Chapter 5
Atem
Peony.
A strange name. But it tasted perfect on his tongue.
The other females were happy to share their rations with him now that he had proven himself to not be a threat.
But Peony was the one who had offered her water to him first, with no guarantee of anything in return and no assurance of her safety.
A kindness with no ulterior motives. An act he would never forget.
He was being careful to move slowly, to even hunch his shoulders a bit. Trying to make himself seem smaller. A rather pointless endeavor considering that the blood haired one, Scarlet, was the tallest of the females and she still barely reached his shoulders. But he didn't want to scare them.
Tiny, delicate creatures. He hated to steal their food, but he needed his strength in order to get free and fight for them.
Now that he had food and water and a chance for his sides to heal, he could fight. He needed only a moment to rest and allow the ration bars to digest. The moment his strength returned, while it might not be his full strength, he would be on the attack.
Until then, he enjoyed the presence of Peony at his side.
His upper eye – considered the eye of truth given how hard it was to consciously control what it looked at – was fixated on her. And he made no attempt to force it back into line with the others. He savored this moment. One he had eagerly been waiting for his whole life.
The choosing was instinctive. His eyes knew her on sight and his body reacted accordingly. The female that would be his mate.
His little water bearer. With long, dark brown hair that, while greasy and dirty, was still filled with a delicate, messy curl that spilled around her shoulders.
Those hypnotic green eyes he already adored stared right back at him, unabashed and only slightly shy.
She ran them over him as surely as his moved over her.
Her lack of fear was pleasing. Her rounded, curved form, with her large breasts, soft belly, and thick hips, big enough to be a perfect grip in his hands, even under the shapeless shirt and plain black pants, set a fire in his blood that actually helped beat back the pain.
It would be his honor to fight for her, even if she hadn’t been his. But she was and that made the act a true joy.
The females talked around him, but he didn't pay it much mind.
He was resting as best he dared while they were in danger – which he still considered to be true as their enemies would be just beyond the reinforced door.
And he couldn't understand their sweet voices anyway.
They were definitely scheming again though, and it almost felt like they were including him in their plans as they kept their circle around him.
He might have been an unknown before, but he was one of them now. As it always was, nothing made friends like enemies. Another ancient proverb.
The meager offering of food and water settled heavily into his stomach, uncomfortable and hard after so long without but, as the minutes passed, he felt his limbs strengthening. He was pretty sure the little females had their own plot, and he wished he understood them so he could help.
For now, however, he had his own plans. They had done everything they needed to and there was no need to risk themselves further.
It had probably only been half a mark or so when he finally got to his feet. He surprised the females, Peony calling out to him as he stood with ease. He didn't sway or buckle under his own weight. He was still weakened.
But he was strong enough for this.
“Allow me the key, Peony,” he said, holding his hand down to her.
Of course, she didn't understand him. He was about to repeat his request, to mime at the key she still held, when she put her hand in his.
Then, using him as an anchor, she pulled herself up.
He was unprepared for the action, but his muscles all locked in place, steadying himself for her use.
That was not what he had expected, and he stared at her in surprise.
She had taken his hand.
So willingly. So quickly. Part of him knew that, just because the act was considered intimate and a sign of great trust among his people, didn’t mean that it necessarily was for hers.
But his heart wasn’t listening to that reason. He was focused fully on her hand, so small in his, but warm and strong and exactly right.
She stared back at him and, surprising him again, her face suddenly turned pink. She babbled something, taking her hand back and murmuring rapid nonsense. His expression must have betrayed his confusion and surprise and she realized that wasn't what he had intended in holding out his hand.
He also hadn't intended to make her feel uncomfortable though. He reached down and captured her hand again before she could pull away completely.
“It's all right,” he assured her, petting her hand between his. “I just wasn't ready for you to rely on me so quickly. Thank you, for your trust.”
She stared at him, unable to decipher his words, but it seemed she understood something in his tone as her face flushed a deeper shade of pink.
That was fascinating. What was the purpose of that?
It certainly wasn't a camouflage response.
Just judging by the fact that their skin tones didn't shift much at all, he didn't think they had camouflage abilities like himself.
So, why was she turning pink?
He would have to ask later when they could speak.
For now, he gestured to the key. She looked at it, then looked to the others.
The blood haired one shrugged. The yellow haired one shook her head, but the brown haired one touched her arm and said something before nodding her head to his precious green eyes.
She turned those pretty eyes onto him, and, with a soft smile, she placed the key in his palm. He took it from her with a grunt of thanks before turning to his cage.
Reaching up, he grabbed the storage crate on top.
It was heavily weighted with the intention of keeping his cage down in case he broke free of the numerous chains.
He didn't know what was stored inside, but it didn't really matter.
What was important was that it was big, heavy, and thick enough to stop any ranged weaponry that could be safely used on a ship.
No space faring species would be stupid enough to use plasma weapons on a starship, and even if they did, depending on what was in the crate, it might be thick enough to stop it anyway.
Atem wasn't strong enough to lift the heavy box right now.
He was, however, recovered enough that he could pull his cage away from the wall, giving himself the room he needed to wedge himself into the space between the wall and the crate so he could push it off, sending it crashing to the floor with a bang so loud all the females flinched.