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One by one, the others picked up their utensils and resumed eating in silence.
“Nice trick,” Onnika drawled. “Do they bark on command as well?”
Asher stabbed a hunk of meat with his fork. “I do not bark.”
“No,” she conceded. “You bite.”
He inclined his head once and grunted, as though agreeing with the statement.
She suddenly wanted to rattle him. “But I wonder if you’d purr if I scratched under your chin.”
That earned her a killing look from the big guy. Aidan’s brows rose at her brazenness.
“Yes,” she added, donning a cheeky smile, “I think you would.” She knew she was pushing her luck with this crew, but she couldn’t help it. When she felt cornered, she fought back any way she could.
Asher stood and bared his teeth, appearing ready to charge over the table at her.
“Ash.” Aidan’s tone was a command. “Stow it. She’s goading you. She does that.”
“This woman courts death.” Asher dropped down into his seat and shoved a forkful of food into his mouth.
They weren’t liked here, but she could tell the crew had no intention of harming them. At least, not at the moment. Even Asher’s threats were benign, a show of masculinity which no doubt served to cow anyone he displayed it for. It would have worked on her, too, if she weren’t able to tell he wasn’t quite as serious as he projected. Still, she needed to be more careful.Not seriouscould becomevery seriousin a matter of seconds if she pushed the wrong buttons.
“I do not purr. Ever,” Asher muttered through a mouthful of food.
Zeek chimed in. “Well, there was that one time when you had that Bovakian woman in your bunk. Large gal, remember?”
Asher’s hostility transferred to Zeek. “Iwillthrottle you.”
Zeek put his hands up in surrender. “Just saying. There were noises coming from that room I’ve never heard anyone make. Sounded like she twisted you like a pretzel.”
Vin and Priya both pursed their lips in an attempt to hold back their humor. Onnika couldn’t manage the same, and a little chime of laughter bubbled out of her. She expected to garner more hostility for it, but the sound broke Vin and Priya’s tenuous hold on their mirth and their laughter flew freely as well, which soon infected Lear and then finally Caryn, who covered her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her amusement.
Aidan remained stoic, however, still staring at Onnika like he didn’t know what to make of her.Right back at you, she thought. What was his purpose here? Ply her with food and get her to admit she wasn’t Pakovian? Though he was onto them, she’d never admit it. And why should he even bother when he planned to evict them at his earliest convenience anyway?
Reminded that they’d soon be on their own with Tag on their tail cooled a bit of her pride. Who was she to turn down a good meal? It might be their last for a while. Besides, if she caved in and ended this little standoff, maybe Aidan would ease up.
To show she could be amenable, she smiled and picked up her fork, scooping a bit of food into her mouth. Aidan’s tightly crossed arms loosened a touch, but he didn’t drop them.
She haughtily informed him, “I’m eating because I want to, not because you told me to.”
In a flat tone, he replied, “That’s fantastic.”
“Besides, can’t say no to free food.”
“Who said anything about free?”
She paused mid-chew. When she swallowed, it went down as a hard, tasteless lump. “And what exactly do you expect as payment?”
“You still owe us three more vouchers.”
“And how am I to get these vouchers when the games have been canceled?”
“You’ll get them at the next stop, before we part ways.”
Grabbing a flaky roll, she tore off a large hunk. “Fine. Should be a snap,” she chirped before shoving the roll into her mouth. As she chewed, she rested a hateful glare on him.
“You think so?”
“Sure. That first voucher was so easy to win, I’ll bet I could have gotten five or six more all on my own.”
Caryn pinched the bridge of her nose.
Aidan’s eyes flashed with lofty delight. “Agreed. Six it is, then.”
“Wait, what—”
“Shouldn’t be a problem for you…if it’s so easy. Like you said, it should be a snap, right?”
