Page 33 of Einar (The Brigands of Ruk #2)
Chapter Thirty-Three
ROWAN
I’m so full I’m about to pop … but the last piece of steak on my plate is taunting me with its flavorful deliciousness. Stabbing it with what I assume is a fork, I shove it into my mouth with a groan of appreciation, only to smirk when I see Einar adjust himself again. He’s been trying to be sneaky about it so he doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but I’ve learned to be extra observant over the years.
So …
I’ve been teasing him without mercy.
It’s a test and there is not one single part of me that feels bad about it. I have to know if I am safe with him. Oh , I realize what Ruby and Kallen told me, and intellectually I understand it.
But .
Neither of them can fathom what I’ve been through, so they can’t truly understand why I need to be sure that he won’t hurt me. Fated mate bond or not.
Which brings me to the here and now. Sexually teasing the green giant in front of me that “fixed” me supper. He’s the first guy that’s ever prepared a meal for me. Sure , he didn’t cook it from scratch, but the second he realized I was hungry, he set about fixing it. From what I’ve observed so far, that is a big part of his personality.
Einar is a fixer.
If he sees a problem, he does his best to remedy it for the ones he cares for and since I’m supposed to be his one true love, I need to know if this is all just an act to get me naked.
Pushing my now empty plate away, I lean back in my freakishly large chair as I take in the male sitting across from me. Einar is not handsome in any sense of the word. Thinking back on what I’ve observed thus far, I don’t think he is even considered good looking for his species. Several of his brothers have more symmetrical faces with better cosmetic features than Einar has. The differences between Einar and Robert couldn’t be more glaringly blatant, and I have to wonder if the universe did that on purpose. Robert , may he forever rot in hell, was classically handsome with silver dusted hair, dark brown eyes, and patrician features. Whereas Einar’s nose is flatter, with a crook in it to suggest it’s been broken at least once, and his heavy, horned brow protrudes over his eyes, creating a shadowy overhang. Then there are the horns that hold his green tinted black hair off of his face like a built-in headband.
It makes me a bit jealous, since I have to constantly push my long hair back out of my face.
Broad cheekbones, a massive square scaled jaw and a big mouth round out his face, creating a homely, brutish package. Yet , his yellow dragon eyes are caring every time they land on me, and his mouth is somewhat appealing if you can get past the two tusks that poke out past his full lower lip.
He must feel my gaze boring into him because he lifts his head to regard me curiously as he finishes chewing his last bite of food. “ Is there something you need, little Rowan ?”
“ No , not particularly. I’m curious to know what you brought in that little bag with you, though.”
“ Ah , yes. It is a pop-up chair. The Zenith boasts a hologram simulation room. It is not very big, but the function it performs for us is necessary, so we make do with the size. My species was born and raised on a planet with life all around us. Being on a ship for lunar rotations at a time, well, it started affecting us negatively, so we turned a small room we did not use into a simulation deck. There is only one chair within the room, so I brought a second in the event you wanted to experience the room with me.”
“ So ? This is like dinner and a movie?”
I haven’t seen a movie in longer than I care to admit and even knowing it won’t be exactly the same doesn’t matter. It’ll still be some form of visual entertainment and I’m excited, nonetheless. Einar doesn’t realize what he’s giving me by essentially taking me on a first date.
“ I am not sure what a ‘movie’ is, but you will be able to watch a variety of things in the simulation room,” he says with a bashful smile.
Hopping to my feet, I grab our plates and take them over to the counter. “ Show me how to wash our dishes and let’s go watch an alien movie!”
He stares at me for a second, obviously confused at my abrupt change in demeanor, before pushing his chair back and walking over to where I’m standing. Picking up our plates, he places them back in the replicator and hits a black button, then a red button as he explains.
“ The replicator stores all the ingredients for our meals as well as the cutlery and utensils. It breaks the non-consumable items down to the molecule, that way we do not waste space with cupboards full of dishes. The replicator creates the same set of dishes over and over.”
“ Well , that is a handy piece of equipment, right there.”
I can’t say that I’m all that disappointed to find out that outer space doesn’t have dishes. I really despise doing dishes. Worst chore ever. “ Okay , lead on to the movie room.”
I can feel Rowan’s excitement and happiness flowing across our bond. That she has been so obviously deprived of simple pleasures is apparent when something so simple as a hologram simulation invigorates her so. This is the first time since she gained consciousness that I have felt any semblance of a positive emotional response from her.
Leading her out of the dining chamber, I turn and take her to the room for her ‘movie,’ wracking my brain for something that she might find appealing as well as entertaining to watch. Inspiration strikes just as we reach the simulation chamber, and I place my palm on the scanner to unlock the door. Stepping back, I allow her to enter the room first. My mam would beat me if I did not offer my Starshine that courtesy. Rowan seems to deflate a bit when she sees bare walls and a plain chair situated in the middle of the room.
Closing the door behind us makes her jump a little and the scent of her apprehension makes the spines across my back rattle. Which in turn makes her more nervous, as she takes a step away from me. Turning so that my back is toward her, I enter the commands for the simulation I picked out.
Forcing myself to calm, I pull my pop-up chair out and situate it next to the existing chair, smiling over at her as I take my seat.
“ Come now, I have something in mind that I think you will like.”
Patiently , I wait for her to make the decision to sit next to me and sigh in relief when she settles herself into the cushioned chair at my side. Right now, I am most thankful that we all decided that the simulation chair needed to be as comfortable as possible because my mate should be able to relax into something plush. Shortly after she settles herself, the walls light up with images and I can tell Rowan is captivated immediately.
“ Einar ! Those are dragons!”
Her breathless words drag my eyes from the images playing in front of us.
“ I do not know what a dragon is, but this species lived long ago on a planet called Atraxia . It was an exceptionally unique world where the males were all of a reptilian nature and the females of equine, I believe, is the correct word. The Aynar invaded it at one point but were met with hostility instead of being welcomed. Legend says that the land itself rose up against the intruders and expelled them from the world. Unfortunately , the Aynar managed to abduct several beings from the planet to harvest DNA from before the planet disappeared. No one knows what happened to the world, and it is thought that the planet imploded, much like your Earth did. Atraxia has not been seen on any star chart in centuries, nor has a single member of the species been seen since the Aynar’s failed invasion. These images are a few of the only ones in existence.”
I observe my mate watching this simulator module as I have seen this one many times over the orbital rotations on the Zenith . The massive, red reptilian beast and his delicate, pale equid mate make a striking pair as they play in the water. A waterfall on the far side of the pool creates the perfect backdrop. I know the tic the pair shift to their bipedal forms because Rowan’s eyes shoot over to me … and the distinctive horns on my head.
My mate is not slow of wit and her next words prove it.
“ You and that dragon man have the same horns. How ?”
“ Clever little human. Remember how I mentioned the Aynar abducted several of their people? Well , they used the DNA from those beings to splice my DNA with.”
Her jaw drops.
“ You’re part dragon?? No way!!”
“ Yes , I am part dragon, as you say, and so are several of my brothers.”
“ You told me Slavic is the only pure-blooded Rukuhk out of the six of you. Obviously , the horns are front and center, but what else makes you different from Slavic ? Do you have anything else that looks different from what it’s supposed to?”
“ You have noticed that we do not wear tunics as we have spines covering our shoulders and backs. Mine are longer with serrated edges to them, where as Slavic’s are smooth but have wickedly sharp points at the end. There are also some … additional differences, but I will have to remove my trousers to fully show you.”
Trepidation blooms from her in waves, the scent almost as acrid as her fear. She thinks this is a ruse, an effort for me to remove my clothes so that I may take advantage of her. Smiling ruefully, I scoot my chair away from her, giving her more distance from me.
“ Ah , perhaps another time. Let us finish watching this module.”
Her next words shock me to my core.
“ No , I want to see.”