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Once Tark and Zo-Fee got going, the conversation became rapid fire. There never seemed to be any pauses for me to speak, so I shoved food into my mouth and focused on refueling. The meat and vegetable roll tasted amazing after eating ration bars for two days, especially when dipped in my favorite sauce full of savory spice.
The kreecat gobbled down the krinar steak Tark had torn into pieces for her, then pressed against Zo-Fee’s knee, those big purple eyes watching my mate’s every move as she ate. Lila had been underfed for far longer than me. I took a bite to remove all of the part I’d dipped into sauce, then pulled a piece of steak from my wrap and dangled it in the air. Lila’s eyes fastened on it, and she dashed over to snatch it away.
Tark finished describing the layout of theDaredeviland started to talk about the other Hyoo-mon women we’d already saved.
Zo-Fee leaned forward, all of her attention focused on him.
I snarled, a silent baring of fangs. The irrationality of my reaction didn’t help me to control it. It took me long moments to quiet the possessive rage burning through my chest. Frek! What would it be like once we reached theDaredeviland numerous other males surrounded her? All my fine thoughts of letting her choose someone else flew out the airlock as soon as she so much aslookedat another male. If one of them dared to touch her…
My hand clenched tight, pulping the partial roll I held. I shoved the whole messy thing into my mouth to hide the evidence and chewed rapidly.
The kreecat let out a small noise of protest that I hadn’t shared, and her horns poked at my calf—not hard, but not gently either. Lila knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to demand it. I admired her forthrightness.
I bit into my next roll and pulled out another piece of steak for her.
“We foundARK 1last week!” Tark said.
Zo-Fee gasped. “That’s my ship!”
“Raxnor was one of the people who helped to rescue it from where the Grug had hidden it.” My friend gestured toward me.
And my mate turned toward me, her beautiful brown eyes warm. “Thank you.”
I grunted, pleased to have won some small measure of her regard. But I had also learned my lesson—I would not lie to her again, not even by omission. “I was one of a team that included Tark and several others.”
“He’s being modest,” Tark said. “Raxnor single handedly saved the day right when we were about to be overrun on the bridge.”
I flashed him a grateful look, and he dipped his chin in acknowledgement.
How many such stories would it take for her to like me again?
Thank frek my friend seemed determined to tell them all.
While I cleaned up the last of our lunch things, Zo-Fee let out a big yawn. I lowered my bunk from the wall and pulled back the blue blanket. “You should rest. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Thanks.” She gave me a small smile that held only remnants of the glory of one of her bigger ones, but I didn’t care. I drank it in like a man trapped in a desert finally stumbling upon an oasis.
After pulling off her shoes, she climbed into my bed, arranging the pillow under her head as she lay on her side. Her eyes fluttered shut almost immediately.
I tucked the blanket around her, breathing deeply as the smell of her scent combined with mine hit my nose. A pleased rumble filled my chest, and the tip of my tail vibrated.
I longed to remain and watch her sleep, but Lila leaped up to curl against Zo-Fee’s stomach. The kreecat’s purple eyes stared at me, as if guarding my mate.
The sight speared new pain through me, because the animal’s wariness reflected my mate’s thoughts. I retreated to the cockpit, bracing to face another of Tark’s lectures.
But he only said, “I thought you were going to talk to her.”
“I will.”
I didn’t.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sofie
Who knew getting rescued—and rescued by the aliens who’d helped to save all the women onARK 1, so yeah, the good guys—could be so miserable?
As easy as Tark was to talk to, Raxnor remained a wall of stone. I wanted to think it hid a hurt like mine, but how could I know if he wouldn’tfreakingtalk?
