Chapter 9
Atem
The females barely ate anything.
The bowls he gave them weren't large, and he did that purposefully.
He didn't want them to get sick by eating too much at once.
Still, despite how little they consumed, he could actually see the difference hot, nutritious food made.
Color he hadn't realized was missing returned to their faces and light returned to their eyes.
When Peony, his precious green eyes, leaned back from the table, half of her second bowl emptied, she patted at her stomach, and he was at once pleased and angered by the slight rounding of her skin compared to before.
That she had been fed so little that she lost enough weight that a decent meal could be seen on her frame was infuriating and made him want to kill the ratchi again.
But he was pleased and proud to see her little belly full. He had done that for her. He had killed her enemies and provided her food. There were no more basic and primal tasks for a domin to complete for his mate and the sense of fulfillment was indescribable.
Safe. Fed. Now to get her – get them – comfort and rest.
“Follow,” he said, deliberately using a soft voice so the single word commands didn't sound harsh. He couldn't use more complex sentences to avoid confusing them.
Peony turned to gaze up at him, the fatigue obvious on her face.
But she was smiling. His entire body heated as his cock tried to rise in anticipation of taking her to bed.
Seeing to his female's needs gave him fulfillment, but also made him eager to pull her into his arms and seek to give her pleasure now that she was safe and fed.
But rest came first. He could seduce her later.
And there was no doubt in his mind that he would seduce her later. Taking lovers from other sapient species wasn't uncommon. Taking mates was more rare but not unheard of. Most would prefer to have offspring from their coupling and mate bonds rarely formed between two different species.
But in that moment, he wasn't thinking about the future.
He wanted his beautiful, green eyed water bearer with a desperation made only keener from the post battle blood lust burning through him.
It wasn't without effort that he kept his touch gentle and friendly, only holding Peony's hand – that precious hand that offered him water – as he led the females back through the ship.
The crew quarters weren't far from the galley. Atem had already gone through, removing anything dangerous, disgusting, or dirty. He didn't have a choice but to offer the females the beds of their enemies, but he wouldn't let them sleep in their filth.
The rooms were small – little more than three bunks built into one wall, storage shelves under each one. Hattie and Holly chose to share one room, Scarlet and Alanna shared the other. Peony stood back as the females chose their bunk mates, still holding Atem's hand.
And his hope soared that, maybe, she felt that same acute hunger that flared in the wake of dangerous and deadly situations.
She could easily have bunked with the other females, but she chose not to.
He debated showing her to the captain's room, which was slightly bigger and would have room for both of them.
Instead, he reminded himself that caring for her came first. He showed the females to the small chamber for eliminating waste then to the slightly larger, communal bathing chamber.
A low-density cleaning fluid was used instead of water – using water to wash would be a waste in space.
He showed them how to use it before leaving them to clean themselves.
He took a breath and adjusted his swollen cock before walking quickly back to the bridge. He would leave the females to explore and get comfortable without him. He knew that his size and strength still made the yellow haired Holly uneasy.
He also didn't want to accidentally pressure Peony. If she desired him to slake her battle lust, he would gladly service her in that. But she had to come to him.