that about anyone other than me."

"Shhh!" an immortal from the next table over hissed.

Watching Amanda and Dalhu take to the dance floor, a wave of longing washed over Frankie. Their love was radiant, evident in every movement as they swayed in perfect harmony to the music and in every look and smile they exchanged. It was as if the rest of the world ceased to exist for them.

Reaching for Dagor's hand, she gave it a light squeeze, which he returned.

Frankie wanted to get up, tug Dagor to his feet, and join the newlyweds as other couples started drifting toward the dance floor.

She hated being a silent observer of the festivities. She longed to feel the rhythm of the music, to move freely and celebrate the occasion. Instead, she had to maintain the pretense of being injured.

At least she wasn't sitting in the wheelchair but on a normal dining chair, which had been a small victory. At first, Dagor had argued against it and had made room at the table by moving one of the chairs out. But when she'd insisted, he had lifted her from the wheelchair and placed her gently in the regular chair, and she'd played along, pretending that she couldn't have done it without his help.

They were an awesome team.

Her heart ached for Mia, who had been stuck in a wheelchair for over six months.