Page 16

Her hands rested on either side of one of the plates. “What is all this?”

“That is ciglemia bread.” I pointed to it on the plate. “That is locot...a root vegetable grown on my planet.” I gestured to the other plate, which was filled with more fruit and vegetables.

“This is yudatillo cake. It is one of my favorite sweet foods.” I hoped she liked my people’s food since we did not have human food available.

“I have a sweet tooth too, so I will probably like it,” she smiled then took a small piece of bread and chewed it. “Mmm. Oh my god, this is delicious. Tastes kind of like sweet bread.”

Her sounds of pleasure while eating and the way her mouth embraced each piece of food made me wish I was the food.

My heart was filled with joy when she accepted what I offered. The ancient traditions of my ancestors coursed through my blood.

In the future, I would make sure she was looked after. Ensure she was protected from harm.

And show her the true meaning of being my mate.

I was taken aback by how easily these things came to me, as if they were second nature.

While enjoying her meal, Grace seemed to avert her eyes from mine, indicating a sense of shyness at first. As she ate, she glanced over at me. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but one of the warriors looked different from the rest of you. Is he from a different planet or something?”

“Aza is who you’re talking about. He is of both Tulian and Alaran descent. There are many others of mixed race, some similar to him. There are none on the ship right now.”

Her head tilted to the side as she spoke, her voice filled with a touch of wonder. “What other beings live in this part of space?”

A relaxed smile crossed my face. “The Drakkari, which live on the planet Zeynon. Then there is the Ixul from planet Graacux. Tulians...” I paused. “There are many more which you will learn about in time.”

“I can’t wait to learn about everything.” She began nibbling on another piece of ciglemia bread.

Her every gesture had me captivated, unable to look away. Grace’s enthusiasm for space was infectious. I couldn’t stop smiling while watching her.

After she finished eating, she leaned back and placed her hands in her lap.

“You mentioned being both the Captain of this ship and the Commander of the Protectorate. Is that right?”

I grinned and nodded. “Yes. That is correct.”

“So, what is the Protectorate, exactly? Are you all like a space army or something?”

“The Protectorate Forces are an allied group of planets that work together to protect Alaran space.”

“Do they run this part of space...are they in charge?”

I cocked my head. Although I appreciated her curiosity, I didn’t want to divulge too much about myself right now.

What if I frightened her and ruined my chances of being accepted by her? The last thing I wanted was to lose my K’sha.

“The Alaran royal family technically rule Alaran space and oversees the protection of its citizens. They created the Protectorate after a war long ago. Although the Alaran Empire includes many planets, they no longer force planets to join them or follow their laws. Most other planets here are self-governing to a degree. If they choose to join the Alliance, they must adhere to laws laid out by the Alaran Empire since it governs the Protectorate Forces.”

She scratched her head. “Is there a King and Queen on Alara?”

“Just a King.” I clarified. After a moment, I asked. “Did you want that tour of the ship?”

Grace’s eyebrows drew together as she studied me. Did she detect I was holding back information?

We both stood at the same time.

She tucked hair behind both ears. “Where will we go after we leave Javar Outpost?”

Glad she wasn’t asking more questions about the King, I thrust my shoulders back.

“Where do you wish to go?” I asked, hoping she would not change her mind about staying on the ship with me.

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. This is all new to me.” She frowned for a brief moment, then sighed. “I never thought I would end up abducted to get here.”

I stopped myself from reaching for her hand. “You are safe now.” I am happy I found you.

She blinked at me, her lips parted. I sensed she believed me.

Grace ran her hand along her long hair again and twirled a strand between her fingers. “Thanks for the food. And thanks for saving me...I mean us.”

I pressed my lips together, forming a sincere smile. My heart was racing at her proximity.

She averted her eyes toward the doors.

My nostrils flared just before she glanced back at me. I caught a brief scent of her that made my blood heat.

Her mouth opened and her eyes widened a bit before she looked away.

“I should really get back to the other ladies,” she muttered, her breathy words barely escaping her lips. “They will be curious about what has happened to me.”

She continued twirling her hair with her fingers.

My body continued to respond to her signals, but I remained still.

“Don’t you want a tour of the ship?” I asked.

Her cheeks turned red as she bit her lip and gave me a coy look. “Maybe another time?”

I was disappointed that she didn’t want to spend more time together, but didn’t want to push her into it if she wasn’t ready.

“I will take you to the other females if that is what you wish. But I thought you might like to have your own quarters at some point?” I quirked one brow.

It would be much easier to spend time with her if the other females were not hovering around her.

She spoke with a stammer, avoiding eye contact with me. “I just want to make sure they are okay....I mean...”

My head dropped. Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. “They are safe here on the ship.” My tone came across as more defensive and gruff than I had meant it to be.

Grace swallowed, taking a step back. Did she not believe me?

She shrugged, smoothing her hands down her luscious thighs. “Sure. I mean I’m sure that’s true, but still...”

I shook my head.

“Follow me.” I contacted Orin as we strode toward the humans’ quarters.

‘Yes, Captain? ’’ he responded.

‘Are the females doing okay?’ I asked him.

His voice sounded stressed.

‘ They want to know where you’ve taken the female. One of them is being argumentative. She appears to have made the other two upset, so I had to lock them into their room until they calm down.’

I winced and averted my gaze from Grace as I pondered how to explain what was happening.

“What’s going on?” Grace asked with a wrinkled brow.

I cleared my throat. “I must return to the command center. But first I will unite you with the other females.”

Grace narrowed her eyes. “You’re not telling me something. What’s really going on? Why has your demeanor changed?”

My back became rigid with tension. No one else dared to speak to me this way. I did not have to explain myself to anyone.

Still, why did I feel my heart soften when I heard her voice filled with concern? This small human had somehow managed to bring me to my knees after only a brief time together.

My brows lifted. “Demeanor?” The word did not translate into one I understood.

“Yes. The way you are acting all of a sudden. Has something happened?” She crossed her arms.

I began walking and Grace followed on my heels, trying to catch up with my long strides.

“I just received a message from Orin.”

She peered up at me. “How? Do you have an earpiece or something?”

“Something like that.” I shrugged. “One of the females is wondering where you are. Now all of them are upset and causing a disturbance,” I stated.

Grace rolled her eyes. “I can guess who that is.” She paused and her eyes rounded. “Please tell me Orin hasn’t locked them up?” She grimaced.

I took a step back and turned to continue walking. “Like I said, we do not hurt females, but we also do not want them to do anything foolish.”

This was not how I expected things to go between us.

Grace hurried next to me and gripped my forearm. “You mean like trying to get away?”

Rather than pulling away, I stopped walking and looked down at her. “That. And there are areas of the ship that are unsafe.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t tell me where you plan on taking us after we stop at the Javar Outpost?”

Sighing, I scratched my forehead. “It is dangerous for females to be alone out in space. Once our mission at Javar is done, we will discuss the options regarding the other females.”

I refrained from telling her the truth to prevent making things worse. That we could not return them to their star system.

Grace inhaled and stood a little taller before releasing her breath.

With her head reaching my chest, I couldn’t help but imagine how perfect she would be in my arms. I growled. It was not the time to think such thoughts.

She pulled her hand away and stepped aside. “What else aren’t you saying? What do you mean, mission? You can tell me.”

My lips pinched together.

“My job was to find the Drakkari female named Joele. She holds the position of Calti and belongs to the Drakkari ruling family. Our usual patrolling of Alaran space had to take a backseat to that. Now that we’ve rescued her, we’re bringing her back to her people.

I have planned nothing beyond that right now. ”

Grace’s eyes popped.

“I remember you addressed her as Calti Joele when we arrived here. Is she also some kind of royalty, like a Princess?”

“Not exactly. Their planet is run by a handful of ruling families. They do not have a monarchy there.”

She nodded as if thinking about everything I’d said, then her face changed to one of alarm.

“Hold on. You didn’t actually intend to discover us on that planet did you? If it weren’t for Joele’s rescue, you would never have saved the rest of us?” She spoke in a higher pitch, signaling her fear.

I licked my lips before responding, feeling the tension increase in my body from her questions. My sweet human was very intelligent. It would not be wise to lie to her.

“We do not check for slaves on planets that are close to the edge of Alaran space. This ship patrols in a completely different area. When we tracked her to that planet, we did not know who else might be at that location. You may not have been found had we not showed up. But we would never have left you there once we discovered you.”

Grace thrust her hands to her hips. “You mean to tell me if we hadn’t escaped with her, you would have left us there?”

I ran a hand down my face. How is it we have wound up arguing? “You are here. What is the point in discussing this?” I grumbled.

Grace pointed down the corridor. “Take me to the other women. Now!”

I bowed my head and spun on my heel to continue toward the living quarters.

Grace followed. I wasn’t sure what had happened or what I’d said to anger her.

This day had spiraled into a complete disaster, and now there was a chance that she would not want to speak to me again.