Chapter 8 #2
Zalis removed her hand, and nothing got easier on her end. That wasn’t a smile on his face but almost a grin, giving her no answer about the teasing and managed to create a new problem. Her hand tingled where they touched.
Gemma jerked her hand away.
“Your apology is appreciated but unnecessary, much like this modesty,” he said. Then he grinned and it was devastating. De-va-stating. The strong angles of his face softened, his lips pulled back to show fangs, and Gemma was ready to swear that his eyes sparkled.
Calm down, girl. She needed to deflect. Now.
“If you lost track of time, did you remember to eat?” she asked. There. Deflection achieved.
He dipped his head down and ran a hand over his horns in a bashful gesture. “My body has not yet adjusted to Judgment’s schedule. Have you eaten?”
Her stomach rumbled at the mention of food. “Yes, please. I’m starving and I skipped lunch. We need to have a big, serious conversation but it can wait until we eat.”
Zalis grew serious. His hands twitched, as if he wanted to reach out and grab her. “Do not skip a meal. Your body is healing. You need the energy. You were also given orders to keep off your feet.”
Nice way to turn it back on her with no mention of the big, serious conversation. He was as good at deflection as she was.
Gemma moved the motorized chair into the cabin. “I wanted a nap. And do you not see this chair? I’m off my feet.”
Zalis went to the refrigeration unit built into the wall and rummaged inside. “A meal first, and then we will discuss you returning to Earth.”
“You sound reasonable. How do I know this isn’t a trap?”
“Food. Hunger is making you nonsensical.”
Gemma chuckled as she pushed herself to her feet, leaving the chair at the entrance. “You’re sassy. No one told me you were sassy.”
The cabin could be described generously as cozy.
Cluttered would be more accurate. Designed for one, it was a narrow space with a bed built into the wall that could also double as a sofa, a desk on the opposite wall, and a table wedged into a corner near the kitchenette.
Every surface was gray. Gray carpet. Gray walls.
Gray bedding. Clearly function was more important than form.
At least it was clean, if you ignored the clutter. Clothing and duffle bags covered the bed and spilled onto the floor, as if Zalis had been packing before she interrupted. Maneuvering between the piles with the boot on her foot was tricky.
A spot of iridescent color caught her eye. The desk functioned as a work table, littered with tools, circuits, machine parts, and tiny pieces of electronic equipment that Gemma could not describe.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding,” she said, picking up a small… thingy. The body was minuscule, no larger than a peanut, but it had massively disproportionate wings. She tried to picture the device flying like an insect but in no reality was it aerodynamic.
Zalis magically appeared at her side and removed the item from her hand.
“That drone is delicate,” he said, sitting it down carefully. “Do you like noodles?”
“Noodles are great.” She followed him to the table where he cleared a box from a chair, setting it on the bed.
Zalis brought four plates of noodles to the table, somehow all steaming hot. She really needed to figure out the appliances, especially if they worked that quickly.
“I was unsure what flavor you would prefer. Spicy. Seafood. Poultry. Fermented,” he said, pointing to each dish.
“I like food. There’s not much I don’t like and I’m always willing to try something new and interesting,” she said, grabbing a long-handled fork. “Is there a particular way to use this?”
Zalis demonstrated, twirling the noodles around the fork. So no, there was no particular way of using it. He served a portion from each plate, informing her that she would try them all.
“Good thing I brought my appetite.”
The seafood was fishy. Hardly surprising, but the flavor profile wasn’t familiar. Saltier. “This is good.”
Poultry was bland. Spicy was going to be a favorite. She could tell.
“The fermented noodles are interesting,” she said, chewing thoughtfully. “A little sour and yeasty.”
“It is my favorite,” Zalis said. And yeah, the way he bogarted the plate told her that. “It is an acquired taste.”
“You gonna spill the deets on why you keep a medley of noodles on hand?” she asked. She really wanted to know why he vanished last night and why he stayed away, but noodles seemed safer.
He flushed again, dipping his head down as if to hide his face. “I thought you would be hungry after your shower.”
“That shower was an entire day ago.” Not quite. A good eighteen hours ago, though.
“Yes. I will not insult you by lying or omitting facts which embarrass me,” he said. “Before I could return, the warlord summoned me. I instructed a bot to deliver the meal. The system requires a full cycle to update assigned quarters, a fact which I failed to remember.”
“So, my dinner went here.”
“Indeed. When I was released, I feared it was late and I did not wish to disturb you. I came here to sleep and pack. I am scheduled for a brief break, so my normal alerts did not notify me of the time.”
Understandable, like he overslept. Gemma slept through plenty of alarms herself.
Except nothing about this room suggested a sleepyhead. It looked like a distracted squirrel rooted its way through all the drawers and cabinets.
Gemma twirled more noodles on the weirdly elongated fork. “You had a lot on your mind. Mistakes happen.”
“You were starving.” Zalis leaned forward, his gaze fixed on her.
Was he teasing her or was he serious? Gemma had no idea.
“It is unacceptable that you went hungry today. I have failed you as a mate.”
Oh, he was serious.
“That was an exaggeration. I wasn’t starving. I had breakfast, with the warlord’s wife, actually. She did a whole new arrival orientation today.” Gemma flashed what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “The address mix-up actually makes me feel better, believe it or not.”
“I do not,” he said quickly.
“Since you were honest with me, I’ll be honest with you. I thought you were avoiding me.”
“Not intentionally.”
“If you were, I understand. This is a lot, and I just panicked and picked you—”
“You chose me,” he said, sounding pleased for the first time.
“For the wrong reasons.”
“Incorrect. You were honest with your reasons. You were afraid.”
“I was scared—I still am—but that’s no reason to do what I did to you.” Gemma pushed her plate away, no longer hungry.
Zalis growled, as if displeased, and pushed it back toward her. “You needed a mate for protection. You chose me.”
Gemma pinched the bridge of her nose. They were going in circles.
“Can’t you just accept my apology?”
“You have no reason to apologize.”
Yeah. They were getting nowhere.
“Look,” she said, pushing the damn plate away again. “You didn’t ask for this. I think it’s best if we just wash our hands of this and walk away.”
It’d been less than twenty-four hours. There had to be an undo button.
“I want to go back to Earth,” she said.
“No.”