Page 41 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

Ziame

After we’d settled on our course of action, I re-engaged the autopilot on its set course for Xio.

This ship was faster than the Caratoa we’d initially traveled on, which was probably the reason the Krektar had risked making a detour.

From the nav console, I’d gathered that they’d been to the Yengar space station, where they’d bought Abigail and Tori’s faulty pods.

Despite our two-hour hiatus and that detour, we’d still make it just in time.

While I’d worked with the controls, the other gladiators had collected the bodies and thrown them out the airlock.

They’d left the two injured Krektar locked in their quarters, stripped of any weapons, and had locked Thonklad in the cellblock that had previously housed us.

As soon as the two injured ones had gotten a clean bill of health from the Doc, they’d meet the same fate.

Then all the males had apparently found the time to have a private chat because they escorted me to the med bay and officially voted me Captain.

The idiots seemed to think I’d make a good leader for some reason, but as Abigail proudly smiled at me, I felt my spines flick up in pride a little, too.

Okay, I’d give this gig a shot. I was likely the most educated male in the lot, so I guess it did make sense.

Even Kitan, weak and heavily sedated, had roused enough to vote for me.

They seemed to think that made it unanimous.

I was a little surprised when Sunder came over to clasp my shoulder and press his forehead to mine.

“You’ll do well, and I’ll try to advise you any way I can.

” Knowing the male had two decades more experience than I had, I was glad for the help.

Afterward, I wanted to spend time with Abigail—just for a moment, to revel in being alone with her, with no immediate threats hanging over our heads.

But she had other plans for the moment. First, having made sure that the doctor had checked each of us for injuries and treated us where necessary, she’d then had one of us pull up the ship’s schematic so we could assign quarters and start clean-up.

With fierce determination, she had declared that if we were to be living on this ship for now, it was damn well not going to be a pigsty—whatever that was. We’d all set off to get on with our various tasks, and Abigail had taken Tori to the mess hall to take care of the food.

So, while I was cleaning out a cabin, I found myself cornered—one after the other—by each of the males.

First, it was Fierce; then Jakar; and last came Thorin.

I realized they each just wanted to talk, wanted to get to know me better.

I understood, all this time, I’d kept my mouth shut and pretended I was a dumb beast while they’d spoken and gotten to know each other.

Sunder was the only one who let me be—or at least, I thought so—but he cornered me just before mealtime, right as I was about to see Abigail again.

“I’ve taken it upon myself to clear out the Captain’s quarters,” he said.

“I know Abigail didn’t schedule it, but I felt it made sense for these quarters to go to you.

It has a far bigger bed, so you should be comfortable.

” He eyed my horns as he said that and grinned.

“Maybe you slide the bed away from the headboard a tad, yes?” I would likely have to if I wanted to have space for my horns.

I didn’t want to be singled out for preferential treatment, but I understood that being the leader—chosen leader at that—came with certain symbols of office.

Besides, part of me was glad to have the use of a bigger bed; I’d eyed the ones I’d seen in the cabins with some trepidation.

Sharing one of those with Abigail would be a tight fit.

Not that she’d chosen to share my bed yet.

For now, she’d assigned herself her own cabin.

“Thank you,” I forced myself to say. “I will try to do right by us. In fact, can you go around and check with each male if there are any who wish it and can go home? Once we’ve got a navigator, we could possibly return some of them to where they belong.

” Sunder nodded, and we headed for the mess hall together.

Abigail and Tori, as it turned out, had worked hard to clean up the kitchen and the mess hall so that we could all sit down for a real meal for the first time on this ship.

Even the doctor, who told us all to call him Luka, joined us for the food.

It was something the ladies called stew, which was the best they could do with what little ingredients they had.

They had sounded apologetic about it, but it was the best damn meal we’d had in a long time, so the space was filled with nothing but appreciation.

Things turned into an impromptu celebration once the food had been scarfed down.

One of the males had found a stash of Adarian wine in one of the cabins, and we shared that.

It was one of those glowing evenings I’d likely remember fondly for a long time.

Tori had sung a few songs for us, Abigail sat next to me all evening, and for the first time in three years, I was free.

I felt like I belonged. Tomorrow’s worries were just that, they were for tomorrow.

Then, when I could tell Abigail was flagging, I walked her to the cabin assigned to her, one I’d personally cleaned.

She kissed me goodnight with those soft lips of hers, then giggled and tripped over her own feet as she headed for her bed.

That was just fucking adorable; she was already affected by the mild drink.

As she’d curled up on the bed, apparently half asleep, I went inside and got a wet cloth from the washroom.

Then I cleaned her slightly grubby feet; she’d been walking around barefoot since the shoe incident.

Noting the pretty pink paint on her dainty little toes, not a single natural weapon on her body, and yet, she’d taken out a fully grown Hoxiam, I was so damn proud.

She was snoring softly by the time I had her—still fully dressed—tucked into the bed. Only then did I head off to find her an alternative for footwear.

***

Abigail

Whatever was in that Adarian wine hit harder than a ton of bricks.

Crikey, that stuff was still hammering around in my skull.

I sat up with a wince and then had to hold my head as I waited for the world to stop spinning around me.

At least my stomach was behaving. When I got up, I padded barefoot to the washroom and took the longest, warmest, most well-deserved shower ever.

I’d brushed my clothes clean as best I could and washed my panties in the sink, going bare for the moment.

My feet, however… that was a problem. My precious heels were still in the hangar bay, and honestly, they could stay there.

But yesterday, it hadn’t been pleasant to walk around barefoot in this still-mostly-disgusting ship all afternoon.

I didn’t really feel like doing that again.

With no other option, I headed for my door, fully intending to head to the mess hall so I could help Tori with breakfast, as we’d agreed yesterday. It was a rather domestic division of labor, but we girls had decided that it was very likely we were the only ones who knew how to prepare food.

There was a present waiting for me in the hallway, though, right in front of my door.

Two pairs of far-too-large socks and a pair of boots, also too big, but possibly the smallest pair available onboard this ship.

I knew immediately that Ziame had arranged for this, and my heart just about melted in my chest. That was so sweet.

Who knew I’d be so damn happy with a couple of socks and a pair of ugly boots?

When I put on both pairs of socks, the boots even almost fit.

I entered the mess hall, and a smell that almost resembled bacon greeted my nostrils.

It made my belly rumble in appreciation.

I found Tori behind the alien stove, frying strips of something that looked horrifyingly green and turned out to be a kind of vegetable.

It was what made the bacon smell, and when I tasted it, it was almost right.

Close enough. I moaned in pleasure. “Where the hell did you find this? Are you a goddess or what?”

Tori graced me with a shy smile, her cheeks going red.

“Luka brought it to me. He says he spent the night cataloging all the fresh food in storage and making sure it was safe for all of us to eat...” Then she ducked her head, blonde hair swinging forward to hide her face.

“I think he feels guilty for hurting us.”

I jumped up and sat down on the nearest counter while I surveyed the breakfast prep Tori had already taken care of.

There were several trays of what looked like biscuits, only these were made of some kind of red flour.

I spotted blue scrambled eggs to go along with the plate of green bacon she was preparing now.

“Tori, how long have you been up to do all this? I thought we’d work on it together.

” The girl was pregnant; she shouldn’t be working too hard.

She shrugged. “Apparently, this baby likes to kick me awake in the early hours… I thought I might as well make myself useful.” When she saw my concerned look, she blushed again. “I promise I’ll take a nap after this.”

We worked in silence for some time, with me just helping to set the food out on the largest table in the mess hall and set out plates.

Truthfully, I wasn’t much of a cook either.

I filled pitchers with water and some kind of protein drink the guys had been supplied in the cells; something I suspected they needed to maintain their impressive muscle mass.