Page 25 of Black Star

Chapter Five

Diamond awoke pleasantly sore, but alone. She stretched and got out of bed. Neither man was anywhere in evidence. Just as well. Diamond needed some time alone to think. She also needed something to eat.

After a quick search for something to wear, she settled on one of Viktor’s off-duty shirts. It enveloped her as if she were a child wearing a parent’s clothing. Still, it covered her. She really didn’t care if other members of the crew saw her -- she was too damned hungry to worry about it.

The door slid open at her approach, and she stuck her head out to look around. The corridor was dark except for soft strings of lights lining the floor. Sleep cycle.

Just her luck. The galley would be closed. She sighed. Maybe she could raid the kitchen. Surely Phoebe wouldn’t get mad at her for pilfering for something to eat.

She trotted down the corridor until she came to her destination. Again, the door slid open at her approach. Her stomach rumbled and her mouth watered in anticipation of the goodies she’d find. Phoebe always had something ready for the next day.

She opened the large walk-in refrigeration unit to find a huge plate of food wrapped and sitting on a crate in the middle of the floor. There was a note addressed to her.

Diamond --

Viktor said you’d be famished. Given all the noise earlier, I figured you’d sleep a while. Heat this and enjoy. If you need to talk, you know where to find me.

Love,

Phoebe

Diamond giggled. They had been a bit vocal.

The plate was heaped high with more food than Diamond thought it possible for three people to eat. She unwrapped it and shut the door as she went to the processor. Setting a timer preset, she waited a couple of seconds for her supper to heat.

When she opened the door, the strong aroma of the combined dishes in the one plate assaulted her senses like a wave crashing over her. Before she could find an eating utensil, she started picking up bits of meat and bread. Rich flavor exploded inside her mouth, washing over her tongue, and she was sure her eyes rolled back in her head. She simply set the plate down and stuffed one tasty bite after another into her mouth with both hands.

As she literally gorged herself on the delicious concoctions in front of her, she vaguely thought something was wrong, but she couldn’t get past the severe hunger and need to eat everything she could find in order to replenish her body.

When she finished the last morsel, she picked up the plate and licked every crumb, every last drop of gravy. She was just about to go back into the refrigeration unit to scrounge up more when Viktor walked in. He looked more in control than she’d seen him since she boarded the Black Star .

“Did you get enough?” At first, she thought he was teasing her, or worse, making fun of her, but one look in his eyes and she could see he was very serious.

“Yes,” she lied. Her stomach still grumbled, though she wasn’t sure how she could possibly eat another bite.

Viktor stared at her a moment before going to the refrigeration unit and bringing out another plate full of the same delicious meal. After heating it, he set it down in front of her.

Diamond didn’t want to do this in front of him. She didn’t understand what was going on, and eating like a starving woman in front of such a gorgeous specimen of a man would be highly embarrassing. If he was regaining his control enough that he was allowed out of his cabin, the time when he needed her was coming to an end. She didn’t want his last memory of her to be of her stuffing her face like she hadn’t eaten in days. Unfortunately, her stomach betrayed her. The rumble was enough to turn her face three shades of red.

“You need more.” He gave the plate a little push in her direction. “Eat.”

“Considering the short work I just made of the last plate, you’ll understand if I pretend to be a proper lady and insist you don’t watch.”

He lifted his hand as if he might touch her, but hesitated, then dropped it to his side. “It’s part of what you are, Diamond. I took too much of your blood, and you need to replace your body’s nutrients. As a kaliish , you’re protected against most of the effects of losing too much blood during a feeding, but you can’t survive indefinitely. You have to eat.”

“ Kaliish .” The word was familiar to Diamond, but she hadn’t uttered it in a very long time.

“It is a term given to those who have been changed in order that our kind may survive when they can not kill,” he explained. “In the current society, it’s almost unheard of for a vampire to actually kill unless the circumstances are dire. We normally keep one or more kaliish in order to maintain civility.”

“But you don’t.” Diamond paused in the act of lifting a bite to her mouth. She hadn’t even realized she’d picked it up. Looking at her plate now, she noticed several things missing.

“No. I’ve never needed to. The extended stay away from Draggoon affected me more than I was prepared for.”

“So, what now?” she mumbled between bites.

“Once I’m past any sudden recurrence of the Blood Burning, we’ll talk.”

She wanted to concentrate on what he was saying, but the food was simply too wonderful. Each bite she took was pure ecstasy. Phoebe had outdone herself this time.

By the time she dragged her finger through the last of the thick, meaty gravy, she felt much better. Hunger didn’t gnaw at her belly any longer, and she felt stronger. She felt almost normal again.

Viktor leaned against the table, his arms crossed over his chest, concentrating on her intently. “What?” Diamond asked. “Haven’t you ever seen a woman eat before?”

Again, Viktor didn’t say anything, only rifled through a couple of cubbies until he found a bowl of some bright pink fruit. They were elongated and round, and Diamond couldn’t help but wonder if they could be used for something other than eating. She almost groaned aloud.

Viktor chose two from the bowl and laid them on the table. He found a laser knife and sliced one from end to end, pulling back the skin and exposing the meat inside. With another flick of the knife, he sliced several pieces and scooped them up in one big hand.

“Try this.” He held out a piece he’d cut. His voice was still hoarse and gravelly, but he sounded more in control of himself. It was hard to tell, though. He had been well into the Blood Burning when Diamond had come aboard the Black Star . “It’s high in nutrients needed by all kaliish after a mating during Blood Burning.”

Diamond eyed the fruit suspiciously. She didn’t like eating things she wasn’t familiar with. She eyed him, and he nodded at the fruit. She reached for it, but he shook his head and raised the sweet-smelling morsel to her lips. When she didn’t immediately take it, he sighed and touched it to her lips gently. “Please, Diamond. Just one bite.”

She thought about refusing, but her stomach rumbled once again, though not as vocally as it had before she’d eaten. The fruit’s flavor was sweet, yet slightly tart, and nothing like she’d ever tasted. It wasn’t a strong flavor, but pleasant nonetheless. More, it seemed to quell her lingering hunger almost immediately.

“A kaliish is a being designed to take the abuse a vampire doles out during a Blood Burning. They heal remarkably fast and can withstand large amounts of blood loss for longer periods of time than other humans. But, as with any human, blood loss must be replaced. A kaliish can aid her own blood replenishment by eating foods high in both calories and iron. Meats are best, but foods like this fruit -- a ruby banana -- are perfectly adequate.”

She had taken another bite of the fruit. Vampire fodder. She was nothing more than food for a vampire. She shuddered. “How do I not be a kaliish anymore?”

“Once you’ve been transformed, there’s no going back.”

“Didn’t I just know you’d say that?” Diamond finished the fruit Viktor set out for her while he cut up another. Both of them ate in silence for a time.

“Feel better?”

“Yes. Actually, I do.” She smiled nervously. “Much. I’m going back to my cabin now.” She turned to leave, a little nervous being alone with Viktor even though he wasn’t as scary as he had been. She’d love to think he was completely out of his Blood Burning, but she very much doubted it was over this quickly.

“Wait.” His hand on her shoulder sent shivers down her body. Fear mingled with sexual hunger. She might be frightened of him, but there was something purely physical that called her to him with an intensity that scared her even more than the man himself did. “I need to say something.”

For the first time since she met him, the big vampire actually sounded unsure of himself. She turned to face him. “What’s on your mind, Viktor?” She tried to sound nonchalant, but wasn’t sure she quite pulled it off given the fact she was shaking so hard the hem of the shirt she wore quivered.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” He caressed her cheek and gently tilted her face until she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “If I could take back that first time, I’d forfeit my life rather than rape you as I did.”

“You didn’t rape me, Viktor. I knew what I was getting into, and I didn’t tell you to stop. My whole reason for being there in your cabin at that time was to help you in any way you needed.”

He winced slightly and turned his head away from her for a brief moment. “My Blood Burning hasn’t completely run its course, but the end is near. When I’m myself again, my life belongs to you and Ranier. The two of you brought me out of this much sooner than normally would have happened.”

She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “I’m just glad you’re better, Viktor. Really. I meant what I said. I’m really glad to have had this experience with both of you. You’re a good man, and I’m proud to know you.”

As she spoke, Viktor’s brows knit together with each word. “But you do not want my life.”

Diamond blinked. There was something she was missing, but she had no idea what. “I don’t believe in any person ‘belonging’ to anyone, Viktor. You definitely owe me one, but that’s as far as I go.”

“I see.” He seemed strangely… disappointed. “Will you at least let me make up for our first encounter?”

A wonderful thrill shot through Diamond’s body. She had been sorely afraid Viktor would shun her after he no longer needed her. Viktor wasn’t the kind of man who would appreciate being reminded how much he needed anyone.

She smiled. “I’d like that very much.”

Diamond didn’t have time to say or do anything else because Viktor pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his. At first his kiss was filled with an overwhelming hunger that almost consumed Diamond. Had she fought him, it probably would have. Instead she embraced him, and his kiss soon became gentler and more filled with passion than with the fear of losing her.

He held her as if he never wanted to let her go, and his kiss was so sweet she wanted to cry. She couldn’t imagine never feeling this again. Truth was, she loved his special brand of loving. Even if he was excessively rough. She hated the awkwardness that seemed to exist between them now.

She kissed him back as thoroughly as he kissed her, wanting this moment to last as long as possible. Truth was, she wanted more. Much more from Viktor. The mere nature of this one kiss revealed a Viktor she’d never seen before. This man was not the strong, self-assured second in command who hated being second-guessed by anyone. This Viktor was almost vulnerable in his need. It was a humbling thought.

When he broke the kiss, his hand dropped to her breast and gently caressed it. Diamond knew her nipple stabbed his palm, and she didn’t care. She wanted him to know how he affected her. If she could prove she still desired him, maybe he’d realize she meant what she said when she’d told him she had no regrets.

He might have said something, but the ship’s alert siren suddenly blared out.

“Bloody hell,” he growled and gripped her shoulders, looking at her so intently she couldn’t look away. “Go to my cabin and wait for me there.”

So much for the vulnerable man she’d admired a few moments ago. “Is that an order, Commander?” She couldn’t help the irritated drawl to her voice. She hated being ordered around.

“Does it have to be?” The Viktor she’d met when she first came aboard was back. It was hard to reconcile one with the other.

“I don’t respond well to orders, Viktor. If you’ve learned nothing else about me, I suggest you learn that.”

“In that case --” He lowered his eyes. “-- I respectfully request for you to consider being in my quarters when my duty is done.”

The formality of the request didn’t escape her. Neither did she ignore the ease with which he changed directions on her. Viktor might be used to being the dominant presence everywhere he went, but for some reason he was willing to defer to her in some instances. What was so important now?

“Well, who could refuse such an eloquent request? I’ll be there.” She gave him a little nod and would have turned away, but he held her still.

Viktor opened his mouth as if to say something, but shook his head and closed his mouth again. Instead, he pressed his lips to hers once more, briefly. Then he moved past her and out the door. She watched him trot down the corridor toward Command.